Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Question for our members already on Medicare

I’m still a year out minimum before I think of doing it. But someone educate me on the alphabet policies. Thanks

Following ... 64 yo

Following. I turn 65 in August.

We used a consultant/broker here in town, which is what most of our friends did. She will look at your overall health and meds, and advise you of the best route to go for your specific situation. She makes her money from the insurance companies, so it doesn't cost anything.

Ask Grok: What is best Medicare plan to choose living in Alabama at age 65?

Alabama's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) offers free, unbiased help: Call 1-800-AGE-LINE or visit the Alabama Department of Senior Services site for a local counselor—no sales pressure.

Go to seminars , talk to Medicare pros, get all the education you can on the subject and choose what's best for your situation.

In a nutshell, I'm 68 and below are my coverages with a layman's explanation. Alabama has the SHIP agency and your county may have a Council on Aging which is where I got my advice.

#1 You have to sign up for Medicare Part A within the grace period of your 65th birthday. It costs you nothing and you can keep employer medical coverage if you chose to.
#2 You can sign up for Medicare Part B but it's not mandatory. It costs $202.90 per month and comes out of my SS. It also has an annual deductible of $283 that will likely increase over time.
#3 Also not mandatory is choosing a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Supplement Plan. Advantage plans have networks and typically coat less than Supplement Plans. Networks can change but not within the coverage year. Supplement plans do not have networks. Any doctor that takes Medicare is required to see you. This can be important if you have specialists as I do. Some networks may not include all your specialists which would require paying out of pocket or changing to a specialist that is in network. I chose Plan G through Bankers Fidelity for $131 monthly which comes out of my SS. Plan G pays for everything, co-pays, specialists, exams, etc except my Medicare Part B deductible which is $283 per year.
#4 You may want a Prescription Drug Plan which is included in a lot of Advantage plans. My plan is with Wellcare and costs $3.60 per month but unless I get really sick I will never meet the $600 (I believe) deductible BUT if I get really sick I will meet that deductible really quick and fall back on my Wellcare coverage. For me it's catastrophic illness prescription coverage for cheap.

Don't take my post as 100% gospel for your situation because we all have different medical situations and needs but maybe it can help you see the overall picture. And good luck in your elder years!

One other thing......... When dropping employer medical coverage, be sure to inform all your doctors of that change. You can have Medicare Part B as secondary coverage to your employer coverage which helped me a good bit. BUT when you drop employer coverage be sure to pass that info along so that your Advantage or Supplement plan in addition to Part B is where the claims get sent to. One of my docs was still sending claims to my employer insurance even after I notified them of the change and it caused a mess for 2 months.

They just take it out of your social security retirement,they sent me something saying they just take it, I never received a Medicare card and I've never used it. I have the VA. This year the cola went up and Medicare went up the same amount 200 bucks a month for nothing.
All they working years I paid into medicare for nothing but the illegal aliens ,Somalias or who ever.. I think it's a rip off, for me anyway.
Someone else can probably tell you better than I can. Good Luck.

Did you file for an exemption since you have VA coverage? That is an option.

I kept original Medicare and supplement (Plan N) and for me, the advantage plans, while enticing, limited choices and only see docs that are in their plans. It all depends on your personal situation and what health conditions you have, or might have as you get older.
My Dad was retired Army and that Tri-Care, Champus??, and Medicare. I joked with him that they paid him to go see the docs. He earned it and really needed the extra care and i do not believe he ever paid a deductible or co-pay.
We paid for it during our working lives and time to get what we put into it.

Wiley Coyotes post is spot on.
You will need to get some sort of medication/prescription drug plan or you will be fined by Medicare without one until you do.

Have a good pharmacy. This is a government program designed to frustrate you hurt your mental health and be as confusing as possible. Relax God's got this and you. Deep breaths and good food help. Other than that keep calm and choose wisely.

This!!!

I just got a spam text about Medicare supplement plans a minute ago.

My wife is 64 and retired so I suppose she should go ahead and apply for part A, no?
I am 64 but still working. Do I need to wait until I retire?

There is a specific enrollment period for enrolling in Part A to avoid penalty. I believe it's 3 months each side of the 65th birthday.

all good information. The only thing I can add is talk to your pharmacist. They can tell you is talk to your pharmacists about which plan will pay the most on your medicines if you have to take many

For those who are interested, I'd go ahead and create an account with Medicare. You can get a lot of info there and it may cause you to have more pointed questions for an advisory agency/person.

And thank you, SC53, for pointing out that there is a penalty for not having prescription coverage if you miss the enrollment period and need coverage later. The coverage is dirt cheap so go ahead and get signed up.

Medicare website....... https://www.medicare.gov/