WellCare Medicare Advantage 2012
Should you consider WellCare Medicare Advantage for 2012?
WellCare offers Medicare Advantage plans that are often quite popular with their members. Many WellCare members probably have never been to the official WellCare website and many people interested in enrolling in a 2011 Medicare Advantage plan will probably never visit the website. That said, it is a little disconcerting that the home page includes links to SEC Consent and Final Judgment, as well as Deferred Prosecution Agreement.
This point is not brought up to rehash legal issues or actions taken by CMS against this insurer. In all fairness if we took these types of issues into consideration we may change our shopping habits for many of the products that add value to our lives. And if you ask WellCare members many would say that they have been happy with their WellCare Medicare Advantage plans.
So yes, when you are comparing Medicare Advantage plans for 2012, you should take a look at WellCare Medicare plans if they are available to you.
Medicare Advantage – 2012 Enrollment Tips
Types of Advantage plans offered by WellCare
WellCare saw the writing on the wall in 2009 when they announced that they would not renew nor offer Private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans for 2010. WellCare offers coordinated care plans, including both Medicare HMO and HMO POS plans. The Point-Of-Sale plans give the members greater freedom when choosing providers.
Medicare Advantage plans are not required to include Part D drug coverage and a couple plans offered by WellCare; Advance HMO and Essential HMO POS, are medical only plans.
Plans branded as: WellCare Choice and WellCare Value, include both medical and Part D coverage. The Choice plan is a HMO POS and the Value plan is a HMO.
WellCare Medicare Advantage plans are also available for those people that are dual-eligible, that is, enrolled in both Medicare and their State’s Medicaid program. Two popular plans are WellCare Access and WellCare Select. To join, qualifications that must be met for both plans.
Medicare Advantage plans are available on an annual basis and you should not assume that your current plan will look identical to next years plan. The proof of that is the fact that WellCare PFFS Advantage plans are no longer available as they once were.
Also keep in mind that the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) enables you to compare all Medicare Advantage plans available, not just the WellCare plans. The AEP for plans with a January 2012 effective date begins October 15, 2011 and ends December 7, 2011. Visit the Medicare website or compare plans online to save time when reviewing your options.
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Comments
Cindy, I did a quick search of http://www.medicare.gov and if you are referring to Charleston County, it would seem that WellCare has no Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage available. There are 19 available plans, many with no monthly premium. Medicare Advantage plans in Charleston NC without a monthly premium include; Any, Any, Any Gold (PFFS), Southesat Community Care Plus (HMO), Ambassador Plus (PPO), AARP Medicare Complete (HMO-POS), Patriot Plus (PFFS) and Care Improvement Plus Gold RX (Regional PPO SNP). Other popular Advantage plans include; Humana Choice (PPO) at $40/mo. and Medicare Blue (PPO) at $25/mo. I hope this helps.
David Forbes
david, my husband was on celebrex but we had to stop it as it just got to expensive. he has had reactions to all the generic drugs they made him try before celebrex. i know to a lot of people $40-$85 isn’t a lot of money but to us it is the sky. are there any plans out there that the cost is cheaper? at present we are with wellcare. i also received a pharmacy discount card in the mail and wondered if i can really use it? do you know? thanks for any help you can give me.
Cathy, Let me address your last question first. My experience with pharmacy discount cards doesn’t allow for a glowing recommendation. If you had no other option, it may be better than nothing. But you have the option of Part D. Visit http://www.medicare.gov and choose the link to search for plans. You will be prompted to enter your zip code (plans vary across the US and without knowing where you are, I’m little help). Follow the on screen prompts and when asked for your drugs, enter them. This will narrow you list of plans. Then visit the websites of the plans and explore the cost and formulary. Your best bet is to more than likely find Celebrex in Tier 2. Another option is to check with your pharmacist. They have software to compare plans. Also based on your above comments, you should contact Social Security to find out if you qualify for a Low Income Subsidy. Sorry I’m not more help, but this should at least get you in the right direction.
David
My friends wife who is on Well Care Medicare has a stroke on vacation in St Louis.She wants to know why WellCare only gave 3 Rehab centers to choose from.Can she do anything to obtain a larger choice? Thanks in advance.
Fred, If the plan is a HMO, there are probably only 3 rehab centers in network. Your friend could call Wellcare member services to determine if that is the reason for the limited choice.
Are you still covering the charleston, SC area?