I'm starting SS in January

[Jerry1]

Sorry to hear about your health issues. Does being approved for disability mean that you will get Medicare early?

Not because of disability, but because of the rules around ESRD. The commercial insurance has to cover you for 30 months and then you go on Medicare. That means I’ll go on Medicare about a year early. Not sure if that’s good or bad. I’m on retiree health insurance that is really good. Not sure about Medicare. I’ll probably have more out of pocket under Medicare. And my drug plan will likely be an issue. We’ll see.

 

[Dtail]

Good question. My findings from a few Google search hits is that it is the same.

Agree, as my DGF is receiving SSDI and the taxable amounts work exactly the same.

 

[swakyaby]

Sometimes retiree health insurance becomes a secondary insurance once you go on Medicare.

 

[skyking1]

That is how ours works. it becomes the part D for me and is still the primary for my younger wife.

 

[Jerry1]

Sometimes retiree health insurance becomes a secondary insurance once you go on Medicare.

Mine gives me a lump sum to buy it. It covers the cost but I worry about the company making changes in the future.

 

[Koolau]

Mine gives me a lump sum to buy it. It covers the cost but I worry about the company making changes in the future.

My megacorp switched from providing the secondary insurance to a lump sum (and access to a broker) to buy secondary insurance. So far, this has saved us some money over megacorp-supplied secondary.

At the switch-over, I was concerned that megacorp would eventually just make us pay for our own secondary. That hasn't happened BUT I've learned from doing the shopping for coverage through the broker that secondary insurance is relatively less expensive than I had thought. It's not cheap, but it's affordable for most people. I would survive if megacorp stopped subsidizing secondary insurance. YMMV

 

[pacergal]

Jerry1--so sorry to hear of your health issues.
Working as an RN for so many years, I saw an amazing number of folks surviving and thriving longer than their "diagnosis" said they would, primarily due to a positive attitude.

You seem to have much the same positivity. Best wishes to you as you move forward in life.

 

[mystang52]

Best wishes, Jerry, for continued "easy" time with the dialysis. As you wrote in the OP, at least financial income is not a worry.

 

[imnontrad]

DO NOT file for SS at age 62.

File for SS Disability instead (SSDI).

This amount will be paid at your FRA rate - a LOT higher than if you file for regular SS at 62. Not only that, but this also preserves the "Surviving spouse" benefit at that higher amount. This could mean literally tens of thousands of additional income.
Talk to your doctor about getting together the paperwork for SSDI.
if you have any children under 18, they will get a benefit too and if you have any under 16, your spouse can also get a benefit as their caregiver (although there is a family cap)

 

[Rianne]

Jerry1, I've researched kidney disease as I have Polycystic Kidney Disease, and low GFR, and keep wondering when my kidneys will decide to quit. The CDC says there are 9/10 adults with kidney disease who do not know it. There are no real symptoms until it's too late. My DB has a rare vasculitis disease but is healthy and lives a normal life, has had the chemo, and is on the meds Mayo Clinic recommended. His kidneys are hanging in there.

I have not made the decision about what I'll do when that day comes. I am interested in your experience with dialysis if you choose to share it. I'm on the fence. Just let my body do what it does naturally or intervene with medical care.

Edit: I started Medicare Sept. 1. I don't know if there's a separate category of HI after medicare starts for ESKD. I wish you the best and hope for a medical miracle for kidney disease.