in three supplemental insurances to cover what Medicare does not cover. I used a service provided by my husband's former employer. They sent me tons of materials to look over and a guidebook to walk me through the process. In addition to that, I got so much in the mail from AARP, Humana, Blue Cross, United Health Care, etc. that we started having bets about how many pieces we would receive in the mail each day.
I had to call the service after I went online, signed up for their services and then started looking at plans. It was fairly simple to look at the plans (once I figured out which kind I wanted to buy) as they only showed me plans that were valid in my state. That narrowed the field a lot. You have to read the instructions carefully and understand what is covered and what is not. I had to try to figure out what was the best route for me and my situation. They did offer helpful questions for me to answer to help sort it out.
Then I called and spent about an hour talking to the agent and getting all the information ironed out and listening to some required audio recordings explaining my rights, etc. It was a little nerve wracking since some of those things cannot be changed and some can. And if you skip enrolling at certain times, you may not be able to do it later or it will cost you more. So you have to listen and document every step of the way. And ask a lot of questions.
It was really not that hard but there is a lot of detail to it. My husband gets his turn next Monday, as he will go on Medicare on Jan. 1st. Since I've been through the process, we kind of know what to expect for him. So that will help.
If I had to give any advice about enrolling in a health care plan (especially if you use online for some of it and the phone for some of it) is keep detailed notes of what you are doing. Who you talked to. Ask questions and don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you still don't understand. The people I dealt with were very patient and did not rush me in any way. They were well trained to help me.
The whole process took more than an hour if you count the time I spent ahead of the actual enrollment. But health insurance (in my case Supplemental Policies) are very important and can make a huge difference in what I will end up owing and paying OUT OF POCKET if I am ever seriously ill or injured. I am breast cancer survivor so it's not a small consideration. It's worth taking a few hours to think it all through and make good choices for yourself.
We have always had our insurance through my husband's employer so we got whatever the company provided. This was the first time we ever had many choices.
On edit: Forgot to mention that before I went on Medicare our monthly expense for our CIGNA health insurance, vision plan and dental was $878 a month. My cost now: $104. Medicare Part B, $181. United Health Care Supplemental $12.99 Humana Dental $39 WellCare Prescription Drug Plan. Total of around $336 with a reimbursement of $85. from husband's former employer as a benefit. So our cost is going down! Yay! My husband will pay a bit more as a smoker but will also get the $85 reimbursement, too. So we are pleased to be paying less. His pension will be looking a littler healthier, too, without nearly $900 skimmed off the top!
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