Medicare Advantage
Hi Terry: I just listened to the recent “Friends Talk Money” Unlock your Medicare. Here is my question. My mother is 93 years old and has dementia. She lives in a long term care facility. She has traditional Medicare, a medigap supplement and Part D. She is fairly healthy and only on two medications. She does not wish for life saving efforts should she fall ill. What if we changed to a an Advantage plan which would allow her to save money? Are all drugs covered under an Advantage Plan? If she fell and broke her hip would an Advantage plan cover that?
Terry Says
Whew — this is a tough one. First of all, not all Advantage plans cover the same drugs. So you’d have to check. You should definitely review her part D plan anyway, because this year if she has only two generic meds, you could actually get a ZERO cost plan from Wellcare!
Gosh, I’ll just speak from the heart. I hope she passes peacefully in her sleep. But if she needs any end-of-life care, you’ll want the choice that Medicare gives you. You don’t want to hear that she has to be moved to a different facility than the hospital of your choice, or that a new doc has been assigned,or any of the many things that could come with managed care. From my point of view (which is not your wallet), I’d never want to look back and think “what if”!
