Medicare

[marks]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

I'm comparing Medicare Parts A&B to Medicare Advantage, does anyone here have experience with this? Which is better? What do I need to know? Where are the pit falls?

Appreciate any help!

Much love!

 

[Debp]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

I'm comparing Medicare Parts A&B to Medicare Advantage, does anyone here have experience with this? Which is better? What do I need to know? Where are the pit falls?

Appreciate any help!

Much love!

I have Original Medicare. I pay 20% after I pay the yearly deductible. There is also a separate deductible if one needs to go into the hospital. And same 20% applies for the other things.

Medicare usually chops off some of what doctors or hospitals try to charge you.

 

[Nancy]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

I'm comparing Medicare Parts A&B to Medicare Advantage, does anyone here have experience with this? Which is better? What do I need to know? Where are the pit falls?

Appreciate any help!

Much love!

Hi Marks,
I worked in a hospital registering all insurances including medicare. Be sure to have both A and B, it is important. If you do not have both then, you cannot get a Medicare Advantage program, I have both. You will be penalized big time (monetarily) if you do not choose both A and B when the time comes for it.
@amadeus worked for SSecurity and would know ( I worry for him as I have not seen him for some time)
JM2C

 

[GTW27]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

I'm comparing Medicare Parts A&B to Medicare Advantage, does anyone here have experience with this? Which is better? What do I need to know? Where are the pit falls?

Appreciate any help!

Much love!

Blessings in Christ Jesus marks. What hides behind all the commercials for an advantage plan with all the freebees is 20 percent for you to pay. 20 Percent of outrageous is outrageous. Check also into a supplement plan instead of an advantage. I pay 155 a month which may seem a lot but after 240$ they pay the other 20 percent. The supplement plans are only available the first year. so here are the options:

1. Just plain medicare. you are responsible for 20 percent plus deductibles.
2. An advantage plan Same as medicare plus extras like a grocery card but you still pay the deductibles plus 20 percent. they usually have a free to low cost prescriptions plan that pays for some of your prescriptions.
3. Plain medicare with a supplement plan. This cost a bit but does not compare to outrageous cost.
Also if your income is low like mine the state can help pay the plan b premium.
Also if your income is low the federal government has a plan called "extra help" to pay for the outrageous prescription drug cost.
example: Cancer drug for a month 15.000. My cost 12.15$
another example of a cancer drug injection once ever 6 months. This is not covered under the prescription plan as it is done in doctors office. It fall under plan B. With an advantage plan I would pay 20 percent and with a supplement plan I pay 0. Drug cost for injection 26,000$ Same for all the x rays mri's pet scans, radiation treatments.
A supplement plan is also called a medigap plan.
The whole design for the elderly and medicare is to put people in debt. A lot of debt.
Speak to a knowledgable insurance agent about these things before making your choice.
Hope this helps you or any one reading this. I was in the hospital 3 times last year and I am still waiting for my part to pay.LOL.

 

[Bob]

Thanks for your question.

The purpose of the programs you pay extra for is to insure you against greater expensive if you have a serious injury or illness. if you can afford the payments, it is worth it in the long run.

Peace.

 

[Debp]

I was in the hospital 3 times last year and I am still waiting for my part to pay.LOL.

I understand some or maybe all hospitals have a charity plan. That's for people on lower income. It would be a foundation connected to your hospital. You need to ask your hospital.

I never knew about the above but a nurse told me about it when my elderly mom was in the hospital.

 

[Debp]

Just plain medicare. you are responsible for 20 percent plus deductibles.

@marks With Original Medicare one needs to get a Prescription D plan.

The premium costs vary widely.

My premium is currently $17 a month with Wellcare. Last year my premium was only 40 cents a month with Wellcare!!! I look for the lower premiums as I don't take much medication.

My Glaucoma eye drops and thyroid medication both cost zero dollars.

Each year I always check for a low cost Prescription D plan and find out if they use my pharmacy as a preferred pharmacy. Preferred pharmacies give you much lower costs.

 

[JohnDB]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

I'm comparing Medicare Parts A&B to Medicare Advantage, does anyone here have experience with this? Which is better? What do I need to know? Where are the pit falls?

Appreciate any help!

Much love!

Uggghhhhh

I got forced into retirement with the quarantines.

As a construction worker I was always nursing some sort of muscle ache or injury. Starting off your day with painkillers and vitamins is just SOP.

So after sitting around for three weeks my knee was not improving and still hurting.

My wife forced me to go get it looked at. The doc wanted to look at my ankle on the other leg too. Then an MRI.

He told me that I was retiring. I could get a new knee anytime I wanted. But the ankle was also toast. If I wanted to argue about it he said I didn't have a leg to stand on.

So....yeah.
Not fun. Not my idea of a good time.
I created a coffee shop/bakery about 2 years later. I was on my feet 10-12 hours a day....
That lasted about two months.
Had to walk away....the pain was excruciating. But the reviews over the food was over the top. I was the best baker in the area.

But that was the end....I was truly done. No going back.

So at my age....no need for another career. I've been working, paying SS since 14. (Work permits required before 16 even then....minimum wage was $2.35/hr)
I filed and got SSDI or one of them SS incomes before age 72.
I also get Medicare....but I'm also on my wife's medical insurance plan through her job. No real change there as most contractor's medical insurance plans usually suck. I worked as a temp through an agency and they had one too that wasn't any better than most contractor's....kinda....theirs had a drug/alcohol rehab program. LoL. (I didn't need it but many others did) Wife's is better.

So....before I really fully retire at 72 (as far as SS cares) I'm on disability. (They said something about rehab and training for a new career....as if) But my wife's insurance is my primary and Medicare is supplimental. Still Nedicare costs a fortune though. But co-pays and deductibles are gone now.

My dad is just the opposite. He has a supplemental policy as part of his retirement package from a DOW Jones industrial corporation. So he pays a limited amount for drugs....that's it. He has cataract surgery coming up. Maybe (big maybe) he will be out $200 per eye. But I doubt it.

I really don't want to be retired. I am doing the plan for retirement I had before I retired. Not really sure I made a good one but oh well. I'm not very good at farming on this fruit and nut farm. Not really good at gardening either.
But I make some great bread and cakes....and special dinners. And occasionally a little bit of electric work volunteer style.

Meh....
I liked working better.

 

[Lambano]

He told me that I was retiring. I could get a new knee anytime I wanted. But the ankle was also toast. If I wanted to argue about it he said I didn't have a leg to stand on.

 

[Lambano]

It's getting to be that time of life . . .

Same for me. I appreciate the input.

 

[JohnDB]

For us MEN.....
Here's the rub.
You MUST have a plan for keeping active. Something to do. That can be anything. A small business, a worthless part time job you have always wanted to do that pays nothing....something. Training dogs, to waiting tables, craft hobbies for retail, teaching homeschooling, baking or anything really you have always idolized and wanted to do.

A reason to get up every day and get to it. Because otherwise putting on pants for no particular reason becomes the hardest part of your day. (Not good)
If day trading your retirement portfolio sounds like a good idea....don't. You will then fully understand the "dog days of retirement " because soon you will only be able to afford alpo for dinner.

So....the REASON is that retirement otherwise sucks. Most men who don't have a plan for keeping active during retirement will die or have major medical.problems within 2 years from retiring.
Sitting on the couch/easy chair surfing the internet or watching television is a sure fire way to get that to happen to you. Chemotherapy sucks....so does a zipper chest from heart surgery....or any one of the other things that happens to us men.

So....figure out a plan. You can only play so much golf or go fishing so many times before it isn't fun anymore. And as Christian men we aren't that self serving. A life of self pleasure? Not in the cards. So don't try. You won't like it.
Travel is a nice distraction. But limit it....it gets old too. (And I'm itinerant by nature)
Boats are a hole in the water you pour money into....be SURE you can have a long list of other people you trust to take out on the water with you.

Same thing for RVs. (Campers, Busses, 5th wheel, tug alongside, airstreams) expensive toys....lots of them for sale used that sit around too much and always have. Land yachts are a lot like boats. (Camping in walmart parking lots ain't that fun) watch some youtube videos about maintenance on those things.
Time shares? Uggghhhh....a virtual boat you really only use a few times. Very expensive for what it is.

Just saying....having a lack of inspiration for something to do is very expensive.

 

[Lambano]

So....the REASON is that retirement otherwise sucks. Most men who don't have a plan for keeping active during retirement will die or have major medical problems within 2 years from retiring.

Yeah.

Our older son had a summer job working in a library down in SoFla. Florida is a haven for retirees, and libraries are one of the places where retirees spend their days. Hey, they're free, right? Pretty eccentric lot, though.

My dad worked back in the day when companies actually gave their retired employees monthly pensions, and he saw the results of a company-sponsored study that showed that the average retiree only lived long enough to pick up eighteen paychecks. So, dad had a few hobbies, he took a few part-time jobs (which also brought in a bit of extra spending money to support those hobbies), he and mom took regular trips with other people who shared the same interests, he took on a couple of church missions, he made sure to have daily exercise (dog-walking, bike riding, Colorado weather permitting) to remain physically active, and the internet was new back then with all the world's knowledge at his fingertips. Also, after mom rather pointedly mentioned that SHE wasn't retired with a lot of time to spend on hobbies, they negotiated a sharing of the household chores that back then were traditionally part of the woman's role, like laundry, cooking, cleaning.

So, Dad did manage to beat the actuarial tables for another fifteen years. The actuarial tables always win in the end, though.

I'm glad you brought that up. Because right now, I don't have a plan. I can't see beyond getting out from under the stress of deadlines and customer issues and evening conference calls with China and Japan.

 

[marks]

I really appreciate all of your input!

So far it's sounding like Parts A, B, and D, plus a medigap plan is the way to go, but I know I have a lot to learn before signing anything!

Much love!

 

[marks]

On my way to work this morning I was next to a bus with an ad on the side for:

Medicare Counseling (HICAP) - Consumer | California Department of Aging - State of California

www.aging.ca.gov

"Turning 65? Questions about Medicare?"

Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Much love!

 

[JohnDB]

Yeah.

Our older son had a summer job working in a library down in SoFla. Florida is a haven for retirees, and libraries are one of the places where retirees spend their days. Hey, they're free, right? Pretty eccentric lot, though.

My dad worked back in the day when companies actually gave their retired employees monthly pensions, and he saw the results of a company-sponsored study that showed that the average retiree only lived long enough to pick up eighteen paychecks. So, dad had a few hobbies, he took a few part-time jobs (which also brought in a bit of extra spending money to support those hobbies), he and mom took regular trips with other people who shared the same interests, he took on a couple of church missions, he made sure to have daily exercise (dog-walking, bike riding, Colorado weather permitting) to remain physically active, and the internet was new back then with all the world's knowledge at his fingertips. Also, after mom rather pointedly mentioned that SHE wasn't retired with a lot of time to spend on hobbies, they negotiated a sharing of the household chores that back then were traditionally part of the woman's role, like laundry, cooking, cleaning.

So, Dad did manage to beat the actuarial tables for another fifteen years. The actuarial tables always win in the end, though.

I'm glad you brought that up. Because right now, I don't have a plan. I can't see beyond getting out from under the stress of deadlines and customer issues and evening conference calls with China and Japan.

Just remember, you are not your dad. You may be his son....which will color and flavor your preferences but you are still not him.

Do your own thing....whatever that may be. And start immediately working towards those things. (We are older and slower but more decisive and thoughtful...when we wish to be) Leatherwork, mission trips, carpentry and etc.

Me, as a construction worker and chef....
Yesterday I was running static lines on my roof (for safety harnesses) and put up some replacement cap shingles. But I about cooked myself and today I got all the signs that I heat stressed myself yesterday. Not heat stroke where you don't know which end to stick in the tub vx toilet....but just stressed.

So today I have to make a German chocolate cake and some white bread for general purpose. Also some sourdough English muffins for breakfasts.
And whatever I'm going to make for dinner today that will last us for a couple of days.
(It will be some sort of complicated affair....dunno until inspiration strikes)

But staying inside with the AC is going to be a must. Plus my knee is telling me I did wrong and violated it's demands yesterday. And if I go further today it really is going to complain until I look long and hard at the walking canes they have at the drug store. I only went up and down to the roof 6 times....plus the 12 foot ladder a few times....and the extension ladder a few times before I went up the scaffolding.

Ok....so maybe I did overdo it a bit. *Grumble grumble*

But I got the turret roof over the spare bedroom fixed completely. Also got my Dad's lawn mowed. There's plenty roof left to fix though.

 

[SavedInHim]

Medicare is entirely a matter of what works best you; you just have to educate yourself then decide (I know it's a pain, especially when you don't know anything about it). Just remember, they will try to get you to sign up for as much as they can; they want your money if they can get it.

 

[Debp]

So today I have to make a German chocolate cake and some white bread for general purpose. Also some sourdough English muffins for breakfasts.
And whatever I'm going to make for dinner today that will last us for a couple of days.
(It will be some sort of complicated affair....dunno until inspiration strikes)

Wow, is your wife lucky! lol

 

[Bob]

Regarding plain Medicare, the health insurance paid for by taxes on working people.

It was sold by politicians with the following siren song: “Children, you will never need to pay for your parents’ healthcare—the government will do it.”

But of course children are paying for their parents’ healthcare, Medicare, and naturally it does not cover a number of health issues.

In any event, Jesus told us we should be personally responsible for taking care of those that have difficulty caring for themselves. (He never said to petition a Roman Senator about universal healthcare.)

So if you could vote for a government that cancelled Medicare (and Medicaid), would you do so?

Blessings

 

[JohnDB]

Wow, is your wife lucky! lol

I'm a chef and an electrician.
Lucky wife?
She says she prioritizes the correct things and she makes better choices than others. They choose for love, the money he makes, or how he fills out his shirt and pants.

Meh, I'm a construction electrician, I only look dumb. But I know Maths and when I want I can be real handy.
Same thing as being a chef. I got a face for the back of house. When working as a chef I smell like onions, grease, fish, and etc....nothing pleasant.

 

[amadeus]

Hi Marks,
I worked in a hospital registering all insurances including medicare. Be sure to have both A and B, it is important. If you do not have both then, you cannot get a Medicare Advantage program, I have both. You will be penalized big time (monetarily) if you do not choose both A and B when the time comes for it.
@amadeus worked for SSecurity and would know ( I worry for him as I have not seen him for some time)
JM2C

I won't try to give a flawless educated reply here. I retired from Social Security nearly 25 years ago and there have many changes in Medicare. It has always been the best option to enroll in Parts A & B at the earliest date of eligibility. That date for most people is the month of their 65th birthday. I do not believe that has changed. People who qualify for Social Security Disability benefits [not SSI] become eligible for Medicare Parts A & B 24 months after their first month of Disability eligibility if that is prior to age 65.