Insurance

[ss55]

My current Medicare Advantage Plan ( a Plan C ) has been discontinued for next year, so I need to get different Medicare insurance for next year. Do private insurance brokers give honest comparisons between the plans they receive commissions from and the ones they don't? Are there better places to shop for Medicare plans? Thanks.

 

[Janicholson]

My wife and I have found that a good bank or Credit union can provide solid advice that can help save your money (in their institution). Ours provided a series of seminars on the important topic. We were shown comparisons and benefits/cost assessment. Jim

 

[Gabby Hayes]

My current Medicare Advantage Plan ( a Plan C ) has been discontinued for next year, so I need to get different Medicare insurance for next year. Do private insurance brokers give honest comparisons between the plans they receive commissions from and the ones they don't? Are there better places to shop for Medicare plans? Thanks.

When we retired we found an agent that sold us Capitol Life plans for our 20% supplement and drug plan which Medicare doesn't pay for. After a couple years he moved us to Medica and we love it! It pays so well for all the health problems that my wife deals with and I never saw a bill after my knee replacement in January. Every January they send us debit cards that has $1,500 for eye exams, prescription pills that aren't covered and dental bills. We each pay $132 a month for our supplemental insurance from them. I think that you should check out Medica.

 

[Jim.ME]

When we retired we found an agent that sold us Capitol Life plans for our 20% supplement and drug plan which Medicare doesn't pay for. After a couple years he moved us to Medica and we love it! It pays so well for all the health problems that my wife deals with and I never saw a bill after my knee replacement in January. Every January they send us debit cards that has $1,500 for eye exams, prescription pills that aren't covered and dental bills. We each pay $132 a month for our supplemental insurance from them. I think that you should check out Medica.

Dental, vision, and prescription coverage allowances as you describe sounds like an Advantage Plan, not a Supplemental Plan. One has to check, as Medica like other providers, is not available everywhere in the country.

 

[kencombs]

My current Medicare Advantage Plan ( a Plan C ) has been discontinued for next year, so I need to get different Medicare insurance for next year. Do private insurance brokers give honest comparisons between the plans they receive commissions from and the ones they don't? Are there better places to shop for Medicare plans? Thanks.

Brokers are not all alike, that's all I'll say.
That said, all the information you need to do the comparisons is available on Medicare.gov, each insurance web site and in your medication list.

I recommend spending several hours in research instead of relying on a broker to do the exact same thing, and hope that they are nor swayed in any way by their commissions.

The first step is to use the tools on medicare.gov to determine who offers a Plan C in your area. It's just amazing how a change in county or even zip can change what is available.

 

[Keith True]

First,you need to find out which ones operate in your state.None of the ones I'm seeing on TV even service N.H. You can spend many hours researching companies,only to find they don't operate in your state.A lot are pulling out of here for 2026,but mine is staying.I got a notice Monday that we are looking at a monthly increase in the hundreds for next year though.

 

[rrlund]

Medicare dot gov. Be sure to put in your zip code, it might be free. It is in my zip code. I chose the best, top rated Priority Health plan that they have, no premium.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

My current Medicare Advantage Plan ( a Plan C ) has been discontinued for next year, so I need to get different Medicare insurance for next year. Do private insurance brokers give honest comparisons between the plans they receive commissions from and the ones they don't? Are there better places to shop for Medicare plans? Thanks.

I get my Medicare advantage insurance from AARP. A lady locall advised me on what is the best for my situation and what is available in my county.
Edited She also told me of the downfalls of other plans. I trust my insurance lady. I've used her for the past 12 years and very happy.
Your plan may not work for me. You may need more med coverage, I don't.
I once had IU health supplement. IU health pulled out of my county.
My advice is you talk to someone who sells it locally. It won't cost you anything for advice. Advantage plans vary from county to county.
I would start out by looking at the yellow pages for someone who sells insurance and then ask them if they don't handle Medicare advantage.

 

[MarkB_MI]

As others have said, your first stop should be https://www.medicare.gov. I don't believe a broker is going to have any secret information that's not on the web site, and a broker may or may not have your best interests in mind.

I've never shopped for a Medicare Advantage plan, but the info on the Medicare web site for Part D and Medicare supplements (aka "medigap") plans is very good. You can plug in your list of prescriptions and it will tell you your annual out-of-pocket expenses for each plan down to the penny.

If you do consult a broker, double-check everything they tell you. I learned the hard way that information a plan provider tells you over the phone can't be trusted. Last year I got a letter from my Part D provider telling me that the particular insulin glargine I used (Basaglar) wouldn't be covered. So I called them up and asked which insulin glargine they would cover. "Lantus" was the answer I got from the overseas agent. OK, I thought; I'll just get my prescription changed. Then when it was too late to change my plan I checked on medicare.gov and found that Lantus WAS NOT covered! This was a several thousand dollar mistake. I had to enter all the insulin glargine products into medicare.gov until I found the only one my provider covered was Soliqua. I got my doctor to switch me to Soliqua, which turned out well.

This year I got another letter from my plan provider: Soliqua won't be covered. I'll be changing plans to one that covers Soliqua.

 

[Duner Wi]

Anyone who received "The Letter" saying your Medicare Advantage AKA Plan C is no longer available to you for 2026, keep the letter as proof. You will need it as proof if you sign up for Medigap policy. If you get another advantage plan I don't think you need the letter. Quartz has abandoned many counties in their service area. IMO not being handled very well as public relations is concerned.

 

[Keith True]

I got the letter a couple of weeks ago saying the company I am with will be staying in my county.But,depending on the outcome of federal money disputes our premiums could increase by a few hundred,or it will increase by $39.for each of us,depending on that outcome.My insurance guy called me yesterday to make sure we had been made aware,and told us that some counties in northern N.H.will have no advantage plans available in 2026.We are limited,(here), for 2026,but companies are gearing up with plans for 2027,and there will be multiple choices at that time.