>> I plan on living a long time and I talked to the attorney for the
EEOC and he indicated he was on top of the case and those wanting to
be represented should keep notes and contact him. Also keep in mind
AT&T has no idea how many people this pertains to as they keep no
records of requests against blocked SS#'s. <<

The lawyer - Mr Graziano - has yet to contact at least one of us
older over 40 FMPd employees offering to give testimony regarding not
being recalled, and played cruel headgames of applying for internal
jobs during the 60 day FMP window, not getting interviews, then
seeing those same job ads on the public internet after layoff.

When applying for jobs on the AT&T website, it asks if you're a
former employee and if yes, demands your social security number.

I don't believe for a second there's no record of that.

>> The problem for "us" with these lawsuits is that the Corporation
(SBC/at&t) will drag things out forever using legal maneuvers under
the assumption that we will either eventually give up or die.  This
is common corporate practice and is an extension of the
well-understood principle that in American civil courts the side with
the most money almost always wins because they can drag the fight on forever <<

I'd be happy if the lawyers answered my email aggreeing to testify
and tell my experience

So far - not a peep

After reading this article I understand why Horizon HOMO (available through AT&T
in Northern New Jersey) raised its fees by almost 50$ for 2010 for AT&T
retirees.


-------------------------

     * NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Choosing the Right Medicare Plan



By JANE ZHANG and AVERY JOHNSON

In past years, most older people just stuck with their existing Medicare drug
plan or Medicare Advantage plan during open enrollment, avoiding the dizzying
experience of choosing a new one. In the latest annual enrollment period, which
began this week, they might want to think again.


It's open-enrollment time for Medicare. WSJ's Kelly Green visits the Medicare
Rights Center, one of a growing number of services that help people shop for and
navigate Medicare plans.

Many people with Medicare Advantage plans may have no choice but to seek out a
new option. That's because insurers including UnitedHealth Group Inc. and
WellCare Health Plans Inc. are eliminating a number of their plans in response
to government cutbacks and new requirements. If the 667,000 enrollees affected
by the cancellations don't select a new plan by Dec. 31, they will be placed
automatically in traditional Medicare. They also have until Jan. 31 to select a
drug plan, or risk losing drug coverage in 2010.

Changes also are in store for Medicare Part D prescription-drug plans. The
average monthly premium will rise 12% next year to $38.91, according to an
analysis of Medicare data by consulting firm Avalere Health LLC. Many insurers
also are raising the amount beneficiaries must pay for generic drugs—up an
average of 16% to $6.72 for most plans. And a number of plans are requiring
patients to pay a percentage of other drug costs, known as a co-insurance
payment, instead of making a flat copayment for these medications.

"Consumers should be aware that the markets are changing," says Dan Mendelson,
Avalere's president. "They should know that there are often less expensive plans
in the area. They need to shop again."

Bruce Clarke, 69, from Plymouth, Mass., has no choice but to shop for a new plan
after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Inc. dropped his $40-a-month Blue
Medicare plan. The plan came with a discounted gym membership and free
preventive dental care, he says. A similar plan offered by another insurer
charges a $70-a-month premium and higher co-payments for physician visits. "I
was very surprised and disappointed because we really liked that plan," says Mr.
Clarke, a retired insurance executive.

Medicare Advantage plans, unlike traditional Medicare, are subsidized by the
federal government and offered by insurance companies. They wrap together
coverage for doctor and hospital visits, and often include a prescription-drug
plan.
Fewer Advantage Plans

Like Mr. Clarke's former plan, many of the Medicare Advantage plans being
eliminated are in a category known as private fee for service, which generally
allows beneficiaries to see any doctor of their choosing. But a 2008 law that
requires such plans to establish provider networks left many insurers balking.
In total, the number of Medicare Advantage plans will drop about 18% next year
to 2,314 from 2,830 in 2009, according to Kaiser Family Foundation, which
focuses on health-care research.

Also hitting Advantage plans are cuts of as much as 4.5% in the amount the
federal government reimburses the plans for treatment next year. The government
says the subsidized plans cost it an average of 14% more per beneficiary than
traditional Medicare, and bills in Congress to overhaul health care propose
additional cuts.
Enrollment Tips for Medicare

     * Shop around even if you like your 2009 Part D drug plan.
     * Don't just look at premiums. Compare how each plan charges you for the
drugs you take, especially brand-name drugs.
     * Go to www.mymedicare.gov for tools to compare drug plans.
     * When shopping for a Medicare Advantage plan, compare it to traditional
Medicare.
     * Check if your Advantage plan is dropping—or in some cases adding—perks
such as free gym membership.
     * Find out if your Medicare Advantage plan will exist next year, especially
if you have a private fee-for-service plan.
     * If you lose your Advantage plan next year, choose a new one by Dec. 31 or
return to traditional Medicare. You would need to choose a drug plan by Jan. 31
to ensure coverage for the year.
     * Ask for help. State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Programs
offer free assistance.

A spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts says it canceled the
private fee-for-service plan after analyzing the government's new reimbursement
rules for 2010.

Some Advantage plans are dropping benefits such as gym membership and dental and
vision coverage. On average, premiums for Advantage plans will increase 25% next
year, according to Medicare. Looking just at Advantage plans with drug coverage,
premiums will rise 32% to an average of $48 a month, Kaiser Family Foundation
says.

In Salt Lake City, Edwin Svikhart, 79, and his wife, Joann, plan to remain with
Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield's Medicare Advantage plan, even though copays are
rising and the extras Advantage plans are often known for—eye care, wellness
programs and dental—are being scaled back. Still, Mr. Svikhart says his plan
offers good service and all doctors take it. He says he also expects all other
plans are raising prices.

A Regence spokeswoman says the changes were "not easy choices to make."

To be sure, some Advantage plans are adding perks. Universal American Corp., for
instance, added a wellness program to its HMO in Houston. In Kentucky, New York
and Ohio, WellPoint Inc. is selling new plans with no premium and no copayments
for generic drugs and primary-care doctor visits.

Still, other insurers are cutting back. UnitedHealth, the largest Medicare
Advantage player, raised its monthly premiums for about 15% of its plans, mostly
by $10 or less, and canceled private fee-for-service plans in some markets,
affecting about 98,000 consumers, a company spokesman said. Next year, 70% of
UnitedHealth's plans won't charge a premium, down from 85% this year. But the
company is beefing up services in some locations, including Dallas.

Humana Inc., the second-largest player in Medicare Advantage, says premiums for
its plans next year will rise $8 a month on average, or about 30%.

Some seniors like Dennis Feagles, 68, have already crunched the numbers. Mr.
Feagles who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife, Patricia, has a Medicare
Advantage plan through Health Net Inc., and for the first time will pay
premiums, amounting to $36 a month. Also new is a $10 copay for seeing his
primary-care doctor and getting lab tests, and his cost sharing for an ambulance
trip will increase to $300 from $200.
Paying More for Lipitor

Mr. Feagles' prescription-drug costs are also rising. Generic medicines will
cost him $6, up from $4, and copays for Liptor, a medicine both he and his wife
take to lower cholesterol, will rise to $43 from $39.

"The bottom line is, some are a little better and some are a little worse, but
it's not worth changing" plans, says Mr. Feagles.

A Health Net spokeswoman blamed the price increases on rising medical costs and
the government rate cut.

About 29 million seniors and other beneficiaries are signed up for the Medicare
drug benefit, which began in 2006 to provide subsidized coverage of prescription
drugs through private insurers. There will be 1,576 stand-alone drug plans
available next year, down almost 7% from 1,689 in 2009.

Seniors have until Dec. 31 to choose a drug plan, unless their insurer is
canceling their current drug plan, in which case they have until Jan. 31. The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which runs Medicare, has an online
tool to help seniors compare plans at www.mymedicare.gov. Information also is
available at 1-800-MEDICARE or from State Health Insurance Counseling and
Assistance Programs.

Write to Jane Zhang at Jane.Zhang@... and Avery Johnson at
avery.johnson@...

 

As a 12/1989 retiree I have retained all documents distributed to us retirees, there is no question we are to have health, dental and life insurance.  This year Aetna has a $1000.00 deductible before they will pay on any claims if you are Medicare eligible.  Aetna response was "you are getting  your insurance paid".  Has anyone else in the 1989 group encountered this? From: Henry J Pirwitz <henirmpir1@juno.com> Subject: Re: [attretirees] Medical & Dental To: attrtirees@yahoogroups.com Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009, 11:30 AM   No offense taken..This is why I prefaced my post with "some of the pension plans may be different than my own". I am a newby to the group ,have been retired for 22 years and out of the loop so to speak and didn't even realize these suits were going on, let alone the reason for them. I have alerted others who retired in my era to this website so that they may become better informed.   Hank   On Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:21:12 -0400 "Terence Robertson" <trbear@insightbb. com> writes:   Hank,   Yes that is true.  They can take it away, like they cheated us out of our pension money, which has brought on a class action lawsuit. Just last week, the last 3 or 4 CEOs have been ordered by the Judge to testify regarding why they arbitrarily came up with a new pension formula that took money away from the senior employees who were close to retirement.  So I would imagine, another class action would be filed against the company if they took away our health care.   Why class action lawsuit.  Those benefits were part of my yearly compensation, as was lectured to me every year by my immediate manager whenever I was not given a raise in salary, and that was many times I received little or no pay adjustment.  And that was the same for most of us.   And anyway, these low life CEO's took huge seperation payments, as much as 180 million (Whittaker), for themselves, while on the other hand reducing the retirees benefits.  That has been true ever since Bob Allen spun off Bell Labs, and gave away NCR.  And now Whittaker is taking huge sums of taxpayer money as the new CEO of General Motors.  I suppose 180 million isn't enough.  (My next car will be a Ford)   So whether you look the gift horse in the mouth or not, just remember that this company is not the same company we used to work for.  It is now ran by the same Wall Street thieves that have raided the US Treasury, and would think nothing of taking all of your benefits away to line their own pockets.   Don't mean to offend, but take off those rose colored glasses, Hank.   VRIP '98'   ----- Original Message ----- From: falling2988 To: attretirees@ yahoogroups. com Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 10:49 AM Subject: [attretirees] Medical & Dental   It may be that some of us have different pension plans but in every pamphlet or booklet I have received from AT&T regarding Medical or dental there has always been a reminder, and I have always known, that the company can cancel Medical and Dental with a stroke of the pen. Medical and Dental are gratis and are not part of the pension plan I have and so I choose not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Hank   ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___ Diet Help Cheap Diet Help Tips. Click here.

 

Right now the U.S. Senate is threatening to pass health care reform that would tax our health care benefits. 

The tax would encourage employers to cut benefits and shift costs to workers and retirees.

We support health care reform, but taxing our benefits is not the way to pay for it.

Call your Senators right now at 1-888-580-0792 and tell them: taxing health benefits is not real health care reform!

New data compiled by the Joint Committee on Taxation has found you may have to fork over an average of $7,600 between 2013 and 2019.¹

And do you want to know what's worse?

The tax is regressive. The tax paid by middle income families would be ten times more than the tax paid by millionaires.

President Obama promised real health care reform that lets us keep our health care benefits.  CWA supports that plan, and the Senate should too.

Take three minutes and call your Senators right now and tell them taxing benefits is not real health care reform.  Dial 1-888-580-0792.

Health care reform should not come at the expense of the well-negotiated health care many CWA members enjoy.  All employers should cover their workers and the wealthy need to pay their fair share. 

We're so close to enacting real health care reform -- let's make sure it is done right.  Please take a moment and call today.

Sincerely,
 

Beth Allen
Online Mobilization Coordinator
CWA e-Activist Network

¹For information on these calculations, visit http://www.healthcarevoices.org/excisetax.

10/28/09 Chicago Tribune carried an announcement that UNICARE is leaving the
Illinois and Texas markets at the end of this year.  Anyone know what this means
re our insurance options for 2010 -- the Hewitt site currently lists the UNICARE
HMO as an option for some of us.

You are absolutely on Target, Agree 100% in light of the last 2 years.
Wonder if Stephenson will get 185 million as well. All loyalty and pride is
gone.

--- In attretirees@yahoogroups.com, hemrich@... wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> First thing.  The AT&T we retired from in '89 or '98 DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE as
a legal corporate entity. That corporation was replaced by a corporation that is
called "at&t" but is actually SBC owned and operated from DALLAS, TEXAS.  SBC
management is making the rules with respect to the medical plan(s) that are
offered to the legacy retirees of AT&T and any of the other companies that they
swallowed up such as Ameritech, PAC Tel etc.  The offered medical plans are
actually "self insured" with insurance companies such as UHC as Third Party
Administrators. What this means is that "at&t" PAYS THE CLAIMS and sets the
rules for the plans......so the less medical, dental and vison coverage they pay
for the better it is for them....NOT US.  Our "contributions" are NOT INSURANCE
PREMIUMS they are contributions to the medical plan trust fund to keep it
solvent which reduce the amount "at&t" has to contribute to the plan to maintain
the appropriate reserves for claims mandated by the law that allows them to be
self insured.
>
> Second thing, the "old" AT&T and the "new" at&t have systematically sought to
reduce the benefits provided to all retirees AND CURRENT EMPLOYEES. This is a
fact that cannot be disputed. They regard us as an expensive liability, not as a
legacy that built the company, the networks and the brand that made AT&T what it
was.
>
> Third thing, "they" ( the AT&T Corporation and sucessor at&t corporations)
will drag their feet on all the lawsuits regarding the "cash balance" conversion
of pensions and other benefits AS LONG AS THEY CAN in hopes that WE WILL ALL DIE
before we get a judgement in our favor.  Even if a judgement IS RENDERED IN OUR
FAVOR they will appeal and appeal and appeal as long a possible.  It is cheaper
for them to pay the lawyers on their payroll then it is to pay the members of
the lawsuit class any monies that they are entitled to.
>
> Wake up and smell the cow manure.....we have been getting the dirty end of the
stick for some time and it isn't going to stop unless legislation is passed to
stop the erosion of benefits. Given the state of the economy that is unlikely.
>
>
> AT&T 1978-98, VRIP 98
>

Hello everyone.  I joined this group today because I am interested in how other
retirees feel about our medical plan options, especially those of us who are on
Medicare and Medicare is declared by the company to be our primary insurance
company when we turn 65.

I retired from SWBT in 1999 but sometimes have a hard time just trying to figure
out what I retired from when I access the benefits page. I have always wondered
if different AT&T companies and subs provide different information depending on
what choice you make on that page.

When I was still working, it seemed like there was always at least one person in
any given department who was knowledgable about all the nuances of every
retirement, medical, etc., plan the company had and I miss having that kind of
information.  I guess I'm hoping to see some of that "insight" here on this
group.

Anyway, I had some trouble getting on the Hewitt site to renew my options this
morning and decided to see if there was an AT&T group on Yahoogroups.  There was
and here I am.  I've already reviewed some of the recent posts and they look
like you are discussing just what I wanted information on.

Doug

I am trying to make a decision regarding AT&T benefits versus AARP which is now
costing a little bit more than $200 per month.  AT&T says it's $29.00 a month
which causes the little hairs on the back of my neck to stand up.  Can anyone
let me know what you're doing.  It seems as if it actually is $200 a month no
matter which way you go because of the out of pocket and deductible but to be
honest I no longer understand any of this which of course both companies are
counting on.
Anyway thanks to anyone who answers. By the way I retired in 1996.
Pat

 

Hank,

 

Yes that is true.  They can take it away, like they cheated us out of our pension money, which has brought on a class action lawsuit. Just last week, the last 3 or 4 CEOs have been ordered by the Judge to testify regarding why they arbitrarily came up with a new pension formula that took money away from the senior employees who were close to retirement.  So I would imagine, another class action would be filed against the company if they took away our health care.

 

Why class action lawsuit.  Those benefits were part of my yearly compensation, as was lectured to me every year by my immediate manager whenever I was not given a raise in salary, and that was many times I received little or no pay adjustment.  And that was the same for most of us.

 

And anyway, these low life CEO's took huge seperation payments, as much as 180 million (Whittaker), for themselves, while on the other hand reducing the retirees benefits.  That has been true ever since Bob Allen spun off Bell Labs, and gave away NCR.  And now Whittaker is taking huge sums of taxpayer money as the new CEO of General Motors.  I suppose 180 million isn't enough.  (My next car will be a Ford)

 

So whether you look the gift horse in the mouth or not, just remember that this company is not the same company we used to work for.  It is now ran by the same Wall Street thieves that have raided the US Treasury, and would think nothing of taking all of your benefits away to line their own pockets.

 

Don't mean to offend, but take off those rose colored glasses, Hank.

 

VRIP '98'

 

----- Original Message -----

From: falling2988

To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 10:49 AM

Subject: [attretirees] Medical & Dental

 

It may be that some of us have different pension plans but in every pamphlet or booklet I have received from AT&T regarding Medical or dental there has always been a reminder, and I have always known, that the company can cancel Medical and Dental with a stroke of the pen. Medical and Dental are gratis and are not part of the pension plan I have and so I choose not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hank

 

Gee I guess that detemining what is provided on the internet and in what order
,if any, we are allowed to view it. You may want to view sites through an At@t
filter,I don't.

It appears that this website has become a forum for retired employees to
complain about our treatment by SBC/ATT .Let's get real, for those of us who
retired before 1990, we are never going to get another pension increase. For
everyone who retired later, your  medical benefits and everyones prescription
drug benefits will continue to deteriorate. Hewitt will continue to be the
cheapest and the worst benefits administrator possible. In short, SBC has spun
us off and will continue to use our pension trust to provide fat retirement
packages  to their mediocre executives. So, when under the ruse of contacting
ATT retirees to promote OUR Corporate interests, THEY try to eliminate Net
Neutrality, I feel obliged to comment. I'm  sorry but I'm tired of commenting on
the unchangeable and I won't help them use and victimize us further.

----- Original Message -----

From: Terence Robertson

To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 2:21 AM

Subject: Re: [attretirees] Medical & Dental

 

Hank,

 

Yes that is true.  They can take it away, like they cheated us out of our pension money, which has brought on a class action lawsuit. Just last week, the last 3 or 4 CEOs have been ordered by the Judge to testify regarding why they arbitrarily came up with a new pension formula that took money away from the senior employees who were close to retirement.  So I would imagine, another class action would be filed against the company if they took away our health care.

 

Why class action lawsuit.  Those benefits were part of my yearly compensation, as was lectured to me every year by my immediate manager whenever I was not given a raise in salary, and that was many times I received little or no pay adjustment.  And that was the same for most of us.

 

And anyway, these low life CEO's took huge seperation payments, as much as 180 million (Whittaker), for themselves, while on the other hand reducing the retirees benefits.  That has been true ever since Bob Allen spun off Bell Labs, and gave away NCR.  And now Whittaker is taking huge sums of taxpayer money as the new CEO of General Motors.  I suppose 180 million isn't enough.  (My next car will be a Ford)

 

So whether you look the gift horse in the mouth or not, just remember that this company is not the same company we used to work for.  It is now ran by the same Wall Street thieves that have raided the US Treasury, and would think nothing of taking all of your benefits away to line their own pockets.

 

Don't mean to offend, but take off those rose colored glasses, Hank.

 

VRIP '98'

 

----- Original Message -----

From: falling2988

To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 10:49 AM

Subject: [attretirees] Medical & Dental

 

It may be that some of us have different pension plans but in every pamphlet or booklet I have received from AT&T regarding Medical or dental there has always been a reminder, and I have always known, that the company can cancel Medical and Dental with a stroke of the pen. Medical and Dental are gratis and are not part of the pension plan I have and so I choose not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hank

----- Original Message -----

From: falling2988

To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 10:49 AM

Subject: [attretirees] Medical & Dental

 

It may be that some of us have different pension plans but in every pamphlet or booklet I have received from AT&T regarding Medical or dental there has always been a reminder, and I have always known, that the company can cancel Medical and Dental with a stroke of the pen. Medical and Dental are gratis and are not part of the pension plan I have and so I choose not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Hank

Excuse me but I thought this was a site where ATT Retirees discussed issues
related to the company. I did not ask them to contact me re net neutrality.By
the way perhaps you should check the First Amendment again.Free speech will be
throttled if ATT gets its way and controls the content of the Internet, If
you're such a big First Amendment guy then net neutrality should be a no brainer

--- In attretirees@yahoogroups.com, Me <pappytinker@...> wrote:
>
> You are asking us to take a political position, a position I happen to oppose
because of First Amendment issues, and subsequent discussions may result in a
fiasco similar to the health insurance reform discussions that were recently
concluded. I would like to suggest that we limit our discussions in this venue
to items of  political neutrality and limit discussions to those topics, like
our current medical plans, that directly deal with our retirement benefits.
>
> --- On Sun, 10/18/09, jeannekane <jeannekane@...> wrote:
>
> From: jeannekane <jeannekane@...>
> Subject: [attretirees] Net Neutrality
> To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 9:30 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  
>
>
>
>
>
>                   Att has sent us a message to contact the FCC to oppose net
neutrality. As always this is a self serving message which anyone who uses the
internet  knows will eliminate fairness and promote a stranglehold by large
corporate interests. At the least do ot take the bait and promote this
disingenuous cause.
>

----- Original Message -----

From: FrankH

To: attretirees@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Friday, October 23, 2009 2:26 PM

Subject: [attretirees] Medical Plan Enrollment Part 3

 

Paula,

As promised, I called both Hewitt and UHC to find out how Medicare payments are credited to the AT&T plan 2010 $2400 deductible and $8250 maximum out of pocket payments.

First of all, don't bother calling Hewitt. Turns out that Hewitt reps only have access to the same information that we do on the Hewitt website, such as the Summary Plan Description (SPD), and none of these documents explicitely address how deductible and max OOP are arrived at by UHC for Medicare beneficiaries, nor are any examples provided like in the old days. The Hewitt rep I got stated that only my out of pocket payment, and not the Medicare portion, count towards the $2400 deductible and the $8250 max OOP. I asked him what he was referencing for this answer, or was he really guessing? He cited the on-line SPD, so I asked him which page; he then agreed with me that the SPD did not address this issue, and that he did not have access to anything that we did not. So he advised I call UHC.

I called UHC. Twice. And got the same answer. Twice. So I trust this is how it really works:

The entire Medicare allowable payment is applied to both the $2400 deductible and the $8250 max OOP, until the $2400 deductible is met; even though Medicare might be paying 80% (more on this later), and you pay only 20%.

Once the $2400 deductible is met, then only your 10% portion is applied to the remaining max OOP ($8250 - $2400 = $5850). (So this would explain the disparity between my experience with UHC this year and yours; I haven't hit the deductible yet, you probably have).

So now that I know how UHC arrives at the deductible and max OOP, here is my updated analysis of the worst case scenarios for the AT&T Standard and Option 2 offerings:

First of all, as I noted above, Medicare might pay 80% of the deductible, but maybe not; the order in which you incur services is important, as follows:

Scenario 1- you only incur non-hospital services before you reach the $2400 deductible:
You pay $135 Medicare deductible
You pay 20% of remaining $2400 - $135 --> $2265 deductible = $453
Total you pay of the $2400 deductible = $135 + $453 = $588
Medicare pays 80% of remaining $2265 deductible = $1812

Scenario 2- you incur hospital services first:
You pay $135 Medicare deductible
You pay $1100 Medicare hospital deductible
You pay 20% of remaining $2400 -$135 - $1100 --> $1165 deductible = $233
Total you pay of the $2400 deductible = $135 +$1100 + $233 = $1468
Medicare pays 80% of remaining $1165 deductible = $932

In other words, you end up paying up to $880 more if you go into the hospital before you satisfy the $2400 deductible. I will use scenario 1 in the following cases, but keep in mind your actual out of pocket could be up to $880 more. My last analysis did not include Medicare premiums, this does. Recall that the analysis is for a retiree and spouse, both on Medicare.

Case 1- AT&T Med Plan Ntwk-Standard:
Medicare annual premium: $96 * 2 * 12 = $2304
AT&T annual premium: $82 * 12 = $984
OOP before deductible met = $588
OOP, $2401 -- > $8250 max = $5850
Total max medical cost exposure = $2304 + $984 + $588 + $5860 = $9726, or $10606 if hospital comes first
Exposure ranges from paying premiums only up to worst case: $3288 up to $9726 (or $10606)

Case 2- AT&T Med Plan Ntwk-Option 2
Medicare annual premium: $96 * 2 * 12 = $2304
AT&T annual premium: $133 * 12 = $1596
OOP before deductible met = $588
OOP, $2401 -- > $4125 max = $1725
Total max medical cost exposure = $2304 + $1596 + $588 + $1725 = $6213, or $7093 if hospital comes first
Exposure ranges from paying premiums only up to worst case: $3900 up to $6213 (or $7093)

Looking at it another way, by spending an additional $612 in premiums, your maximum out of pocket exposure is reduced by $3513.
So if your are anticipating a healthy year, choose the Standard option. If you anticipate high medical expenses, select Option 2.
This is my conclusion at this time. With one week left to decide, I would be interested in other viewpoints.

Frank H

Frank,

Thank you for the analysis and providing most useful information.

Even if one family member has average health and can incurr medical expenses, it
would seem wise to take Ntwk option 2.

Thanga
--- In attretirees@yahoogroups.com, "FrankH" <fmherbert3rd@...> wrote:
>
> Paula,
>
> As promised, I called both Hewitt and UHC to find out how Medicare payments
are credited to the AT&T plan 2010 $2400 deductible and $8250 maximum out of
pocket payments.
>
> First of all, don't bother calling Hewitt.  Turns out that Hewitt reps only
have access to the same information that we do on the Hewitt website, such as
the Summary Plan Description (SPD), and none of these documents explicitely
address how deductible and max OOP are arrived at by UHC for Medicare
beneficiaries, nor are any examples provided like in the old days.  The Hewitt
rep I got stated that only my out of pocket payment, and not the Medicare
portion, count towards the $2400 deductible and the $8250 max OOP.  I asked him
what he was referencing for this answer, or was he really guessing?  He cited
the on-line SPD, so I asked him which page; he then agreed with me that the SPD
did not address this issue, and that he did not have access to anything that we
did not.  So he advised I call UHC.
>
> I called UHC.  Twice.  And got the same answer. Twice.  So I trust this is how
it really works:
>
> The entire Medicare allowable payment is applied to both the $2400 deductible
and the $8250 max OOP, until the $2400 deductible is met; even though Medicare
might be paying 80% (more on this later), and you pay only 20%.
>
> Once the $2400 deductible is met, then only your 10% portion is applied to the
remaining max OOP ($8250 - $2400 = $5850).  (So this would explain the disparity
between my experience with UHC this year and yours; I haven't hit the deductible
yet, you probably have).
>
> So now that I know how UHC arrives at the deductible and max OOP, here is my
updated analysis of the worst case scenarios for the AT&T Standard and Option 2
offerings:
>
> First of all, as I noted above, Medicare might pay 80% of the deductible, but
maybe not; the order in which you incur services is important, as follows:
>
> Scenario 1- you only incur non-hospital services before you reach the $2400
deductible:
> You pay $135 Medicare deductible
> You pay 20% of remaining $2400 - $135 --> $2265 deductible = $453
> Total you pay of the $2400 deductible = $135 + $453 = $588
> Medicare pays 80% of remaining $2265 deductible = $1812
>
> Scenario 2- you incur hospital services first:
> You pay $135 Medicare deductible
> You pay $1100 Medicare hospital deductible
> You pay 20% of remaining $2400 -$135 - $1100 --> $1165 deductible = $233
> Total you pay of the $2400 deductible = $135 +$1100 + $233 = $1468
> Medicare pays 80% of remaining $1165 deductible = $932
>
> In other words, you end up paying up to $880 more if you go into the hospital
before you satisfy the $2400 deductible.  I will use scenario 1 in the following
cases, but keep in mind your actual out of pocket could be up to $880 more.  My
last analysis did not include Medicare premiums, this does.  Recall that the
analysis is for a retiree and spouse, both on Medicare.
>
> Case 1- AT&T Med Plan Ntwk-Standard:
> Medicare annual premium: $96 * 2 * 12 = $2304
> AT&T annual premium: $82 * 12 = $984
> OOP before deductible met = $588
> OOP, $2401 -- > $8250 max = $5850
> Total max medical cost exposure = $2304 + $984 + $588 + $5860 = $9726, or
$10606 if hospital comes first
> Exposure ranges from paying premiums only up to worst case: $3288 up to $9726
(or $10606)
>
> Case 2- AT&T Med Plan Ntwk-Option 2
> Medicare annual premium: $96 * 2 * 12 = $2304
> AT&T annual premium: $133 * 12 = $1596
> OOP before deductible met = $588
> OOP, $2401 -- > $4125 max = $1725
> Total max medical cost exposure = $2304 + $1596 + $588 + $1725 = $6213, or
$7093 if hospital comes first
> Exposure ranges from paying premiums only up to worst case: $3900 up to $6213
(or $7093)
>
> Looking at it another way, by spending an additional $612 in premiums, your
maximum out of pocket exposure is reduced by $3513.
> So if your are anticipating a healthy year, choose the Standard option.  If
you anticipate high medical expenses, select Option 2.
> This is my conclusion at this time.  With one week left to decide, I would be
interested in other viewpoints.
>
> Frank H
>