This commentary is by Tom Huebner, former CEO of Rutland Regional Medical Center, where he worked for 28 years. He was on the BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont board of directors for 24 years, and is now on the boards of the Federally Qualified Health Centers and the Vermont Nurses Association in Rutland, and the Brattleboro Retreat.
With a 45-year career in health care, I approached my Medicare options critically. I ultimately chose a local Medicare Advantage plan instead of traditional Medicare augmented with “supplemental insurance” policies.
For all its benefits, Medicare is a complicated program with numerous rules and deadlines that everyone needs to carefully consider along with their health needs and personal preferences. With all of the various parts to Medicare, the average person shouldn’t wonder why they are confused by the numerous choices and cobbled-together pieces that make up the federal Medicare program.
On top of it all, we are bombarded with information leading up to the enrollment deadline, as the federal rules limit the time period for insurers to market their products.
The basics are, of course, the various components including Part A that covers your hospital care, Part B for your regular provider (nonhospital) medical services, and Part D is essential for prescription drug coverage. Additional considerations are coverage of dental and vision care.
A separate choice, Medicare Part C, wraps them all up into one plan known as Medicare Advantage. When a Vermont-based plan became available in January 2021, I jumped at the chance to save considerable money on my monthly premium purchased from a local trusted brand, while getting a broad array of benefits and much-needed simplicity.
In Vermont, we are lucky to have access to streamlined local Medicare Advantage plans — it’s simpler than original Medicare, while maintaining access to the extensive list of providers I have come to trust over my lifetime of being commercially insured. For my Advantage plan, my network is as comprehensive as it always has been, both in Vermont and when I travel, be it to another state or internationally. Pretty much everybody who practices in Vermont is in the network and I have access to specialists out-of-state as well.
This Medicare Advantage plan is more prevention-focused than original Medicare. I like that my plan rolls prescription drugs, plus additional benefits such as dental and vision, into the core plan instead of being an add-on.
All in all, I would encourage Vermonters to do your own research about the Medicare Advantage plans that are available to us. You can keep a little extra money in your pocket each month with the lower costs, it’s less confusing, and you can have broader, more inclusive health care coverage. Who wouldn’t want that? Medicare Advantage makes a ton of sense.
