United Health is a private insurance company that overbills Medicare.

Many of the scam calls I get are from overseas call centers trying to push 'medicare advantage plans.' Anything that needs such heavy efforts to sell must not be a good deal.

(seems you forgot to finish your sentence)

Traditional Medicare and Medigap Plan F.

Applies to this context and all others. If they’ve got to sell you hard there’s a reason for that and it isn’t good for you. Good deals sell themselves. Bad deals need lots of help. The harder they try to sell me, the higher the probability i call bullshit and walk away. In this case, it’s total bullshit.

Plus eyewear for some plans which IMO should all be provided by traditional Medicare.

I don't get it? Why would they throw all that money into getting people to enroll in their Advantage Plan - if they knew they were going to initiate this purge?

The open enrollment signed up the younger, healthier cohort of medicare eligible seniors. The purge is going to drop the ones who are about to need more frequent care and that cuts into profits.....

If you offer a plan, it is available to everyone in the geographical region where it is marketed.

More likely, they are just not going to offer the plan in regions where it is less popular.

Didn't the DOGE cuts slash funding for Medicaid and Medicare causing a lot of rural hospitals, pharmacies, and nursing homes to close?

Medicare Advantage leeches money off of traditional Medicare so if that's getting cut (I bet the insurance executives were told by the Trump administration that the upcoming government shutdown was going to be used to force program cuts) then those insurance products won't be profitable in those areas.

Seniors who are younger and healthier than older seniors means UnitedHealth doesn't have to pay out as much in healthcare to cover what Medicare doesn't pay for. For them, it's not about the needs of the people they insure but about the needs of their shareholders and company executives.

longer offered which covers pretty much everything. My husband had a quadruple bi-pass and aortic valve replacement and it cost us about $80. They are getting rid of that plan and I'm sure several others.

They have to offer you something, I would think. When you've been paying premiums for several years, and they took the money, they owe you a policy of some kind.

One is to die, Two is for an employer based MA plan to be canceled The Third is this case where the MA insurance corp closes the plan themselves. All these open a brief window, ending today for this instance, to enroll in MediGap without medical underwriting. The fact that Medicare is 80% and that the 20% "out of pocket" isn't capped to some four figure maximum is straight up evil.

which means that a $10000 surgery might have an approved amount of $3000 so the 20% would be $600 not $2000

I am NOT arguing that a cap on Out of Pocket costs is not needed!! It most certainly is needed. Even an annual cap would be an improvement but a lifetime cap would be preferable

Facility charges would not change though since everybody gets Part A whether on traditional Part B or an Advantage plan.

I was a claims analyst for Part B for 7 years in the 1970s and even back then I thought it was superior and felt strongly that we should all have access to it. The more younger healthier people enrolled, the better.

The blood sucking leeches at these MA scams along with the GOP legislators that are encouraging this.

Advantage plans are a scam. Given Trump’s corruption and Republucans’ dislike of any government program that benefits average Americans instead of the wealthy, my fear is that original Medicare users will be forced into substandard Advantage plans. The administration has already started changing Medicare with several medical treatments now requiring pre-clearance in some states.

#34 below.
Medicare Advantage plans are scams like extended car warranties.

I mean, I don't condone violence in any way shape or form. However, the magnitude of deaths caused by this action is also an act of violence, a mass attack instead of a targeted one. You'd think they would have learned something from their CEO being assassinated, but nooooo.

Economic violence IS violence. In the case of physical violence done against you there is recourse via the state. Recourse to economic violence is limited to the courts which may frag out for years or to “the market” which is the source of economic violence.

The amount UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty received in 2024

it was in conjunction with a local physicians group with whom she really liked. Our options were to re-sign with United Healthcare MA but find nearly all new specialists, or get a Medicare supplement.

Because UH dropped the plan, we could get an original Plan F without underwriting. It's the law. The premium was sky-high, but with her first doctor's visit my mom was flabbergasted there was no co-pay required. Welcome to Plan F, Mom.

In two months, under California's birthday rule, we were able to switch to the more moderately-priced Plan G. We DID NOT sign with UnitedHealth. Screw them.

and without underwriting. It's the law, at least in California.

I wonder what the C.E.O. of United Healthcare makes?

“They” want people to die end of story.

…. only be taxed on any money he takes out of it, and that through trusts along with other vehicles his
estate and family will inherit the funds with little or no taxes.

America is just a great country.

But in much of the country, it's supplement (Medical) plan is the best (cheapest) available.

Unlike MA, providers of supplement plans don't get to pick and choose which bills to pay.

Part F Medigap

Wonder if we will be affected?

If they vanish altogether, you'll get another special enrollment period to pick a new one - but in not worried about that. They are also my supplement provider - and my parents'

Every year the premiums rise a bit... at least that's the case for Plan F Anthem Blue Cross. We've had it now for 13 years as our Medicare supplement and the only thing I've had to pay out of pocket is $45 for a tetanus shot my doctor advised after I had a deep puncture wound. My husband has paid nothing at all. Bills are promptly paid with no questions, and there is no referral required for a specialist. Again, mine is Anthem and I'm in Florida so someone else may have a different experience with Plan F. We each will pay $432.36 approx per month in 2026, the year we turn 79. I'm afraid to ever switch to anything else as this is so hassle free (even though expensive).

Thanks for sharing.

and with the medical bills my husband has, it is well worth it. You just never know what you may face around the corner. We had friends who decided to reduce their premiums by getting a lower price policy for the wife who was healthy and keep the good policy for the husband who had health issues. Shortly after, the wife got cancer and they ended up paying a lot out of pocket. Sometimes it's just a crap shoot.

When you're old, you chose the wrong plan and don't have the money for deductibles or the meds? Do they just turn you away to die? (Asking for a friend, ulp...)

Or anyone is total BS. Their Plan F, which they’ve been trying to throw me off of since 2010 is amazing. They don’t even offer it anymore. The plans they offer now, outside of Medicare Advantage, are incredibly expensive though. It’s up to us to get involved in every GOP members campaign to make them pay for destroying the little support we got from the subsidies however. Every Senate race. Every House race. Every Governors race. Every state legislative race.

That if you drop standard Medicare and sign up for Medicare Advantage, you CANNOT go back to standard Medicare?

face underwriting for a Medigap policy.

You'll get back in somewhere, but premiums are outrageous.

You can go back to Medicare, but... Medicare (the true, vanilla kind) has no pre-existing conditions. This is true as long as you maintain Medicare coverage. Having Medicare Advantage changes that. If you then go back to Medicare then your premium can be higher, due to any pre-existing conditions. It will be higher for the rest of your life.

Why might you have to go back to Medicare? The obvious reason is that you aren't as healthy as you once were. Folks get older. Your private insurer (remember, it is not Medicare) may refuse to cover something which costs them too much. The reason Advantage plans can offer perks is precisely because they avoid paying for expensive care. The other reason Advantage plans can offer perks is because they cost the federal government more than Medicare does.

EDIT: To clarify, the cost of the pre-existing conditions will be an increased cost for a Medigap policy. These are typically purchased as supplements to vanilla Medicare. They assist with coverage for the 20% co-pay inherent in vanilla Medicare. These increased costs are on top of any late enrollment penalties.

I think it gives a chance to get medigap just like you enrolled promptly at 65.

If your Medicare Advantage (MA) plan is discontinued, you'll be moved to Original Medicare (Part A & B) but must act to avoid gaps, especially in drug coverage (Part D); you get a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to join a new MA plan, a Part D plan, or get a Medigap policy (possibly with guaranteed issue rights), otherwise, you risk high out-of-pocket costs and losing benefits like dental/vision. Read your plan's termination notice carefully for deadlines and options.

This gives the enrollee an SEP (special enrollment period) of 1 month before and 2 months after the plan terminates where they can enroll with another Advantage plan or supplement plan, with guaranteed issue (no medical underwriting). If they do nothing, they will be enrolled with Original Medicare.

Enrollment in a new plan should be done before the plan terminates to avoid a coverage gap and possible enrollment penalties.

It’s also important to remember, Medicare requires creditable prescription drug coverage, either as part of an Advantage plan or with a standalone PDP (prescription drug plan), or there is a lifetime LEP (late enrollment penalty.

When insurance companies terminate Advantage plans, they generally add new ones.

All Advantage plans are available to view, with enrollment options, on the Medicare.gov website.

As long as a Medicare enrollment is completed by the last day of the month, coverage can be effective on the first day of the following month. If someone enrolls today, 12/31/25, their coverage can be effective 01/01/2026.

This is for Part A and Part B services.

Medicare also has a Part D (prescription drugs) enrollment requirement. Otherwise there are lifetime, late enrollment penalties.

See my post 44. Vanilla Medicare can consider pre-existing conditions, but only in situations where you were 65+ and had no vanilla Medicare for a while.

when that UnitedHealthcare (not medicare) nurse called and cheerily informed that SHE had approved my mastectomy for breast cancer with metastasis. I was too shocked to ask how could she not approve it. They later drug out approving my total knee surgery and I had to wait until I retired. Guess my cancer cost them too much, so I had to wait.

they have a regime in office that will let them get away with anything & they will take full advantage.

Excellent OP.

Regular Medicare with a Medigap plan and a Part D prescription plan are the best options.
I worked for over 30 years for a nationwide system of non-profits, and their annual notice to their retirees ( they still reimburse us for Medigap and Part D premiums ) says to be very cautious about Medicare Advantage plans. Out HR rep will tell you not to be suckered in on them.

UnitedHealth has been recommended by the AARP as their choice for AARP for DECADES.
AARP recommends only UnitedHealth for health insurance to their members.

Has AARP ever solicited other insurers to compete for AARP's 38-million members? Not that I know of. Thirty years is a LONG time to hold a contract like this.

And why should they? UnitedHealth kicks back 4.95% of premium income from AARP subscribers to AARP. Of the approximately $1.1 BILLION AARP gets from ALL insurers, about $900 million came from health insurers. And who got the lion's share of that $900-million...?

AARP masquerades as an advocacy group for the elderly. In reality, it is a UnitedHealth marketing scam.

had united healthcare for years (not advantage plan) and it usually picked up all the cost that Medicare didn’t pay. After reading more about it since they have passed, I would never buy it for myself.

I have a Prescription plan D but it doesn't cover my thyroid medication because it's made in Switzerland. It's the only medication that doesn't have "fillers" in the dose so it works for me for 15 years now. They refuse to cover it. In Switzerland, it cost 40 bucks for 100 pills. Here they want several hundred for a 28 day supply. I take it daily but for some reason, they think they are birth control so only distribute 28 pills at a time. It's just b.s.

I don't have an advantage plan at all so I pay the 20%. if you ask nicely, some doctors will lower their rates for that extra.

I do not have a dental plan but I pay mine with cash and get a discount. I asked the dental clerks which plan is the best and they just shook their heads. None of them are worth the paper they are written on.

I'm in CA.

It has worked out for me. However, I am thrilled to be able to drop it and go on regular Medicare with ChampVA as my supplement and drug plan. My husband is a VN vet and we are so grateful for what the VA has done for him. He has been awarded 100% (if that is the correct word) disability. That comes with so many wonderful benefits that I feel a little guilty. Our homestead exemption is now 100%. I get to use ChampVA and get out of the managed care scam. Healthcare should be free for all. The Oligarchs just want us eaters to die. What a fucked up world they are trying to create.

Beginning tomorrow I'm on original medicare with a supplemental plan and a prescription drug plan.

A word of warning from someone who knows: Advantage plans are good until they're not. And when is that? When you get a chronic condition that is expensive to treat.

It's a journey, people. I hope it ends with Universal Healthcare for all Americans.

Greed is the deadliest SIN.

problem. Like mass shootings almost every f'in day.

on more than the bottom line.

lost your insurance coverage or getting less while paying more for out of pocket?

Are some of your favorite stores, places disappearing... going out of business (like the 700 plus businesses that shuttered because of Trump's tariffs?)

Are you paying more for damn near everything? While services and government agencies like Social Security have gotten slower in response? Disaster relief, shoddier or unlikely?

Does it seem like our institutions and social safety nets are less reliable and less likely to have our backs? Well...

That's because Trump & Co. have "made America great.... again."

Can't you just FEEL how 'great' we've become?