Selecting Medicare Options

[MichaelB]

Hey Gypsy Ed, good to hear from ya'. Sounds like you're getting to be quite an expert on this. That's good, we can always use one more. As far as your last line goes, I can't imagine anyone wanting to laugh, especially if they've tried to read the literature like you have. Well done, señor. I'll buy the Polar, you've earned it.

One very small quibble. When you say "Medicare Part A is free from Uncle" I take it you mean "Medicare part A premium is covered with the Medicare payroll tax we already paid".

 

[braumeister]

Medicare Part B costs a little from Uncle (~$99+/mo?), deducted from her SS payments. You don't sign up; it is automatic unless you opt out.

Not quite true.
You must sign up for part B, ideally two or three months prior to your 65th birthday.
It's a very quick, simple online signup process.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

One very small quibble. When you say "Medicare Part A is free from Uncle" I take it you mean "Medicare part A premium is covered with the Medicare payroll tax we already paid".

Yeah--what you said.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Not quite true.
You must sign up for part B, ideally two or three months prior to your 65th birthday.
It's a very quick, simple online signup process.

My wife was sent a card with
"Entitled to
Hospital (Part A) and
Medical (Part B)".
She would have had to respond to decline Part B.
Neither one of us remembers her specifically signing up for Part B.
Maybe we missed something?

 

[MichaelB]

My wife was sent a card with
"Entitled to
Hospital (Part A) and
Medical (Part B)".
She would have had to respond to decline Part B.
Neither one of us remembers her specifically signing up for Part B.
Maybe we missed something?

Gypsy Ed, you're fine. Medicare B is a default automatic enrollment option, so it must be declined, just as you understood it. See here for more detail http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11219.pdf

 

[dmdunca44]

I'd like to add something. I've been on Medicare two years now and initially it did seem very daunting trying to figure out the options.

I have been really happy with Medicare. (I'm on the traditional Medicare with a supplemental plan). Their website for tracking claims is very good, they pay promptly. They have been easier to deal with than my previous primary health insurance.

Also, you can make changes each year during the enrolllment period. I don't know much about the Advantage plans, but my sister and a friend are on one and they seem pretty happy with it.

 

[braumeister]

Just another of those little misinterpretations, I guess.
I turned 65 last year, and I was required to sign up (online) for Medicare Part B. There was no automatic enrollment. I assumed it was that way for most people.

 

[Brat]

The question for many is Part D. Unless you have other health insurance where they say that it includes Part D sign up for at least the cheapest plan just to preserve that option.

 

[REWahoo]

Just another of those little misinterpretations, I guess.
I turned 65 last year, and I was required to sign up (online) for Medicare Part B. There was no automatic enrollment. I assumed it was that way for most people.

Brau, are you drawing SS? I think the enrollment process for Part B is different (not automatic) if you aren't already getting SS bennies when you turn 65.

The question for many is Part D. Unless you have other health insurance where they say that it includes Part D sign up for at least the cheapest plan just to preserve that option.

+1

I take no (prescription) drugs so I signed up for the least expensive Part D plan I could find - $15/mo - for this very reason. This gets my foot in the door and will allow me to select another plan if needed during annual open enrollment.

 

[Moemg]

So, it was simpler than we expected, but it was hard to get to the simple part. It was kind of like--you won't know the material until you have worked the examples. We know people who have retired from organizations who have a few more choices that cost them less. It must be nice.



Cheers!

When my SO was turning 65 I volunteered to help him figure it out since I worked in the medical field for forty years . It took me reading the literature three times and then having my 95 year old Mom explain part D . It is so confusing especially when you are also looking at Advantage Plans . I also think the constant literature and calls from insurance brokers add to the confusion. I did navigate the literature and now understand it until it changes again.

 

[braumeister]

Brau, are you drawing SS? I think the enrollment process for Part B is different (not automatic) if you aren't already getting SS bennies when you turn 65.

That's apparently the answer. I won't draw SS until I reach 70, but had to sign up at 65 for Medicare.

I had a fairly serious injury earlier this year, so I've been interested to see how all the claims were processed through Medicare. I have to say I'm impressed. Being retired military, what Medicare doesn't pay, Tricare For Life takes care of, so I haven't had to pay anything yet, out of about $6,000 billed by various doctors and surgery centers. What a great country!

 

[easysurfer]

Here's a blog with a grid showing a side-by-sie comparison of the various supplemental plans:

Side-by-side comparisons of Medicare supplement plans… Why? | Get Smart Get Covered - Health Insurance Blog and Information from eHealthInsurance

Plan F, I think is the most comprehensive which I think covers everything that regular Medicare does not. I remember, my friend (passed away last December) had many conditions which would may require many tests, trips to the ER by ambulance a year. For the monthly premium, the cost was well worth it as without it, she would have been talking about a lot of expenses she'd have to pay out of pocket.

Also, but switching to a Plan F from one insurance company to another (required same coverage by law) she saved close to $100 per month.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Part D was of special interest to DW as she has been taking some expensive medicines. We used the Medicare.gov comparison link to find a provider we liked that had meds at a reasonable cost (there can be a BIG difference in total annual costs between providers!).

For my part, just like REWahoo, I will take the cheapest (until my needs change).

FYI, we did all this from the comfort of our flat...in Baku, Azerbaijan.

 

[W2R]

In less than a year I will be muddling my way through this, too. I dread going through the paperwork and materials.

Being a federal retiree, as I understand it I should get parts A&B, but not D because my federal BCBS Standard covers drugs. And I guess I wouldn't need anything else, either.

Maybe I'll apply for SS at the same time. Then they can just deduct the payments for my part B.

 

[Brat]

In less than a year I will be muddling my way through this, too. I dread going through the paperwork and materials.

Being a federal retiree, as I understand it I should get parts A&B, but not D because my federal BCBS Standard covers drugs. And I guess I wouldn't need anything else, either.

Maybe I'll apply for SS at the same time. Then they can just deduct the payments for my part B.

Look at GEHA in addition to BCBS next open season.

If I had my druthers I would sign up for NW Kaiser's Medicare + but the paperwork to make sure that OPM kept me as an 'eligible' was too foggy.

 

[W2R]

Look at GEHA in addition to BCBS next open season.

If I had my druthers I would sign up for NW Kaiser's Medicare + but the paperwork to make sure that OPM kept me as an 'eligible' was too foggy.

Thanks. I'll have to check into GEHA (which I know nothing about) and other plans (about which I know almost as little). I've always had BCBS Standard. I have also heard advice to change to BCBS Basic.

I must have a mental block when it comes to these things. My knee jerk reaction is to procrastinate.

 

[Nords]

I had a fairly serious injury earlier this year, so I've been interested to see how all the claims were processed through Medicare. I have to say I'm impressed. Being retired military, what Medicare doesn't pay, Tricare For Life takes care of, so I haven't had to pay anything yet, out of about $6,000 billed by various doctors and surgery centers. What a great country!

Our neighbor was rear-ended in rush-hour traffic three weeks ago. 10 MPH lane change, lots of crumpled plastic bumpers, no long-term harm.

She was shaken up pretty good, lost track of her consciousness for a few seconds, and then went into a bit of adrenaline-induced shakiness. The ambulance crew was not happy and took her to the hospital. After X-rays and a couple hours of observation, the ER released her. She had a sore neck and a headache for a day, and since then the muscle soreness has gradually abated. She feels fine now.

She's covered by Medicare and Tricare For Life-- or so we thought.

USAA sent her a claim form and authorized physical therapy (range of motion stretching) along with chiropractic. (She's been doing that and it's going well.) When the hospital bills started rolling in, she notified everyone of her medical coverage and just filed the bills without action.

I'm getting second-hand reports, but she says that both Medicare and TFL have told her that they do not cover vehicle accidents in Hawaii. Instead she's expected to have all of these bills paid by USAA. (USAA will no doubt bill the insurer of the other driver.) The ER bill was over $3500 and X-rays were nearly $500; the usual scary dollar figures.

She has state-mandated medical payments coverage and USAA's been great. But I was surprised that Medicare & TFL stepped back so quickly.

 

[W2R]

Nords, I am shocked as well. I would have thought Medicare/TFL would pay for this in a heartbeat. Imagine the mess that could occur if she had been more seriously injured, with half a million dollars or more needed to put her back together. Something like that could devastate a retiree's nestegg, while the insurance companies wrangle about who should pay.

But then, maybe I worry too much. I suppose it is possible that in a case like that, USAA would pay in full, promptly and cheerfully.

 

[kaneohe]

Nords.......is it possible that this is not a case of them not paying but just not paying first......that is, the auto medical is primary?
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordi...dex.html?redirect=/MedicareSecondPayerandYou/

btw....I confess that I didn't understand anything in there except the first few lines.

 

[Brat]

It seems like every time I receive treatment there is a list of questions that must be answered for Medicare: related to a motor vehicle accident, covered by VA, dialysis and others. There is a hierarchy of who pays for what.

She should notify her motor vehicle insurer of the accident and bills and ask them how they intend to handle them. Those bills will get paid. Odds are the health care providers won't be required to bill at the Medicare rate either.

 

[braumeister]

she says that both Medicare and TFL have told her that they do not cover vehicle accidents in Hawaii. Instead she's expected to have all of these bills paid by USAA.

I don't know what the state has to do with it, Hawaii or any other.
I would never have even thought about those costs being covered by anything but the medical payments part of my car insurance. That's what it's for, isn't it?

 

[Nords]

Nords.......is it possible that this is not a case of them not paying but just not paying first......that is, the auto medical is primary?
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coordi...dex.html?redirect=/MedicareSecondPayerandYou/
btw....I confess that I didn't understand anything in there except the first few lines.

That could be. I think the main problem is that I'm getting the information second-hand. She has a Caribbean accent that you could cut with a chainsaw, and she doesn't enjoy speaking on the phone with customer-service people.

I suspect that the paperwork will eventually end up in front of me and I'll be able to figure out whose rules they're using.

She buys curry powder in five-pound bags and cooks the most wonderful dishes, so I'm happy to help out however I can.

 

[jclarksnakes]

Geez, life sure is complicated. Reading this thread and thinking about the subject has given me a headache. I am 59. Perhaps the BEST thing for someone to do at my tender young age is to totally ignore this subject for now and not worry about it again until close to turning 65. At that time even if the basic programs may be similar all the little details will surely be different.

 

[REWahoo]

I am 59. Perhaps the BEST thing for someone to do at my tender young age is to totally ignore this subject for now and not worry about it again until close to turning 65. At that time even if the basic programs may be similar all the little details will surely be different.

+1

That describes the approach I took. I had to learn all about Medicare in the months leading up to turning 65 but I avoided having to 'unlearn' a bunch of stuff than changed in the past few years...

 

[MichaelB]

Geez, life sure is complicated. Reading this thread and thinking about the subject has given me a headache. I am 59. Perhaps the BEST thing for someone to do at my tender young age is to totally ignore this subject for now and not worry about it again until close to turning 65. At that time even if the basic programs may be similar all the little details will surely be different.

+2

There's already enough stuff to worry about. Limit your worry time to things you can do something about.