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

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.