Susan, you need to talk to a HICAP rep. HICAP stands for Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, altho it may be called something else in other states. It should be connected with your state or local Area Agency on Aging, which is a federal program. Start there, and you should get a good look at the programs available to you. Possibly there are programs that you haven't even heard of yet.

Hope this helps!

Talk to your local Blue Cross Blue Shield agen about your prescription plan. Take hime a list of all the meds you are now taking, and in a moment he can tell you which option is best for you at this time. It's mind boggling to try to decipher them oneself.

The trouble with talking to the agent is that he's trying to sell you the policy. You should also talk to an objective third party.

It's a jungle out there....

I am so sympathetic to you & the confusion w/Medicare options!! I will be 65 in Feb & this past week had to confirm the automatic enrollment parts- A & B..BUT-because I am a retired military man's spouse..I had to go to the Coast Guard base, to confirm my "Deers' eligibility. What a pain! Glad it's over!

I too have Blue Cross Blue Shield & thier Rx plan...but mine is higher 'cause I'm older, I guess. I have been very pleased so far. Previously had United HealthCare but they got too expensive & had to find something more affordable.

Recently got info on several different Advantage plans & noticed in fine print on one stating, "All physicians may
not accept Advantage." That was enough for me to toss it.
So far BC/BS has been great...I've not paid a cent for Dr. visits, blood work, etc. Same for specialists, including some pretty expensive hospital tests.

Suzi

And from what I read the Advantage will be theirs, not mine!

Did you look at the AARP plan? My mom and aunt had that one--up till last year, it was a lot less than what you're saying you're paying (I don't know about now), and mom and aunt rarely had to pay anything for their medical needs (I know once mom went to the eye dr. and ended up owing .50!--and the dr. asked for it, do you believe!). When Aunt had an ER visit/hospital stay/rehab stay because of a burst appendix--she paid only $100 for the ambulance ride between the hospital and rehab facility. Medicare and her AARP insurance picked up EVERYTHING else.

You do need to speak with someone in your area, who understands insurance, and who is NOT trying to sell you anything. How about contacting your local senior advocacy center--they generally have knowlegeable people who can help you, or can direct you in the right direction to find someone. Good luck.

The plan options provided by "the Blues" vary from state to state, and in some cases, within a state. It's not all one big company.
So, what my particular BC plan offers here in eastern PA is not necessarily the same as what you would get in the same plan name in western PA (Horizon)or in New York or New Jersey, for example.

I suggest you look at what you spent last year on health care, and what you expect to spend...then choose the plan that fits your present and possibly future needs.

My financial adviser lays all this out for me each year, and we choose accordingly.

I don't take any medications. It might be a little easier to choose if I did. (But I'm glad I don't!) :-)

I didn't realize the Blues varied in their plans, Monica. I'll add up my doctor visits, etc., from the past year, and take a look at that. I guess the "future needs" is the critical number. Insurance is always a guessing game . . . trying to anticipate what sort of coverage we might eventually need.

I suppose it boils down to "we get what we pay for." If I don't go with the Advantage plan (which I probably won't), I'll consider switching my drug coverage to AARP's, which is United Health Care. I would only save about $15 a month, but at this point every little bit helps.

Thanks, everyone!

I have a policy with United of Omaha and love it.. plus the Advantix RX plan..Hubby has a Humana Advantage plan that is not worth the paper it is written on...(too many copays) so we are switching him to United of Omaha as well....

If you go to Medicare.gov they have a place where you can do comparative shopping. You list your drugs with all the different plans to see where you get the best buy. There is a wealth of info there.

go to the link below and then select Medicare Prescription Drug plans 2009 and then select Find and Compare plans.

Here is a link that might be useful: Medicare

Watch out for AARP. Many of the seniors here are dropping it as it does not cover what they claim. There were other problems, but I am not familiar with them. You can ask at a large drug store, medical center as most have a representative that you can talk to. Also watch your papers, there will be people you can talk to listed for you to contact from the state insurance office.