For my wife, Laura, and I, trying to change our address on our health insurance accounts last week was like following Alice down the rabbit hole.
“The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.“
Lewis Carroll – “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”
We’re both enrolled in Medicare parts A and B, which cover almost all of our hospital costs and about 80% of our doctor bills. We also have a supplemental Medigap policy to cover the remaining costs. In addition, we each have Medicare Part D plans covering a portion of our pharmaceutical costs.
The Medigap policy and Part D plans are written by health insurance companies, not the government. As the cost of multiple sclerosis and other treatments continues to rise, it’s essential that I continue with all of this coverage.
My journey began when my wife received a letter from her Medicare Part D insurance provider that was sent to our old address.
“We have recently received information your address may have changed and that you may not live inside the service area,” it noted.
It was like a pilot warning the passengers that some turbulence might be ahead. I fastened my seat belt.
I’d already changed our address with Medicare but had been putting off changing it with the Medigap and Part D folks because I dread having to deal with health insurance companies. In this case, I needed to deal with two.
Our Medigap health insurance plan
The Medigap change wasn’t too bad. A helpful gentleman asked a few questions and changed the address. But then he added: “You know you’re changing service areas by moving from Maryland to Florida, right?”
I did know that.
He continued: “And because of that, there’s going to be a rate change.”
That I didn’t know. Thankfully, while it did entail a rate increase, the amount wasn’t too much. The first change was complete.
My prescription plan
The man I spoke with to change the Part D information also was friendly. He worked for the same insurance company as the other man, but in a different department. He seemed knowledgeable as he guided me through the process to change my information on my Part D pharmaceutical plan.
He also noted that I’d be changing service areas. I’d have to cancel my Maryland plan and sign up for a Florida policy. I was prepared for his warning that my rate might increase a little.
He gave me a choice of three plans. The plan with the lowest monthly premium, which was similar to my Maryland coverage, had a $300 deductible.
“But I’ve already paid a deductible for this year, right?” I asked.
He checked, and I had, which meant I didn’t have to pay an additional deductible for the year, and I had a monthly rate that was within pennies of what I’d paid in Maryland. I’m glad I asked.
Laura’s prescription plan
A call to my wife’s Plan D provider took me deeper into the rabbit hole. Calling the customer care number in the “your address may have changed” letter she received brought me to a woman who took down all of the information I had given during my other two calls. But just as we were about to finish the conversation, she asked for my wife’s Medicare number.
Laura was out, so the woman gave me another number to call the next day. She promised to save all of the information I had given her.
The next day, with Medicare card in hand, I called. And guess what? They didn’t have any of my info. Not only that, after about 10 minutes of back-and-forth, we discovered I was talking to the wrong company. The woman I had spoken with the previous day had erroneously given me the number of my Part D company, not my wife’s.
So, I’ll soon be dialing my fourth toll-free number in a week.
Again, from “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”:
“‘Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?’
‘That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,’ said the Cat.
‘I don’t much care where—’ said Alice.
‘Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,’ said the Cat.
‘—so long as I get SOMEWHERE,’ Alice added as an explanation.
‘Oh, you’re sure to do that,’ said the Cat, ‘if you only walk long enough.’”
(A version of this post first appeared as my column on the MS News Today website.)
