My mental health was fine until I called eHealth

November 29, 2024 24 Comments

If you watch TV, this time of year you are bombarded with commercials asking you (if you are eligible) to change your supplemental Medicare insurance.

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I am satisfied with what I have for supplemental and drug coverage, but because I liked the commercials aired by eHealth, I decided to give them a try. 

Mostly I liked their narrator, a very attractive woman with a pleasant voice. I also liked the “testimonials” from “customers” who said they saved hundreds of dollars, mostly on their supplemental coverage.

Naturally, I took these claims with a grain of salt, but as a former editor of mine was fond of saying, “Check it out.” 

I did at the phone number given on the endless commercials — 800-964-5568.

I mean, if they can afford the endless commercials, they must be legit.

No, they are not, in my experience, despite good reviews on TrustPilot, which is generally reliable.

Like the others, eHealth is a health insurance advisor, which is paid a commission by whatever insurance company you sign with.

After a screener took my basic information, I was switched over to a “licensed sales agent” named Shaun, who took a few added details, and asked me if I wanted added hospital coverage. No, I said. “I have had a few surgeries and Medicare paid all the bills.” I just wanted the supplemental.

Sean hung up on me.

WTF? Sean had my phone number, but he did not call back. It was no accident.

I called the 800 number and asked to speak to a supervisor. The screener asked why — I did not hear her name — and explained Sean had cut me off and I wanted to report him.

Then she cut me off.

Service with a 😊

At this point, I wanted to withdraw the authorization I had given them on a recorded line allowing them to check my records with CVS. I called a different number.

There I got Justin, who said he was in sales, but would try to get me the correct number to cancel. After five minutes, he said he could not get that from “leadership,” but did turn me over to Andrew, a “member advocate.”

Andrew said he’d see what he could do, put me on hold for five minutes until the line went dead. So did my patience.

My prescription? Avoid eHealth. It eSucks.

24 thoughts on “My mental health was fine until I called eHealth”

  1. Sean, Justin and Andrew (and the woman) are probably all the same person operating out of a basement in Wichita. He also has a great deal on waterfront property for you!

  2. Stu, surprised you didn’t know that E health is short for Erratic Health, of course you know that now, don’t you!

  3. Those TV commercials are the equivalent of Tom Selleck Mortgage and Insurance Adjusters, in my opinion. I suspect they are merely trying to hone in on a piece of something you have, and they don’t. (aka-scam on the elderly/confused)

  4. Medicare, the government, not private guys, sends out a booklet that compares all of the supplemental and MA plans. I just browse through that.

    1. That Medicare booklet doesn’t give you all the details of plans.
      I went the eHealth website to compare Medicare Advantage plans. They listed the plans available in my zip code with all the benefits & copays and what’s covered/not covered. I did not call them at all. The website was easy to use and compare plans.
      Then, I called Aetna, and was transferred to an agent. I told them the plan I wanted; the agent went through the plan I chose with me and answered all my questions. Then, I signed up with Aetna.
      I’m sorry you had a bad experience; I never called eHealth. But, their website is easy to use.

  5. For almost a year before I applied for Social Security and Medicare I researched, in depth, the plans that were out there that replace original Medicare. I spoke with quite a few people and came to the conclusion the Medicare was the safest way to go. There were too many things that could go wrong with the 3rd party plans. The only other things I did were to use a 3rd party for prescriptions and get a Medicare Plan F supplement which covers all my Medicare deductibles plus copays and coinsurance.

      1. The Plan F supplement is around $250.00 each month, paid quarterly. I got Humana for the prescriptions. While I have not compared current prices for drug plans Humana has generally been the cheapest or close to it.

  6. I used to eat in restaurants 5 days a week. I’d spend a bundle in bars, after hours leave $20 tips at P&P then go to Little Pete’s. Now I’m a retired senior. My life is pure frugality. I almost never eat in restaurants, no fast food, no take out or Door Dash. I cancelled cable. I watch antenna TV, Pluto and Amazon Prime. I switched to slowest cheap Internet. I have a cheap Android, I pay $25/mo for Boost Mobile. I leave my heat on 60° and wear sweat pants and a hoodie around the house.

    I do pay for Medigap. $196/mo for supplemental. $30 for Part D prescriptions, plus $174.70 for Part B. That’s $226/mo more that Medicare Advantage for average person. After I paid my $240 Part B deductible, I pay for nothing. No networks or tiers. No referrals needed. If I want to go to Johns Hopkins and see a specialist who takes Medicare? I can. My isurance company must cover any Medicare approved procedures or tests a doctor orders. My one luxury in life? Traditional Medicare.

    Medigap is a one-time open enrollment deal when a person turns 65. Once you signed for Medicare Advantage, if you want to switch to Medigap or even switch Medigap providers, you’re subject to medical underwriting. Very few seniors have zero pre-existing conditions so it’s a no go. No open enrollment for me, except for Part D which I can change annually. So if Shaun, Justin, Aditya, Deepak, Akbar or Habib call me about Medicare Advantage plans? I just immediately hang up on them and block the number.

    2. “𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙤𝙣𝙚-𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙨 65. 𝙊𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙥 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙥 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙧𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙚𝙬 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙤 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙣𝙤 𝙜𝙤. 𝙉𝙤 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝘿 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙄 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮.”

      Joseph that is exactly what I found out when I did my research. That is why I went with Original Medicare.

      1. I read your post above. Medigap Plan F was only available to those who qualified by 2020. I turned 65 in 2022, so I had to go for Plan G. It is identical to Plan F except you’re required to pay Part B deductible. The premium tends to be $20 cheaper so, it’s a wash. You made the right decision. Everyone else I know, I mean all my friends have MA. They seem happy with it and they save almost $3K year in premiums. If it becomes too expensive, I can always switch to Medicare Advantage plan. There’s no going back after that though.

        1. It is unfortunate but most of us when we retire have to rein in our spending. Because of that many do not bother to compare, in depth, the pitfalls of Medicare Advantage plans as opposed to Original Medicare. They only go by the fact that it is appears to be less expensive so they go for it.

  10. “Trust — but verify.” — Ronald Reagan. Glad you took his advice, Stu. I’ve had Humana for about six years and am 100% satisfied. Just sayin’.

      1. And what is really great is I pay ZERO monthly premiums AND have a debit card for OTC items. And their network is huge.

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