I have an unusual problem that I am at a loss at how to deal with it.
My government is coming between my and my Health Insurance Company.
I am a Disabled veteran and I receive my medicare through the Veterans Administration and I am very satisfied. I do not however have dental coverage through the VA. I am also Medicare eligible and last November I applied for a Medical Supplement Plan and paid extra for the insurance coverage. When I went to my dentist for treatment, after looking at my insurance card I was told that it was an HMO and he was not in the plan.
This was all before I became aware of what all was involved in Medicare and the Private companies. My wife will become eligible for Medicare on the 1st of October. In doing the research to get her enrolled we found a cheaper, better, dental plan with doctors we already know. We joined the plan effective in October. I called Secure Horizons to cancel my Supplemental policy that was free to me except I have to pay a separate fee for the Dental which I never used. I didn't realize at the time that I joined up that the government paid extra money for my "free" supplement plan. Actually I do pay $90 per month for regular medicare.
I was told by Secure Horizons that I had to wait until November 15th to make any changes which is the open enrollment. They said it was Medicare Policy and I should contact Medicare. Ok,so I called Medicare and found out that they have a certain number of exceptions to be able to change during the rest of the year between open enrollment period dates. My payment for Medicare is automatically subtracted from my Social Security payment so I have no way to control my medical payments.
I was told however that if my insurance company went out of business or was bought by another company they would have the option of terminating my policy. Sound familiar? Private insurance sticks out its ugly head again. I should have asked if there were any other reasons that I could be terminated. I will ask these questions when I write the Medical Beneficiary depart in the Medicare office.
The bottom line is that the Government and I are paying a private insurance company, United health Care, for services I never use and that that I don't want. Unless I either move out of the plans coverage area, am institutionalized, become covered by an employers policy, die and a few more exceptions I can't do a thing about my choice to leave the program.
My government is coming between me and my private insurance company.
My real belief however is that it was the Insurance companies wrote the rules and they are coming between the two of us.