Was looking at both those plans as possibilities down the road.
Looks similar in coverage except for that Plan N has very small co pays that plan G doesn’t and it doesn’t cover “excess charges” however I live in one of the few states that doesn’t allow excess charges.
The Plan N premium is lower.
Are you stuck with what plan you chose for life ? (without underwriting).
What if my state changes the no excess charges law ?
Must say the health insurance problem in this country is nothing short of disgraceful.
Yes, Medicare is disgraceful in terms of how complicated it is for seniors. You should show up at a doctor, present a secure card (encrypted smart card with your photo on it) and never see a bill. The “have-to-buy-Medigap-have-to-buy-Part D”, oh and which one, and oh is the law changing, and oh deadlines, and oh lifetime penalties… it should be tossed into the garbage pail.
Yup, it should be simpler.
I’ve found that Supplement/Med D route works best for me.
I start each year at an independent, non-profit help source - the local seniors center.
At the senior center, the person runs the Medicare D formula with my prescriptions. This gives me the cheapest plan based upon premium and out of pocket costs. A few years back, the person suggested leaving out a more expensive eye drop from the formula and buying that out of medicare D using Good RX. That has saved me money in premium and cost of the eye drops. I don’t know how Good Rx does it but it works.
For Supplemental I briefly discuss with the senior center person, but then I go to the state’s insurance website and pick the insurance company with the cheapest high deductible G plan from a chart that lists the various plans (A-N) and the insurance companies. My premium has been consistently under $50/month with Globe Life with a deductible that is now around $2,900/year. (On that chart in my state, plan N would be just under $200/month.). My existing insurance (Globe) automatically renews unless I change it.
Again, I think using a competent independent party such as a counselor at the senior center is a good place to start.
So what are some non-conflicted, objective sources of customer satisfaction ratings for Medigap and Part D drug plans? A broker has a vested interest. They are out to make money, not to serve your interests.
99% of providers do not charge excess fees. I went with Plan N because I would have to go to a doctor 3 times a month every month before Plan G would be less expensive than Plan N.
My logic is… maybe 99% of providers don’t charge excess fees now. But in a system where Medicare reimbursements are going to decline over the years (the Federal Government mandatory PAYGO Medicare recissions… look it up), I’m betting that more and more of the charges are going to appear as excess charges.