How Will a MA Plan Add Value to One with VA Benefits?

[Spud]

hi, wisdom please; one of my clients recently enrolled in the VA benefits program and gets their medical care/med's thru them. I learned this during my annual client check in. When he became my client, a medigap plan f and a pdp (takes 2 generic med's) was the preferred solution and I helped him with this (pre-retirement health issues cost him a significant chunk of change for a few years). There is a top notch VA hospital within 10 miles providing great service to veterans.

Given the client is on a fixed income and the medigap and pdp premium could be used elsewhere, why should he keep these plans?

I started wading thru the CMS Benefits Policy Manual (chap 16...to learn more aobut this, but...). Does switching to a no/low cost MA plan make sense (to back up his VA benefits)? I have not found an eoc or sob for veterans health plans so comparing apples to apples is a challenge. Thoughts please.

 

[yogooglethis]

hi, wisdom please; one of my clients recently enrolled in the VA benefits program and gets their medical care/med's thru them. I learned this during my annual client check in. When he became my client, a medigap plan f and a pdp (takes 2 generic med's) was the preferred solution and I helped him with this (pre-retirement health issues cost him a significant chunk of change for a few years). There is a top notch VA hospital within 10 miles providing great service to veterans.

Given the client is on a fixed income and the medigap and pdp premium could be used elsewhere, why should he keep these plans?

I started wading thru the CMS Benefits Policy Manual (chap 16...to learn more aobut this, but...). Does switching to a no/low cost MA plan make sense (to back up his VA benefits)? I have not found an eoc or sob for veterans health plans so comparing apples to apples is a challenge. Thoughts please.

MA plans are ideal for VA beneficiaries especially if they use the VA for all their care because it doesn't interfere with VA benefits and it reduces the amount they would pay if they went to ER or IP compared to just medicare. Also some VA persons like to establish with a civilian doc for convenience and MA offers the scenario where the PCP visits is 10.00 instead of paying the 147.00 deductible for the visits.And finally the convenience a having a PDP plan for unexpected prescriptions or certain brand names not covered by VA.

The real question is why would a person using VA want to buy a medicare supplement vs having a MA (In Florida anyway where med supps are expensive)

 

[vic120]

MA plans are ideal for VA beneficiaries especially if they use the VA for all their care because it doesn't interfere with VA benefits and it reduces the amount they would pay if they went to ER or IP compared to just medicare. Also some VA persons like to establish with a civilian doc for convenience and MA offers the scenario where the PCP visits is 10.00 instead of paying the 147.00 deductible for the visits.And finally the convenience a having a PDP plan for unexpected prescriptions or certain brand names not covered by VA.

The real question is why would a person using VA want to buy a medicare supplement vs having a MA (In Florida anyway where med supps are expensive)

I would say this is true wherever a VA beneficiary Uses VA benefits
Many times they don't even want a drug included if they can get a better deal without.

On the other hand there VA beneficiaries who despise the VA care and prefer the sup

The only advantage a Supp has in this situation is if the client is concerned with going to certain cancer or specialty places that accept Medicare but not HMO (like Sloan Kettering in NY)

 

[axeman462]

I would say this is true wherever a VA beneficiary Uses VA benefits
Many times they don't even want a drug included if they can get a better deal without.

On the other hand there VA beneficiaries who despise the VA care and prefer the sup

The only advantage a Supp has in this situation is if the client is concerned with going to certain cancer or specialty places that accept Medicare but not HMO (like Sloan Kettering in NY)

I have a few VA clients like that. They prefer to use private practice instead of the VA. Most of them started out with MAPD, then switched to a supp. They didnt like the networks and the copays related to MAPD.

 

[JimmyUt]

All but one of my cleints on VA have MAPD. The one that went with a supp is 100% disabled due to agent orange and saw what was coming down the pike so to speak, so he had the foresight to protect himself with the ability to see any cardiologist he wanted for his multiple surgeries since aging in. I would tell any veteran in a similar situation to do the same.