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Most likely I have a misunderstanding about med supps and would appreciate comments from anyone who can set me straight.
I thought that if a doc took medicare they needed to take med supps (let's leave the accepting assignment issue aside for now). And further that they could not pick and choose which supps they took (or should I say pay them). In other words, if the client has a supp and medicare approves charges that they triangulate over to the med supp carrier and just notify them that they need to pay the doc. So it is none of the docs business as long as the client presents a card showing coverage with a valid med supp carrier. As noted, perhaps this is not correct. If so, please just set me straight.
Anyhoo, today I was in the bookstore and picked up a copy of Kiplinger's Retirement Planning magazine and saw that it had an article on enrolling in medicare and choosing supplement etc. They gave an example of some guy who checked out the various supplement carriers and in the end went with a medigap plan from Blue Cross/Blue Shield because that is the only one that his primary care physician would accept.
What's up with that? Can a doc pick and choose between supp plans? Or did they just word it fuzzy and should have said because a medigap plan is the only type of plan that the doc would accept, or did they just provide misinformation, or do I need to just smarten up. Either way is okay. Just looking for the right understanding here.
Note that we are not talking about medicare advantage. It said medigap.
What sayeth thee.
Thanks.
I thought that if a doc took medicare they needed to take med supps (let's leave the accepting assignment issue aside for now). And further that they could not pick and choose which supps they took (or should I say pay them). In other words, if the client has a supp and medicare approves charges that they triangulate over to the med supp carrier and just notify them that they need to pay the doc. So it is none of the docs business as long as the client presents a card showing coverage with a valid med supp carrier. As noted, perhaps this is not correct. If so, please just set me straight.
Anyhoo, today I was in the bookstore and picked up a copy of Kiplinger's Retirement Planning magazine and saw that it had an article on enrolling in medicare and choosing supplement etc. They gave an example of some guy who checked out the various supplement carriers and in the end went with a medigap plan from Blue Cross/Blue Shield because that is the only one that his primary care physician would accept.
What's up with that? Can a doc pick and choose between supp plans? Or did they just word it fuzzy and should have said because a medigap plan is the only type of plan that the doc would accept, or did they just provide misinformation, or do I need to just smarten up. Either way is okay. Just looking for the right understanding here.
Note that we are not talking about medicare advantage. It said medigap.
What sayeth thee.
Thanks.
