# 2016 Insurance Rates



## Don M. (Sep 25, 2015)

Here's a "Head's Up".  We got our Medicare Supplement plan details for 2016 in the mail today.  We have a policy with Humana, and they are raising our rates about 21% for 2016.  It looks like some of the co-pays will also be increased.  I suspect that virtually All plans will be raising their premiums for next year....so get prepared.   Lucky for us, the company funds a HRA account for its retirees, which covers most of the Medicare supplements, but it will be interesting to see if that HRA is also increased for 2016...


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## Ken N Tx (Sep 26, 2015)

And we don't need a C.O.L.A. !!


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## QuickSilver (Sep 26, 2015)

Perhaps you have reached a birthday mile stone?   All Medicare supplements increase the older you get.. My sister-in laws went up at age 70.. and then again at age 75..  It might not be an across the board increase.. but one for you because of your increasing age.


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## Don M. (Sep 26, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> Perhaps you have reached a birthday mile stone?   All Medicare supplements increase the older you get.. My sister-in laws went up at age 70.. and then again at age 75..  It might not be an across the board increase.. but one for you because of your increasing age.



No, I don't think these increases are "Age" related.  My wife is 6 years younger, and her rates are going up the same amount.  The insurers are expected to be raising their rates all over the nation for 2016, and we will know in the coming month, just how much.  There have been numerous reports in recent weeks about insurers raising rates from anywhere from 8% to as high as 51%.  October should be an interested month as the policy premiums are announced.


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## Mrs. Robinson (Sep 26, 2015)

Ugh. Hate to hear this, but with all the surgeries,procedures,doctor visits and soon radiation I have had/will have over the coming months,I guess that it will be a bargain at any cost....


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## Ken N Tx (Sep 27, 2015)

When shopping for Medi-gap Insurance, I was stupid enough to sign up with a lower premium provider. The very next year they increased my premium by $100 a Month!!! No reason given!! Same thing happened with my AARP low premium auto coverage!!

The first year is great, then they think they gotcha!!!!!

This is how I learned (the hard way) to do the research!!!


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## Don M. (Sep 27, 2015)

> The first year is great, then they think they gotcha!!!!!



For Sure!  This is a common ploy among the insurers...offer a new customer a low premium, then jack it up the next year.  They all do it...health, auto, homeowner, etc., etc.  It is Very important to do a lot of research before signing up for Any policy.  Health Insurance, particularly, is going to become a real quagmire in the coming years, as the greed in our Health Care Industry, and the provisions of the ACA come fully into play.  2016 is going to be a wake up call for many, and 2017....when All the provisions of the ACA come into play...is going to be the Real Shocker.  There is a Good Reason why the ACA isn't fully implemented until 2017....After Obama leaves office.  

But, the Bright side is that health care is going to get So Expensive in the next few years, that this nation is going to have No Choice but to join the rest of the civilized world, and implement a SP-UHC plan that provides decent care and removes the Profit Motive from our system.  I'm optimistically looking at about 2020 as the time when this process begins.


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## QuickSilver (Sep 27, 2015)

I agree... there should be universal single payer healthcare for every American... from birth to the grave.


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## SeaBreeze (Sep 27, 2015)

QuickSilver said:


> I agree... there should be universal single payer healthcare for every American... from birth to the grave.



Completely agree.


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## SeaBreeze (Sep 27, 2015)

It said in today's paper that new beneficiaries may pay more for Medicare, my husband just signed up for it. 

"Social Security payments will not increase next year, so Medicare beneficiaries who pay their Part B doctor premiums through their Social Security deductions won't pay a penny more.  But the rest, about 30%, will get socked with increases of up to 53%, raising their premiums to $159.30, rather than the current $104.90.

That group includes the 3.6 million newly eligible beneficiaries.  Because half of all Medicare beneficiaries live on less than $23,000 a year.  Medicare Rights Center president Joe Baker says he's hoping Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Mathews Burwell will adjust the rates at the last minute.

If you're struggling with health costs, call 800-Medicare and ask about the Medicare Savings Program.  Only one-third of those eligible for the program's assistance are actually enrolled."


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## MJC-56 (Sep 27, 2015)

Here is a good article on the potential increase:  http://time.com/money/4029555/medicare-premium-increases/?xid=fbshare 

Don - if your Humana price increased, then that is Humana, not all Med Supps.  In fact, if you have a Med. Sup and not Advantage, Humana is among the most expensive supplement plans around.
You might just want to shop around to check competition.


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## Don M. (Sep 27, 2015)

MJC-56 said:


> Here is a good article on the potential increase:  http://time.com/money/4029555/medicare-premium-increases/?xid=fbshare
> 
> Don - if your Humana price increased, then that is Humana, not all Med Supps.  In fact, if you have a Med. Sup and not Advantage, Humana is among the most expensive supplement plans around.
> You might just want to shop around to check competition.



It's not only Humana...but probably just about every insurance company.  I spoke to one of the neighbors yesterday...who has coverage under Cigna...and he said his rates are going up even more than ours.  Personally, it is no big deal for us, as we have a HRA (Healthcare Reimbursement account), supplied by my former employer which covers the cost of the Medicare Supplements, Vision Care, and Dental Care.  It looks like I will have a few hundred left in the account for this year, which I can then use to pay for a Dental Crown co-pay from earlier this year.  However, most people aren't so fortunate to have such an employer retiree benefit.  

One way or another, we are headed for a Brick Wall with this current Health Care System/Industry....and it won't be many more years.  BTW, we used to have a "Medical Profession"....remember when doctors lived in the neighborhood, drove a Buick, and made House calls???  Now, they are finally telling us the truth by referring to themselves as the "Health Care Industry"....and the primary goal of Any Industry is to make a Profit.  If you look up the top 10 highest paid careers in the U.S., 7 out of the 10 are in the Health Care Industry....CEO's come in about 6th or 7th...depending upon which report you read.       

The biggest rip off we have is Prescription Drugs.  These drug companies are fleecing the public for billions per year, and setting aside billions more for the inevitable Class Action Lawsuits that are sure to occur when the side effects start killing people.  Here's a good summary of just how the drug companies are driving our present system to the brink.

http://qz.com/509344/the-way-to-fix...t-all-other-rich-countries-do/?utm_source=YPL


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## MJC-56 (Sep 27, 2015)

Don - I agree with what you are saying about the industry, especially prescriptions drugs.  It seems to me that doctors do little more than prescribe medications that relieve symptoms...and 70% of the U.S. polulation is now on at least 1 prescription medication.  Scary and all for profit.  It's not just the capitalistic issue, it's that the entire approach to medicine is screwing the patient.
I mentioned that I grow a lot of medicinal plants...I prefer natural remedies to prescriptions....as Hippocrates once said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

If I lived further north I would grow Paw Paw (too warm in Florida) ..this video (very science based, not for entertainement) is a great piece on the medicinal qualities of the plant by the guy who discovered them:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD6MGd0Dz5o&feature=youtu.be


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## Don M. (Sep 27, 2015)

Only a certain percentage of illnesses can really be "cured"....for the rest of the maladies, doctors just Mask the symptoms with an endless array of prescription drugs.  Between the doctors penchant for drugs, and the drug companies profit driven motives, its no wonder that Health Care is the single largest expenditure in this nation.  Our costs are about double those of most other nations....and increasing more every year.  But then, we can't place all of the blame on the "Industry"...we have a population that has been abusing its health, with poor diet, and lack of exercise, and Obesity has become almost an epidemic.  That creates a perfect environment for the "Industry" to bleed our population dry. 

I too, believe in natural measure.  I take a daily vitamin, and a lutein pill( my Dad had macular degeneration), after breakfast.  Then, since I have a bit of arthritis, I take a Glucosamine/MSM pill after Supper.  When I went to the doctor for the hip arthritis, he started making noises about hit replacements, etc...Bullchit!  The glucosamine and keeping physically active is doing just fine after 18 months...about the only time I have any real discomfort is if I am sitting on my butt in front of the TV for more than an hour, or so.  My "drug" costs are in the $5 a month range.  

The few times I've been to the doctor in recent years...and talking to others who have been...it seems that many of these doctors are "married" to their laptops.  They are probably logged in to sites like WebMD or the MayoClinic, and matching symptoms to treatments and drugs.  Heck, I can do that myself, and it doesn't cost me any co-pays.


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## spot (Oct 15, 2015)

Well next year Aug. I will have to leave ACA for Medicare. Looks like I get a rate hike 1st thing? Good thing what money i saved thru the yea:love_heart:s is getting good rates in the bank ( NO ). I will keep learning stuff here. thanks folks


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