No premium for AARP plan B?

Question

How can this be? My husband turns 65 in October and we were told that this is the best plan. Just do not understand the no premium.

Answer 1

Zarney is steering you right. Deal with an insurance broker in your hometown that sells several brands not just one.

The zero premium Medicare Advantage plans CAN be very good coverage. Look at the plans from Coventry, Humana, Secure Horizons and Today's Options.

Do not limit yourself to AARP (Secure Horizons) plans. The AARP endorsement is a paid endorsement and is useless. It adds no value to the product.

Answer 2

I think there may be a mis-understanding which plans you are talking about. Plan B is a Medicare Supplement and it does have a premium, in my state the premium for AARP Plan B is $95.37 per month. Plan B doesn't have many benefits and I don't recommend it to any of my clients unless it's part of a retirement package. If this is the case it may not have a premium to you but there is still a premium which is paid by the employer. The benefits that are lacking in Plan B are picked up in other parts of the package.

The AARP plan with a $0 premium is a Medicare Advantage plan. It is a Secure Horizons MedicareComplete plan that is branded by AARP as a marketing tool. Medicare Advantage plans are funded by Medicare and, as such, many have a low or a $0 premium and they have benefits that Medicare Supplements lack.

Is it the best plan for your husband? It can be, depending on the situation and what other plans are available in your area. In my area there are plans which are better for many people, so even though I do sell the AARP plan it's not among my top selling plans.

Make sure the person who told you this was the best plan also represents the other plans in your area. Any good sales person can make any plan seem the best but if they don't represent other plans it may not be the best for you.