Community Chat

[Mmsfoxxie]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

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@Mmsfoxxie wrote:

@kdgn, it didn't work that way for me.  When I became eligible for Medicare, I was told to sign up for Medicare but that I didn't have to pay into it until I retired since I had insurance on my job.  I was almost 68 when I retired and begin to pay the $104 and picked up a Part D plan.  Also my supplemental insurance.

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That's exactly how it was for me this past January. You have to sign up only for Part A at 65, but if you're working and have work-paid insurance after 65, you don't need to sign up for Part B, MA or a supplement, or Part D, until within 60 days after the date you quit/retire. I was not quite 67 at the time. I never got any letters.

When I applied with Medicare, at that time they (Medicare) asked for two things from my employer that I had to request from HR - my last day of work, and proof that between the age of 65 and my last day of work, I was covered by health insurance. These are forms the SSA office has or you can download and print from their ss dot gov website, which I did. That last form is to prove you did have RX coverage up until you quit.

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That's exactly right, @Moonchilde.  Before I went to the social security office, I called the dept of aging for my area and they told me to call Medicare to verify what they told me which was to show paperwork after retirement with date of retirement and proof that I had medical coverage, therefore, no penalty.  I signed up for Medicare at the social security office at the same time that I had to verify my retirement date for necessary changes in my social security benefit (which they botched up my benefit big time).

[kdgn]

I guess I didn't make myself very clear and I apologize. Yes, you still sign up for Medicare at 65 if you're working, but as long as you are covered under your employer's insurance you don't have to decide on an Advantage plan or Supplemental plan with a separate Plan D coverage at that time. You must keep paperwork sent though so you have proof that you were covered. The penalties aren't applied-

[Moonchilde]

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@kdgn wrote:

I guess I didn't make myself very clear and I apologize. Yes, you still sign up for Medicare at 65 if you're working, but as long as you are covered under your employer's insurance you don't have to decide on an Advantage plan or Supplemental plan with a separate Plan D coverage at that time. You must keep paperwork sent though so you have proof that you were covered. The penalties aren't applied-

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@kdgn, it sounds like your work insurance was being proactive and provided you in advance with what @Mmsfoxxie and I obtained later ourselves. That's interesting that a company does that. My only issue with that is, as you say, needing to remember you have it, and remembering where you put it, until you retire, which might be years later. Knowing myself, that would have been a disaster for me 😉

[Golden_Oldie]

I take eleven maintenance medications, O2 and a nebulizer.

Ashamed to say DH takes care of the insurance. He went with United Health Care Advantage with a PPO. 

I checked to see that my doctors were in the network and the book of medications, lucky, they were all there.

[sandraskates]

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@Tinkrbl44 wrote:

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@sandraskates wrote:

@Joytoall Just want to say thank you for that simplified explanation. I've been on hubby's case to make sure he got some type of Part D coverage with his plan and he is covered.

This seems so convoluted and forced to me. Why should one have to pay a penalty for the rest of their life?!

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@sandraskates

If I had to guess, they must have decided that the law of large numbers theory would apply to prescription drug coverage for seniors.   None of us has a crystal ball, and no one knows what meds they will need next year ... or in 5 years.  

However, assuming that people sign up for coverage at retirement, and not wait until they think they might need prescription coverage will have a larger pool of coverage.   Some will use the drug coverage and others not so much, but it helps balance things out.  The "threat" of a penalty encourages participation ... JMO   

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@Tinkrbl44 - I think you are right. That is my assumption too.

[goldensrbest]

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@Tenners wrote:

KathyPet, I did a lot of research before I retired this year.  My first step was to contact my PCP and Cardiologist to find out what plans they accept.  Next I visited ehealthmedicare and entered my zip code.  I wanted an Advantage plan because It would cover my doctor visits and prescriptions.  A list of available plans for your zip code is displayed.  Review the plans that your doctors accept and compare.  Once I had a couple that I thought would work for me I discussed the pros and cons with one of their agents.  He was very patient and explained each plan.  I was fortunate that many years ago I worked in group health insurance so I understood the lingo and how insurance works, but their rep will explain it to you so you understand.  One thing you must do is confirm that your doctor accepts the plan so double check by using their doctor search tool.  The ehealth rep can help you with that too.  There is a tool for each plan where you enter your drugs to see if they are covered.  I found a great Advantage Plan with United Healthcare, a PPO, with a $0 monthly premium (you still need to pay the $126 Medicare Part B premium of course - there's no getting out of that) but there was no additional cost per month for signing up for the plan.  I pay $2 for most of my drugs.  One is a tier 3 and I pay $14 for that one.  I'll never hit the feared donut hole.  The ehealth rep and I set up a date and time to enroll over the phone.  Everything worked out just as I expected with no surprises.    My husband is thrilled that I know insurance and was able to find the right plan for us.  One of his drugs is $100 a month, but so what?  It's still way cheaper than my former employer's plan.  So get out a pencil and paper, go to the ehealthmedicare website and do your research based on your doctors and drug list.  The Medicare.gov website is very confusing and takes a lot of time to weed through all the information.  I really don't know how people with no insurance background do it unless they just drop it in an insurance agent's hands and hope for the best.  One more thing.  I had to prove I had creditable prescription drug and health insurance from my employer since I retired 2 years after I turned 66.  That means proof that my employer's plan was equal to or better than Medicare's plan.  I was able to get a letter and proof from my benefits manager before I retired, so I didn't have to pay the penalty of 1% for each month between my normal retirement date in 2014 and my actual retirement date in 2016.  I agree with one of the other responders here.  Avoiding the pitfalls of Medicare and Social Security ain't for sissies...it isn't easy for your average person who is used to buying what their employer offered and that's all there was to it.  I really hope this helps.

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I am so confused, i need it to cost me low, because i live on ss.

[goldensrbest]

@Tenners, the ppo you mentioned ,is through AARP,correct?

[Moonchilde]

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@goldensrbest wrote:

@Tenners, the ppo you mentioned ,is through AARP,correct?

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FYI, UHC sells their plans through AARP, but they are also sold directly from UHC's website. You can investigate/buy either way. You might want to check for price difference between the two avenues.

[kitcat51]

Hi, Not sure what state you live in but for me in Mi there is a part D  Humana Walmart Rx Plan that costs $17.00 a month with $400.00 annual deductible for some drugs. That's the plan I am choosing because I don 't take any medications. I've lost all my pension due to the company I worked for going bankrupt so need to keep costs low. No sense paying for something I don't need when struggling to keep my home & pay all the other bills. Check the 2017 Medicare & You for the options in your state. Wishing you all the best!

[goldensrbest]

There is part A,B C,&D,  d is drug coverage, we have to choose that ,coorect, What does every one do about A& B,  you have to buy insurance to take care of the20% that A does not pay, how much is taken out of for part A, from ss?Not sure if i made any sense.