Grand Rapids Medicare Options
Grand Rapids Medicare Plans
Many seniors in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area are trying to compare their Medicare options. This can be challenging because most people aren’t experts in insurance so you don’t know what option is in your best interest.
Picking the right plan can be tough, especially when there are so many choices!
I’ll help you take a look at Michigan Medicare plans and explore the key points to help find the right one for you.
Below are some of the highlights for the Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement options in Grand Rapids area aka Kent County, Michigan.
Kent County Medicare Advantage
As of May 2021, Kent County has over 110,000 people on Medicare. Just over 72,000 of those people have enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. This makes it one of the most popular counties around for Medicare Advantage.
Here are the numbers of people enrolled in several of the Advantage plans available:
Priority health 45,683
Blue Cross Blue Shield 15,602
Humana 4,051
United Healthcare 1,446
Aetna 1,373
Hospital Systems
There are 2 main hospital systems in the Grand Rapids, MI area including:
Spectrum Health
Mercy Health
This is important because Medicare Advantage plans use networks.
This means there are only certain doctors and hospitals you can see with that plan. If you go to an out of network provider then the insurance company may not pay for any of your treatment.
So if you are 1. considering Medicare Advantage and 2. one of these hospitals is important to you. Then we need to talk BEFORE you enroll to verify if you can continue to use the hospital you want.
HMO VS PPO
Medicare Advantage plans typically use networks which means there only certain doctors and hospitals you can see while using that plan’s coverage.
HMO and PPO are the two major types of networks.
PPO plans are a type of network where you typically do not need a referral to go see a specialist. But you do need to stay in network to maximize your benefits. Because the insurance company may offer you coverage if you go to a doctor that is not in network. They typically reduce the coverage so you have to pay a higher portion of that bill.
HMO plans may require referrals to see specialist. But the biggest difference from a PPO is that HMOs do not pay for any procedures done out of network unless it is an emergency room or urgent care visit. For this reason, they are much more restrictive than PPOs.
Priority Health
Priority Health has 3 HMO and 5 PPO Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage.
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Blue Cross Blue Shield has 3 HMO and 4 PPO Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage.
Humana
Humana has 1 HMO plans and 3 PPO Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription drug coverage.
Comparing Medicare Advantage Plans
When comparing Medicare Advantage plans, the first thing you want to consider is the network. Confirm your doctor and hospital are in network. Otherwise you need to be willing to switch doctors and hospitals to use the plans coverage.
Other key things to consider are:
- Monthly Premium
- Copays
- Maximum out of pocket limit (your worst case scenario each year)
- Extra benefits like vision or dental coverage
Much of this information can be found at Medicare.gov if you know where to look. But it can be confusing to go it alone, so that’s where I can come in and make it really easy for you.
You can call me directly at 855-712-7316 for a FREE comparison of all of your options so you can easily decide what you prefer.
Best Michigan Medicare Supplement Plans
Many people prefer Original Medicare and a Medicare Supplement policy over Medicare Advantage.
Original Medicare plus a Medicare supplement gives a person a more predictable budget because Medicare supplements help fill in the gaps of Original Medicare.
This means you have fewer costs when you need to use the plan. So if you have a major incident like a heart attack, you don’t have a large hospital bill because the Medicare supplement helped fill in the gaps of Original Medicare to pay your medical bills.
Two other perks of supplements are that there are no networks. So you have the flexibility to see any doctor or hospital you want. This is true not only in Grand Rapids, but nationwide.
The other perk is claims are automatically filed, so you don’t have the stress of having to reconcile bills and write checks.
This means you can compare “apples to apples” coverage from many different companies such as BCBS, United Healthcare, Humana, CVS, Aetna, and many others.
I have access to specialized software so we can compare all of them at one time which makes it much easier for you.
Medicare Supplement Rate Example
Rates are subject to change and not everyone will be eligible for the best price but it’s good to know what’s available.
There are 3 Medigap/Medicare supplements that are more popular than all of rest. Here’s an example of those 3 plans and what your pricing could be.
As of June 2021, the best rates for zip code 49501 are:
Plan F $103.64
Plan G $90.67
Plan N $65.57
This is for a 65 year old female, non tobacco user with the household discount.
If you want to find the best Medicare supplement plan for your unique needs, please call me at 855-712-7316, or email me at Mike@askMedicareMike.com or click this link look at my calendar and schedule time with me.
Talk to you soon!
Medicare Mike