Medicare tutorials?

[albireo13]

Hi,
I am retiring soon and turning 65 next January.
So far, I don't know much about Medicare and I need to get going on it. I have been inundated with mailings on symposiums and presentations on Medicare. Most are hooks to get you into some financial service agreement.

Anyway, are there any good Medicare overviews/presentations available? Recommendations on sources?

I have using Google and options are limitless. Thx.

 

[REWahoo]

Check out https://boomerbenefits.com/

Sign up for their "Medicare mini-course".

Do a search on the forum for Boomer Benefits and you'll see numerous posts recommending their services.

 

[MichaelB]

Thread moved to the health care forum

 

[kaneohe]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=medicare...&sprefix=medicare+,aps,208&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9

Medicare For Dummies.........you may be able to find it in local library.

Seems there are others but I'm not familiar w/ them.

 

[aja8888]

Hi,
I am retiring soon and turning 65 next January.
So far, I don't know much about Medicare and I need to getting on it. I have been inundated with mailings on symposiums and presentations on Medicare. Most are hooks to get you into some financial service agreement.

Anyway, are there any good Medicare overviews/presentations available? Recommendations on sources?

I have using Google and options are limitless. Thx.

I'll bet many of those mailings are ads to get you to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans, which are much different than traditional Medicare and a supplemental plan. Please learn the difference and be careful.

 

[albireo13]

I'll bet many of those mailings are ads to get you to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans, which are much different than traditional Medicare and a supplemental plan. Please learn the difference and be careful.

Yes, the mailings all seem to have their own agenda. I want to stay away from them until I really understand Medicare better. Thanks all for your advice.

 

[albireo13]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=medicare...&sprefix=medicare+,aps,208&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_9

Medicare For Dummies.........you may be able to find it in local library.

Seems there are others but I'm not familiar w/ them.

Thanks. That seems good to have on hand. I just ordered it.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I also echo using Boomer Benefits resources, they have a lot of great videos available and you can call them for information.

 

[Clone]

We have started looking at plans as well. Here is a website put out by the State of Iowa that discusses what all is involved. It has a lot of good information, and is not a sales pitch for any specific entity. So I thought, how about just doing a google on 'SHIIP Arizona'. And here comes a number of SHIIP sites, one of which includes a directory to SHIIP sites for each state. Unfortunately, it does not link back to the State of Iowa SHIIP site, it goes to another .org site. I would guess there is probably a profit motive and perhaps a slant to their information.

So- use the State of Iowa .gov site as a source of information, recognizing that the plans will be slightly different for your state. Try to find a SHIIP site for your state that is .gov rather than a commercial entity.

New plan- ditch google. Go to this website that is part of Medicare.gov. Put in your state and check the box for help with Medicare options & issues. See what comes up. Try to find one that refers to State Health Insurance Information Program, or some similar verbiage. Work through those pages.

 

[Clone]

Megacorp has always had a relationship with AON for medicare recommendations. I suspect they are like any of the other medicare counselor companies where they get some type of commission for signing folks up with a specific company. But the retiree group from megacorp seems to be enamored with the results of working with AON.

Here is a general public website that has info and can get you connected with AON. There is a lot of information here also. Of course- there is a profit motive with all these places.

Through My Medicare Matters, NCOA Services educates people with Medicare about their options and helps them understand what decisions they need to make and when. NCOA Services lets them know about the assistance they can get from Medicare.gov and State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs). NCOA Services also lets them know about the insurance plans that our partners, Aon Retiree Health Exchange™ and Via Benefits™ do and do not represent.

NCOA Services is reimbursed by our partners for the costs of providing educational and decision-support services through the My Medicare Matters website and also receive fees, including annual sponsorship fees. Importantly, these fees are not based upon the number of people who choose to use our partners’ complementary advisory services or who enroll in plans. Most of the proceeds received will be used to support NCOA’s charitable mission and programs and to help NCOA achieve its goal of improving the health, independence and economic security of 40 million older adults by 2030.

 

[Gotadimple]

AARP also has a lot of info.

 

[harllee]

Hi,
I am retiring soon and turning 65 next January.
So far, I don't know much about Medicare and I need to get going on it. I have been inundated with mailings on symposiums and presentations on Medicare. Most are hooks to get you into some financial service agreement.

Anyway, are there any good Medicare overviews/presentations available? Recommendations on sources?

I have using Google and options are limitless. Thx.

Medicare supplements, Part D, Advantage Plans, etc differ from state to state. If you tell us what state you are in maybe we can give you more specific guidance.

 

[msieweke]

Dr. David Belk has a series of videos about the advantages of original Medicare, starting about 3 weeks ago. It's not a full tutorial, but very interesting:

David Belk, MD - YouTube

 

[Calico]

You might try the link at the bottom of this post to find your state's SHIIP program. They provide free assistance, answers to questions, and help navigating the various pieces of Medicare. Good luck!

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f47/useful-medicare-information-100246.html

 

[albireo13]

Thanks. Back after a lot of family drama.

I am in New Hampshire and retired Aug 31. I turn 65 on Jan 1, 2021 so I have a few months to figure things out.

I have been researching and the Medicare maze is huger than I had thought!!

I have contacts of a few local independent insurance agents who specialize in Medicare issues. Should I consider one? ... or is that risky?

 

[foxfirev5]

Not sure if this applies to anybody else. I'll be switching to Medicare in April. I just found out today that my retiree medical plan will cover DW only if I use the VIA Benefits plan with the Medigap offerings presented. The alternative is to place her on an ACA plan. Trapped.

 

[Sarah S]

If your birthday is January 1 your medicareeligibility starts December 1 Not sure if you know that

 

[fh2000]

Number one task is get online to Social Security site to sign up for Part A and Part B.

I just got my number and not received my card yet. Took them 28 days to give me the number. Local SS agent assigned to my case said since their office is closed, there is a large backlog and speed is very slow.

So apply early.

 

[Calico]

Try contacting your local SHIP (State Health Insurance Program) office.

Link to NH site: https://www.servicelink.nh.gov/medicare/index.htm

 

[MBSC]

I turn 65 on Jan 1, 2021 so I have a few months to figure things out.

If your birthday is January 1 your medicare eligibility starts December 1 Not sure if you know that

^^^This.

Medigap plans and rates from the NH DOI website: https://www.nh.gov/insurance/consumers/documents/2020-medicare-supplement-rates.pdf

 

[albireo13]

In my case, we will be usig my wife's health insurance (which is quite good) while she works. Therefore, I don't plan on using Medicare benefits for several years.
Still, I want to make sure I enroll properly and don't miss anything.

 

[REWahoo]

In my case, we will be usig my wife's health insurance (which is quite good) while she works. Therefore, I don't plan on using Medicare benefits for several years.
Still, I want to make sure I enroll properly and don't miss anything.

If you haven't already done so, you should confirm the employer insurance will continue to be primary for you once you turn 65. It is often the case that once you are eligible for Medicare it becomes primary and the employer insurance becomes secondary, and functions as a Medigap (suppliment) policy.

 

[Cricket69]

Via Benefits

Not sure if this applies to anybody else. I'll be switching to Medicare in April. I just found out today that my retiree medical plan will cover DW only if I use the VIA Benefits plan with the Medigap offerings presented. The alternative is to place her on an ACA plan. Trapped.

FF5, I am single but also have to utilize Via if I want the annual reimbursement offered by MegaCorp. Many of my co-workers have spouses that continue to be covered by retiree medical since they are not yet 65 and they seem to have few problems/concerns. I am assuming your company is offering an HRA for utilizing Via so you will need to determine for your situation if this is beneficial. I comparison shop for the heck of it every year and I have found the offerings through Via(for myself) to be very competitive with the market. If you find something less expensive for your spouse than what you can get through retiree medical bring it to the attention of Via. Good luck.

 

[albireo13]

Medicare

If you haven't already done so, you should confirm the employer insurance will continue to be primary for you once you turn 65. It is often the case that once you are eligible for Medicare it becomes primary and the employer insurance becomes secondary, and functions as a Medigap (suppliment) policy.

Thanks. Wasn't aware of that. Do I do that through the employer or
through Medicare/SS?

 

[REWahoo]

I'd contact your wife's insurer.