According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 47 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare during 2010. Though 15.7 percent were under the age of 64, the vast majority of Medicare users are senior citizens. As of 2011, Medicare comes in four parts, all of which can be purchased from private insurance companies. Humana, one of the largest health insurance companies in the U.S., offers several kinds of Medicare policies and supplements to customers across the country.
Medicare Advantage
Medicare Advantage, or Part C, are Medicare plans that combine the benefits of Parts A and B. Part A primarily offers benefits for inpatient hospital stays, home health and hospice, while Part B covers outpatient services and preventive care. Medicare Advantage plans are required to offer all the same benefits as Part A and B from the government, except for hospice. MA plans may also include extra benefits original Parts A and B do not. In 2011, Humana had four kinds of Medicare Advantage policies. MA is sold by service areas, so the exact benefits and plans offered may change.
Types of Humana MA Plans
Humana's 2011 Medicare Advantage policies were Human Gold Choice, Humana Gold Plus, HumanaChoice and Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan. Special needs plans are custom Medicare plans tailored to specific medical conditions. Humana also offers special needs plans to Medicare beneficiaries in certain situations, such as those living in nursing homes or using Medicaid. Humana Gold Choice is a traditional private fee-for-service insurance plan, where users can see any doctor who agrees to take it. Gold Choice has all Part A and B benefits, as well as foreign travel emergency coverage. Gold Plus is an HMO plan with the same benefits but requires that customers use health care providers who are part of Humana's network. HumanaChoice is a PPO plan, which offers lower costs if you use the network but allows you to go outside of it in exchange for higher fees. HumanaChoice has the benefits of Gold Choice as well. All three may offer prescription drug coverage, depending on service area.
Part D Prescription Drug Plans
Medicare beneficiaries may choose a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) to use with their original Medicare Part A and B benefits. Humana offers four of these as of 2011: Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan; Humana Enhanced; Humana Standard and Humana Complete. Walmart-Preferred offers lower copays if you use a Walmart pharmacy, although you can use others, as well as a $0 copay for mail order prescriptions ordered through Humana. Walmart-Preferred covers on generic drugs, however. Humana Enhanced, Humana Standard and Humana Complete offer increasing coverage for name-brand medications and more kinds of prescription drugs through broader networks of pharmacies.
Medicare Supplements
Medicare comes with a number of deductibles, copays and coinsurance charges. Medicare supplements help pay for these additional costs. Medicare supplements, also called Medigap, offer standardized benefits across the country, so only the premiums will change. As of 2011, Humana sold Medicare plans A, B, C, standard F, high-deductible F, G, K, L and N.
Optional Supplements
Humana offers several optional supplement plans to Medicare users. For an additional monthly premium, beneficiaries can add coverage for dental care, vision and fitness. Humana also sells an Independent Life Deluxe package, with remote home monitoring and a certain number of one-way or round trips within 50 miles of your residence.
