Medical Insurance Forum

• Healthcare Insurance -- I would like to hear from people that have had trouble obtaining afordable healthcare insurance at the age of 60. I have had FHP HMO on a COBRA basis and find that they want no part of a 60 yr old if you do not belong to a group. If you have answer please E-Mail Gene Gentry -- GENERG@aol.com Thanks

• Hi. My mom is 71 years old living in Maryland. She has gotten information about what appears to be a HMO alternative to Medicare. From what I can gather from the information they sent to her, she will no longer need to pay her supplimental BCBS payments once accepted in the program the Medicare part A&B she is currently enrolled in becomes a HMO. If you have any information (pros & cons) about this program, please let me know. Also if you are aware of any websites that can explain the benefit of dropping her BCBS and enrolling in this program, please advise. Thanks in advance. E-mail Elise Miller -- ermiller@erols.com

• I'm looking for affordable health insurance for my mother, who is 67 and on Social Security. She presently has AARP but their rates are going up again, to $65/mo and she can no longer afford that on her limited income. Are there any alternatives for her regarding medical insurance? I've been searching the web and can't seem to narrow anything down. She lives in Massachusetts. Any advice/information you could give would be appreciated. Thank you. E-mail Denise Pelland -- denise@prowebsite.com

• I'm a 56 year old male and have been disabled for 15 years. I have been notified that my primary carrier is trying to transfer the primary payer position to Medicare part B. I have an ongoing policy with Ingersol Rand Co. whereby my medical, dental, RX's etc are paid as primary position. Is it legal for them to force me to accept the Medicare as the primary, and Ingersol Rand as the secondary whereby I would lose all my low cost pay position -- like rx's $6.00 per, etc., - no limit to amount of $ per year. If Medicare is so broke why would they want to accept me anyway as primary before my 65th birthday which is when I should transfer. The firm ALLSUP INC. in Belleville, IL is where the company is at that sent me the letter asking me sign them up as my representative with Medicare. It just does not sound right. I would like to hear from anyone who can shed some light on the subject. If they can do this to me, they can do this to others. Maybe there are other seniors out there who need warning or help with the problem. -- E-mail Lodge lodge2@aol.com

• If anyone has any information regarding Senior Citizen's Medicare rights in regards to a patient being in the hospital on a respirator with other medical problems...my mother has been in this condition for about two weeks and the hospital has already asked what are plans are in regards to a respitory and/or nursing home facility....my parents have medicare and supplementary insurance, but we don't want her moved from the hospital...is she protected??? Medicare rules are boggling. Contact guastini e-mail at guastini@pilot.njin.net

• I have handled my parents insurance submissions for years...I've always said, doctor bills and insurance statements are so very confusing that I feel bad for the senior citizens out there who don't have assistance questioning these statements...I know with my parents bills I've found overcharges, errors, etc...which I was able to recognize..If I ever could be of any service to any senior citizen (checking statments, calling a doctor with questions, etc.) please let me know...I simply feel for their confusion. Contact guastini by e-mail: guastini@pilot.njin.net

• AAPR is changing it's health care provider. Already new payment books arrive with letters glowing in accolades, for AARP's new basic medical provider. A name I never heard of! Several days ago I sent the AARP president an e mail asking for more information. He didn't bother to answer!

  Anyone out there know if this is good deal or a bad deal for those with current policies? Sound off if you do as you could put at least one mind at ease, and perhaps many others who may also wonder as I do. The real point is many of us now hold long term health care policies with AAPP. It might be hard to requalify with another provider if you decide this change is not a good deal for you! -- thanks to Jim Bell -- icjbbco@brightok.net Lone Grove, OK.

• Major Medical Insurance Wanted -- We would like to find a insurance company that writes major medical for a self employed couple---husband is 60 wife 57 we have a policy with JOHN Hancock--a $10,000 deductable!!== that we have never had to use--THANK goodness!!!==we are healthy!! our premiums just seem to go up and up--that is why we have now had to go to the $10,000===deductable == for a cost of about $400- a month---We would appreciate any suggestions- Thanks -- home town Abilene, Texas E-mail jfft17

• Medicare is going Broke! -- I think all the people on Medicare better write and demand an overhaul NOW! In 5 years it will be broke, and, at least, 1/2 a loaf is better than none. Its going to be hard, and what ever political party is in, they will have to make some HARD decisions. It has not been in the press at all but it is going broke! and a few of the elected officials will conceed off camera that it is in fact going broke. We all had better wake up to this fact! Mauro Gonzalez mkgonz@fidnet.com

• HMOs -- you can have them! -- While HMOs may be less expensive in to pay for, from my own personal experience, I know the serious drawbacks that one presented to my ex-husband. He was in a head-on automobile accident and spent 10 months in the hospital and 2 more in a nursing home. At the end of 7 months, the HMO that he had (a group HMO through the state of Wisconsin) decided that he could go home. The doctors (several) who were taking care of him called and wrote that he was not able to come home yet, but he did. The doctors were right that he wasn't ready, and he had to be flown back to the University hospital where he did survive. He never did recover completely and after 10 months, HMO demanded a nursing home. This happened in 1988 and 1989 and he is still very crippled from lack of proper therapy, has a kidney condition that is attended to by dialysis and that was caused by some medicine that he had to have, and would not be in the condition he is today had he had proper medical care. HMO even denied him home care which he couldn't afford himself. He eventually received insurance from the driver of the other car's insurer, but not until he had to hire a lawyer (at 33%) to get it because the HMO demanded the money. From that experience, I will let you have your HMOs. They, not the doctors, determine your medical well-being. -- sent by Mary Lee -- Leem@uwplatt.edu --

• Cancellation of Blue Cross -- "Prudent Buyer Platinum Plan." You will be surprised what "benefits" mean.

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