In response to Bob Greenwald’s surprise $200 charge from his Medicare supplementary plan, I agree that Medicare supplementary plans can be confusing (“Health care is convoluted,” April 3, Our Readers’ Views).
I urge him to first call his doctor’s billing department to determine if the claim was coded correctly. If so, then his next step would be to read the Explanation of Benefits on his policy, call his insurance broker and/or call the carrier’s customer service folks. Odds are one of these entities will answer his questions.
The final action would be to call 800-MEDICARE. However, Medicare representatives there are not trained in the nuances between the various supplementary plans so may be of no help.
In addition, if he calls, he should be aware that Medicare tracks complaints of carriers. If they get too many, they will reduce the carrier’s star ratings. If this is justified, so be it. But if it’s just a technical question with a viable answer, calling Medicare can be counterproductive. A reduction in star ratings also reduces the federal subsidies to carriers for providing Medicare plans. If this happens, consumers of that carrier will face higher premiums, deductibles and co-pays.
So please make a call to Medicare the “nuclear option.”
