I'm 6 months out from going onto Medicare. My plan is to stay with Original Medicare and the plan g. But I have also been looking closely at the plan g high deductible. Is anyone using the plan g high deductible?

I have to do it also,in November. I told them I use the VA.
Guess I have to sign up anyway.

I got ,,, Viva

Medicare advantage has made several improvements and is the direction most people are heading now. Original Medicare will cost you approximately 160 bucks a month more. I have been super happy with Medicare advantage Inited Health Care.

There are certified Medicare advisors. Find one in your area. They can take your medical history and determine which plan best suits your needs.

I retired just over 2 years ago and went with Viva.
Zero $ premium is the plan I picked.
No complaints at all so far.
Outpatient procedures, dental, etc. have been cheaper than BCBS when I was working.

The shocker for me was, it only covers you, spouse has to get their own plan, with any provider they choose.

I have the usual medicare and also Physicians Mutual. They are the only 5 star rated company. Wife had a hip operation and I just had a knee replacement. Haven't had to pay a dime. The P.M. is a little more expensive, but well worth it.

You have to look at how often you will use it. G is the Cadillac for those aging in after cutoff date for F. All of my clients are on G Med supp but some chose high deductible because their premium is significantly lower and they’re ok with a higher deductible. You just need to consider how much use you will have. You will have an enrollment aging in with guaranteed issue so you want to choose wisely.

Beware. There is no such thing and it is illegal to say you are a certified Medicare advisor or expert in Medicare. Every health insurance agent who sells Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans has to take annual training and exams for every company they represent but it is illegal to call yourself a certified Medicare advisor. It’s a good way to lose your license.

Try the Medicare.gov site plan finder, I'm a retired agent and its actually not bad at comparing plans in your area. I preferred supplements to advantage because you have more doctors that take it. If you can afford a sup. you will be happier but advantage plans are getting better. Whatever you do don't call Joe Willie or any of that other crap you see on TV. Good luck.

The guy I use has a class that he teaches to anyone interested, in getting medicare. It was very thorough on plans and needs.

At what age do you get medicaid/Medicare or whatever? I'm 62 and am clueless about them and what they are.

BCBS has one that is free too. Or one you can pay 160 a month for.

I had VIVA once, never again. YOu need a referral for everything. BCBS you just go where you want.

Medicare at 65, medicaid is for poor folks if qualified.

The way Biden has us going we will all qualify for Medicaid by the time he leaves

You mean like this? Feel free to call him up and tell him that. I used Rick to help us find the best Part D options for my wife.

A quick search found this site. I don't see anything about a "certified" advisor, just the planner. Would an advisor and planner be considered the same thing?

https://www.certifiedmedicareinsuranceplanner.org/

Every agent makes their own decisions. You’ll find a lot of agents who use titles or refer to themselves in a certain way but it doesn’t mean it’s right or ethical. I personally don’t use those titles because I don’t want to mislead prospects or be cited for violating a specific section of the social security act that restricts how agents refer to themselves and the use of certain terms like Medicare . If others do that’s up to them.

I know there are some retired military members here who have Tricare Prime. At age 65 you must switch to Medicare unless you have employer provided coverage. In any case, Prime becomes Tricare for Life and is your Medicare supplement at no charge. In my case, the co-pay for my meds is less than the cost of a Part D plan, especially using the Express Scripts mail pharmacy. Here's an example of my out of pocket medical costs since October 2022.

October - PET scan that showed mass on right lung...............$0
November - Lung biopsy. Unsuccessful due to lung collapsing. In hospital 3 weeks.........$0
December - 2 days after discharge, readmitted with pneumonia. In hospital 1 week.....$0
February - Different procedure for lung biopsy at UAB. Veery early stage 1 lung cancer confirmed....$0
April - 4 radiation treatments....$0
May 21 - Heart attack, ER, ambulance transport and stent put in. Discharged from hospital May 23....$0
May 25 - Heart attack, ER, and ambulance transport. Unable to stent. Admitted to hospital. Bypass surgery May 30. Discharged June 5....$0.

I have had multiple follow ups for the cancer and surgeries, plus monthly visits with primary care doc. All $0 co-pays.

I realize that there is no one plan fits all out there. I'm only saying that retired military folks should do their due diligence and make sure they aren't spending money on supplements and Part D plans they don't need.