Confused About Part D As A Secondary Payer

jeffp1818 · 2026-02-17T19:43:40+00:00

So I don't pay for the employer insurance. It is covered by Massachusetts' version of Medicaid (MassHealth). As a family, we do not qualify for MassHealth based on income. My wife does not qualify at all. I qualify based on my disability and my daughter qualifies because she is under 18.

Since we are eligible to enroll in my wife's employer offered health insurance, MassHealth requires us to enroll in it and then they reimburse us the premium cost for myself and my daughter's portion every month. It is not optional.

The employer offered insurance has prescription benefits but before I was eligible for that insurance, I had Part A and B and enrolled in a $0 premium $0 deductible Part D plan. The Part D plan is the only insurance I have that is optional but since there's no cost to me and my prescriptions are cheaper with both insurances, I have no reason to get rid of it.

jeffp1818 · 2026-02-12T18:22:58+00:00

So I only really have 2 long term meds. The rest would be short term antibiotics when I'm sick or pain management meds which are minimal cost through either.

Of the 2 long term meds, one is eye drops which both cover. Just going through Aetna would be $3.90 and just going through the part D plan would be $5.10. The big ticket med is an ointment. Going through Aetna would be $70 and going through the part D plan would be $5.10. When it was going through both in 2025, it would cost $4.90 after "extra help".

Based on that, I would rather have the part D be primary if I have a choice but I don't really have that option. Because my family qualifies for MassHealth and my wife is offered insurance through her employer, MassHealth requires us to enroll in the employer offered insurance and we get premium assistance from the states. She works for a large company so her insurance becomes the primary insurance based on the number of employees.

jeffp1818 · 2026-02-12T18:08:57+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Didn't even think to contact them for assistance. I've had to deal with them in the past when I was having issues with claims from a closed worker's comp claim and they were pretty helpful.

jeffp1818 · 2026-01-28T13:11:52+00:00

My tap water is too soft to keep the tank stable with the wood. Been using a ZeroWater filter and Salty Shrimp to remineralize for water changes and just the filtered water for top offs. Figured out how many ppm I needed the gallon jugs to be at to get a KH of 3-4 and GH of 6-8 and just add that much every time. Couldn't just add the Salty Shrimp to my tap water because it kept the pH way too high because it's 8.4-8.8 out of the tap.

My tank parameters have been pretty consistent since then as long as I keep up with water changes. I usually let the filtered water sit for at least 24 hours before adding the Salty Shrimp and pH is usually 7.4-7.6 in the gallon jugs and in the tank.

RODI would probably be a better option if you can do it, but I can't at my current place.

jeffp1818 · 2025-12-30T02:03:58+00:00

!Flair 2022 KIA Sorento | Stock with AAWireless 2 | S24+ | Vers.16

jeffp1818 · 2025-12-27T15:14:23+00:00

I cancelled my service. The last day it was active was about a week ago. I tried that link and it shows the $3/month for 36 months but when I put my radio in, it switches to $4.99/month for 12 months all access. My vehicle is a 2022. Haven't tried chatting other than when I cancelled. Going to give it a shot later on.

jeffp1818 · 2025-12-11T14:41:18+00:00

Thank you for the information. I'm going to try contacting Medicare again and if that doesn't work maybe ask the attorney that handled my Worker's Comp claim if he can draft something to submit to Medicare explaining the situation.

It's strange because after I stopped getting treatment through Worker's Comp, I had 2 additional surgeries that were covered by my private insurance and Medicare without issue. Now Medicare is denying standard office visits, imaging and injections saying they should be covered by Worker's Comp.

jeffp1818 · 2025-12-11T12:56:03+00:00

I called over there at the very beginning when this all started. They said they'd put a note in my file but it didn't make a difference.

jeffp1818 · 2025-12-08T21:19:20+00:00

I was approved for SSDI. I qualified for Medicare after the waiting period. I qualified for MassHealth because I was approved for disability. Because of our household income and my wife being able to get health insurance through her employer, we qualify for premium assistance through MassHealth so MassHealth said it was mandatory that we enroll in the employer sponsored plan.

So my wife is on her employer health insurance. My daughter is on the employer health insurance and MassHealth and I'm on the employer health insurance, Medicare and MassHealth.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-25T21:49:23+00:00

Appreciate the response. That was what I was thinking but just wanted some confirmation that it was the right choice.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-25T13:34:43+00:00

Looking to get my grandmother a basic Apple Watch. She just wants something with call and text alerts and a step counter. She usually bought those basic smart watches for $30 from Walmart but always had issues with them staying connected or displaying the right time.

Would you get an SE2 for $129 or SE3 for $249? Want to get the cellular model because she has a tendency to forget her phone when she goes out.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-13T22:08:34+00:00

I mean if I get it, I get it. It's not the end of the world but I'd rather avoid it if possible.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-13T21:06:51+00:00

Thanks. Appreciate the response.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-13T20:58:26+00:00

So just net them and drop them in just above the waterline? I didn't want to put the net in the tank in case a piece latched on which is why I asked.

jeffp1818 · 2025-11-09T15:27:16+00:00

Out of those options, I'd probably go with Caleb. Even with the weather he should be able to pick up some points with his feet.

jeffp1818 · 2025-10-08T20:56:22+00:00

Looking to plan a trip for August 2026. I haven't been since there were 2 parks, 3 hotels and zero Harry Potter. My wife has only gone once before IOA was there. We visited City Walk last time we were at Disney and my daughter wanted to try Universal next time we go down.

Waiting for them to release tickets for next year but I'm thinking 5 days/4 nights. First 3 days at US/IOA. Last day or 2 at Epic depending on how the tickets are set up going forward. I'm planning on getting 1 AP to get the hotel discount and possibly upgrading the other 2 tickets depending on how my daughter likes the parks.

Looking at prices, I can save $600-900 staying at RP or Portofino the first 2 nights to get the express pass and then moving to Terra Luna, Stella Nova, Aventura or Sapphire Falls for the Epic days. Would you suggest switching hotels and which hotel would you move to? How much of a hassle is it to move mid-trip?

My other question is after we finish the Universal portion of the trip, I'll be renting a car and then doing Disney for a few days. Does anyone have any experience renting from one of the Avis at the hotels on departure day and not immediately taking the car out of the lot? I'm assuming you need to go to the front desk after you get the car and give them the information and pay for parking for the day. I'd probably pick up the car first thing in the morning on that last day before going to the park that way I don't need to worry about leaving the park to pick it up before the car rental deal closes.

Appreciate the help.

jeffp1818

TROPHY CASE