Things Medicare Doesn’t Cover – Extra Benefits

by | Aug 9, 2023 | Coverage Q&A

Ancillary (Extra) Benefits of Medicare Advantage Plans

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been discussing the things Original Medicare does not cover. The key items original Medicare does not cover include dental, vision, hearing and chiropractic. There are several more things I want to tell you about.  Today, I’m going to focus on ancillary benefits, or extra benefits, as they’re frequently called. 

I read an article last week which talked about extra benefits that are available with Medicare Advantage plans. These are the things in a Medicare Advantage plan I call the “fufu” items.  These extra benefits include:

  • Dental
  • Hearing
  • Vision
  • Fitness
  • Over-the-Counter items

Can Medicare Advantage Plans reduce costs?

This past week my wife Peg and I were vacationing in Tennessee (I know; why was I reading an article on Medicare while on vacation? I guess I am a Medicare geek). Peg’s brother and his wife spent the week with us. It was great! Peg’s brother is on Medicare and has original Medicare (Parts A & B) with a supplement and a prescription drug plan. As usual, eventually I get asked Medicare questions. “Tell me more about the Medicare Advantage plans Bob-a-reno.” Bruce loves to play games with my name.

He had heard about the low premiums with Medicare Advantage plans and wanted to know if this might be a good fit for him. I told him about the typical copays that I have in my Medicare Advantage plan, and he told me his medical visits would be about the same as mine. Based on those numbers, my spreadsheet told me he would save over $2400 a year on premiums and copayments alone. COOL! But there are more ways to save money. Enter the “fufu” items.

Would I really use these extra benefits?

The article I was telling you about, the one that caught my attention, shared the statistics of usage of these fufu items. To be more professional, I should say the ancillary benefits or extra benefits of the plans. Anyway, the article showed that between 75% and 83% of beneficiaries use at least one of these extra benefits per year. That number goes to 48% to 64% for those using at least two of these extra benefits. Me, I use my dental benefit, vision benefit and my over-the-counter benefit every year. These three benefits save me about $800 a year.

When I brought up that I also have a free fitness club membership, my brother-in-law really sat up straight and started doing the math. Between him and his wife, they spend about $100 a month on a fitness club. Combine these fufu benefits with his premium savings and he could save over $4000 each year.

Want to hear more?

Now I think savings like that are worth a conversation! And if this sounds like a conversation you’d like to have, call us. We can use our own analytic spreadsheet to determine if a move to a Medicare Advantage plan is logical for you. Or, if you prefer a group setting, you can arrange to attend one of our regular Medicare Educational Classes.  Click this link https://robertadamsinsurance.com/event-calendar/ to see our upcoming classes.