@conlt wrote:
@Tadaki Gidgetgh is correct. Part A pays for 80% of hospitalization. I have had patients who's hospital bills are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Imagine paying even $20,000 for a $100,000 hospital bill. You definitely need a supplement.
The high deductible plan may be fine, it was not my choice. I am on G.
Part B pays for doctors visits, medical equipment at 80% with the supplement picking up the remainder of the costs.
When you are planning your Medicare coverage, it can be confusing but you have to plan for changes that happen as we age. Age is the biggest risk factor for disease, things happen. Look at what your income will be and what you can afford. Many unsuspecting people end up with complicated diseases, needing surgery and rehabilitation, the bills can quickly build up.
Some people are on very expensive medications, some of the biological for cancer treatments cost $12,000 per month or more. So look closely at the prescription drug plans too.
Because of having many choices, signing up for Medicare is a complicated world, even for me with some practical knowledge of how it works. My advice, do not go on an advantage plan if you can avoid it, Stay on Medicare and a supplement with a prescription plan. You can change prescription plans yearly to 1 that meets your needs.
@conlt I rarely toot my own horn over anything in my life, but I did a great job with a Medicare signup. Maybe because my husband was already on it. Maybe because I just thought clearly about it. I don't know.
I knew I didn't want an advantage olan. I called the company that my husband's employer used for retirees. I told them I wanted plan G, picked the company immediately and then picked a drug plan, quick and painless.
I belong to a large Medicare group on Facebook. It is amazing to me to read all the confusion and mis information people have. The number of people whose main concern, their very main concern, is does it include silver sneakers. Others will say I just signed up how soon can I change? So much angst they create for themselves. So much wavering.
I signed up for G, am thankful that the premiums in my area have been low so far. Only change I have made is to the prescription plan after the first year. Changed to a better one (for me) and that was that. I can't imagine picking a health care plan and immediately thinking you're going to change it. And changing from an advantage plan to a supplement, in most states, requires underwriting.
And, in that group, I read about the number of people who have A and B and are going with no supplement. I don't think they grasp that 20% with no cap, will be their responsibility. They say "I'm healthy". They don't get that health can change in an instant.
I wanted the fullest coverage with the least amount of financial exposure for me. And that was G.
Why is it, when I have a 50/50 guess at something, I'm always 100% wrong?
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