Humana, oh, Humana

[susandennis]

I have Medicare Advantage insurance with Humana. I hate them so much. They are horrible to get a hold of and get any questions answered. It took me 4 years to get them to NEVER CALL ME on the phone. And their website is both insulting and fairly useless. Who knew they even made a font that big?

But, they cover most everything and they are easy and my doctor(s) like them and except for the pro forma amount they take my social security, they cost me nothing.

So, I keep them. But, today, I really don't hate them quite as much.

Every year they send out a document - Here's what's going to be different in your coverage next year.

This year there is a lot different and all of it in my favor. My visits to the lung doctor will cost me $30 instead of $40. My drugs will be the same price no matter where I get them. My dental coverage (which, godforbid, I hope I never have to use) is much better. Most of my out of pocket limits are way lower.

The only bits that are not as good are those pertaining to drug addiction - treatment, etc. So I guess I'll pass on that for 2023. I wasn't all that interested anyway.

I'll still get the gym for free and my veryexpensiveinhaler for free for half a year.

Plus, I get a $500 visa card for miscellaneous other stuff, like the extra test at the eye doctor.

They really hit it out of the park this year. I might not be able to hate them again until 2024. (Except I'm sure their kindergarten looking website ain't going away.)

Comments

[halfmoon_mollie1]

I got similar news from my BCBS Excellus today. I still don't like getting old, but this makes it suck a little less.

[spiffikins]

My drugs will be the same price no matter where I get them

Holy shit! THAT right there? THAT is gold!

[susandennis]

yeah that's pretty sweet.

[arlie]

One downside of going on Medicare is that I'll lose access to my current mail order pharmacy. I'll also lose the discount I had been getting for buying everything I could in a 90 day supply. But the Section D plan I picked has all my regular medications in tier 1 or 2, and waives their annual deductible for drugs in those tiers. The next most expensive plan would cost me almost twice that per year. (At least for 2022; they all change formularies and other terms regularly, so you have to recheck everything each year to avoid massive unpleasant surprises.)

[adafrog]

Yay! (mostly ;)

[zephyr_phoenix]

Canada has a free healthcare system, which when Corey Haim died, he was a Canadian citizen, and thus, could get treatment for free instead of dying. :/

[arlie]

Sadly, it doesn't have prescription coverage to speak of, at least in some provinces.

And they are having the same issues with lack of providers as in the US. (So that's not entirely caused by the bad behaviour of for profit health insurers.)

[For the record, I'm a Canadian living in the US, with family mostly in the Canadian maritime provinces.]

[zephyr_phoenix]

Cool, glad to meet you. Yeah, Ontario is probably the worst but still...

[vysila]

You got the golden ticket there, it sounds like! So glad this program is working for you. I just got my benefits change statement on my drug plan and it doesn't sound nearly as good as what you are getting.

My Tier 3 prescription (the only one I have) went from $138/3 months to 25% of the cost (and considering the prescription price is over $2,000 this does not bode well for me). I may have to look at switching to an Advantage Plan.

[susandennis]

yikes - that's horrible. i do hope you can find a better deal!

[vysila]

I didn't expect to see an improvement so soon after the bill passage, but to see it get worse was a shock!