Humana Gold Plus® is a Medicare Advantage Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plan with a wide range of coverage for seniors. Humana has contracted with Medicare to provide you with services that are not covered by your Medicare Part A and Part B benefits under original Medicare. Most Medicare Advantage Humana Gold Plus HMO Plans offer prescription drug coverage. With Gold Plus HMO Plans your out-of-pocket costs are reduced and more predictable than with the majority of other plans. You may enroll in Gold Plus HMO plan only during specific times of the year. You can compare this to Humana’s Gold Choice PFFs, Humana’s Part D Drug Plans, HumanaChoice PPO and Humana Enhanced PDP. Below is an example of one of the many plans offered by Humana.
Summary
| Plan Type | Humana Gold Plus H1951-013 (HMO) |
|---|---|
| Office Visit for Primary Doctor | $10 copay for each primary care doctor visit for Medicare-covered benefits. |
| Office Visit for Specialist | $10 to $25 copay for each specialist visit for Medicare-covered benefits. |
| Doctor Choice | Plan Doctor Only |
| Annual Deductible | None |
| Out-of-Pocket Maximum | $4,900 |
| Prescription Drug Coverage | Yes |
| Physical Exams | $0 copay for all preventive services covered under Original Medicare at zero cost sharing. |
Hospital Services Coverage
| Emergency Room | $65 copay for Medicare-covered emergency room visits. $25,000 plan coverage limit for emergency services outside the U.S. every year. |
|---|---|
| Ambulance Services | $200 copay for Florida Medicare-covered ambulance benefits. |
| Outpatient Lab/X-Ray | $0 to $25 copay for Medicare-covered lab services. $0 to $50 copay for Medicare-covered diagnostic procedures and tests. $10 to $50 copay for Medicare-covered X-rays. |
| Outpatient Surgery | $250 copay for each Medicare-covered ambulatory surgical center visit. $0 to $250 copay [or 20% of the cost] for each Medicare-covered outpatient hospital facility visit. |
| Urgent Care | $10 to $25 copay for Medicare-covered urgently needed care visits. |
| Hospitalization | No limit to the number of days covered by the plan each hospital stay. For Medicare-covered hospital stays: Days 1 – 7: $175 copay per day; Days 8 – 90: $0 copay per day; $0 copay for each additional hospital day. |
| Outpatient Rehabilitation Services | $10 copay for Medicare-covered Occupational Therapy visits. $10 copay for Medicare-covered Physical and/or Speech and Language Therapy visits. |
| Skilled Nursing Facility | Plan covers up to 100 days each benefit period; No prior hospital stay is required. For SNF stays: Days 1 – 5: $0 copay per day; Days 6 – 20: $50 copay per day; Days 21 – 100: $100 copay per day. |
| Home Health Care | $0 copay for each Medicare-covered home health visit. |
| Hospice | You must get care from a Medicare-certified hospice. |
Retail Pharmacy for Prescription Drugs
| Prescription Drug Deductible | None |
|---|---|
| Preferred Generic | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $6 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier; – $18 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier. |
| Non-Preferred Generic | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $10 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier; – $30 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier. |
| Preferred Brand | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $45 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier; – $135 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier. |
| Non-Preferred Brand | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $95 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier; – $285 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier. |
| Specialty | 33% coinsurance for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier. |
Mail Order Pharmacy for Prescription Drugs
| Preferred Generic | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $0 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy; – $0 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy. |
|---|---|
| Non-Preferred Generic | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $0 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy; – $0 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy. |
| Preferred Brand | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $45 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy; – $125 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy. |
| Non-Preferred Brand | You pay the following until total yearly drug costs reach $2,930: – $95 copay for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy; – $275 copay for a three-month (90-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy. |
| Specialty | 33% coinsurance for a one-month (30-day) supply of drugs in this tier from a preferred mail order pharmacy. |
Additional Coverage
| Dental Services | $0 copay for the following preventive dental benefits: – $0 copay for up to 1 oral exam(s) every year; – $0 copay for up to 1 cleaning(s) every year; – $0 copay for up to 1 dental x-ray(s) every year. $25 copay for Medicare-covered dental benefits. |
|---|---|
| Hearing Services | In general, routine hearing exams and hearing aids not covered. – $25 copay for Medicare-covered diagnostic hearing exams. |
| Vision Services | $0 copay for one pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses after cataract surgery. – $0 to $25 copay for exams to diagnose and treat diseases and conditions of the eye. – $0 copay for up to 1 supplemental routine eye exam(s) every year. |
| Chiropractic Coverage | $20 copay for each Medicare-covered visit. Medicare-covered chiropractic visits are for manual manipulation of the spine to correct subluxation (a displacement or misalignment of a joint or body part) if you get it from a chiropractor or other qualified providers. |
| Outpatient Mental Health Coverage | $25 copay for each Medicare-covered individual therapy visit, $25 copay for each Medicare-covered group therapy visit, $25 copay for each Medicare-covered individual therapy visit with a psychiatrist, $25 copay for each Medicare-covered group therapy visit with a psychiatrist, $25 copay for the cost for Medicare-covered partial hospitalization program services. |
Here in Palm Beach County Florida the Advantage plans are numerous and competitive and the largest plans have extensive Doctor participation, particularly Humana. The supplement plans become unaffordable as you age, once you are in your upper 70’s or 80 years old or more, you can be paying $500 a month, plus drug plan etc. I see most folks cannot maintain them as they get old and really need them. Nightmare!
We have been on the Humana Advantage plan for years and are very happy with it. Co pays for office visits are low and the mail order prescription is very convenient and reasonable priced plus you receive a monthly allowance to purchase over the counter vitamins and such from a Humana catalog.
Never had a problem finding a specialist but then we do live in a big city.
My husband and I have Medicare and Medicaid. Medicaid pays our Medicare Part B premium so that amount is not deducted from our monthly Social Security Disability check. This is the only amount which Medicaid pays. We are responsible to pay our Part B deductible and 20% of the allowable amount of our doctor’s bills and Medicare pays the 80% of the allowable amount, after our deductible is met. We also have a stand-alone PDP (Part D) with Humana with extra help. We have no deductible or premiums to pay with Part D. These plans are working well for us and so far we have not had any major health issues that will cause us any financial burdens to us.
My question is this: Do we still need to have Medigap/supplement insurance with our Part A, Part B, and Part D Medicare? Does Medicaid serve as Medigap insurance? I do realize that Medicare Part A & B is our primary health insurance. We are on a fixed income with Social Security Disability being our only source of income.
I have been disabled and have had Medicare Advantage since about 1999. I have never paid Part B or a co-pay or paid for medication. I have great caring insurance care, doctors and hospitals. They include $110.00 over the counter drugs as well as $75.00 monthly food card, dental and vision. They send a Lift or Uber to my door for transportation, call for a ride and wait 3 minutes, not a bus with other people. What’s to complain about?
Something to be aware of – if it matters to you – is that many Advantage Plans have now been cited for overcharging Medicare for services.
To me the biggest factor is original Medicare allows me to go to any doctor, specialist or hospital in my area or anywhere in the country and the advantage plans lock me into a medical group and their doctors. That alone is worth a few extra bucks in the best years for me