Not An RV Topic But Pertinent To Most Of Us!!

[coachmac9]

I know this has nothing to do with RV's but I think it concerns  probably 90% of the posters (including me...soon) I will be turning 65 in Feb and was wondering where is the best place to find out good info about Medicare. I am still full time teaching/part time traveling and do not plan on retiring for a while but one never knows. I have found that when you reach a certain age our health can change quickly and unexpectedly. Any advice from those of you that have dealt with or used Medicare would be greatly appreciated.

[Ronbo]

Get a suppliment. I started Medicare in March 2016. Diagnosed with cancer in April 2016. Hospital $1250. Radiation treatment $1250. Then I started on a suppliment. I have only paid my initial deductible each year since then. 

[staffnon]

Lets Start.

Your school district has info packages on retirement/SSA/Medicare. ASK them  

The nearest SSA office to you is 2717 Terrell Rd. Greenville Tx. 75402 phone # 1-888-306-3534.  CALL them and schedule an appointment. And when there ask for publication MEDICARE & YOU 2019

 MEDICARE 1-800-633-4227  They will help walk you through

Visit Medicare.gov and register

Social Security 1-800-772-1213 they will also help

Note.  We help on this site, and there is a lot of info on this site.  BUT we can not walk you into the building.  

Ask for publication: MEDICARE & YOU 2019. (I think parts of the book are tailored to your State.  

Edit. are you not about 20+- miles from Lone Oak to Greenville?

 

[coachmac9]

Thanks Ronbo, that was one of the first questions I had...I see all kinds of advertisements about suppliments and was wondering if that was something I needed or not.

[coachmac9]

2 minutes ago, staffnon said:

Lets Start.

Your school district has info packages on retirement/SSA/Medicare. ASK them  

The nearest SSA office to you is 2717 Terrell Rd. Greenville Tx. 75402 phone # 1-888-306-3534.  CALL them and schedule an appointment.

 MEDICARE 1-800-633-4227  They will help walk you through

Visit Medicare.gov and register

Social Security 1-800-772-1213 they will also help

Note.  We help on this site, and there is a lot of info on this site.  BUT we can not walk you into the building.  

 

 

 

Well dang, I was hoping you could tote me on in to the office!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!

[packnrat]

i am not far behind you on this.

been trying to understand it all. can be confusing. the ss office is about 60 moles from me. and always has a line out the door.

[staffnon]

Well kind of hard I'm in the wrong part of the world.😁 I'm in the USA not the Republic of Texas. If I can get my passport/visa stamps for the republic I'll wonder down.

Seriously,  The SSA and Medicare have good and accurate info.  

 

[Barbaraok]

50 minutes ago, coachmac9 said:

I know this has nothing to do with RV's but I think it concerns  probably 90% of the posters (including me...soon) I will be turning 65 in Feb and was wondering where is the best place to find out good info about Medicare. I am still full time teaching/part time traveling and do not plan on retiring for a while but one never knows. I have found that when you reach a certain age our health can change quickly and unexpectedly. Any advice from those of you that have dealt with or used Medicare would be greatly appreciated.

If you are still working, you need to sit down with your HR folks and have them go over how your insurance and Medicare will be handled.  Most group health insurance plans now stipulate that they will transition to cover the 20% Medicare doesn't while Medicare becomes your primary insurance.   And if your employer is paying most (or all, like ours) of your premiums, that may be the best deal for you while you are working.   Also discuss with your HR representative what benefits as a retiree you will get - we still have our health insurance which is now our secondary, and they still pay our premiums - best retirement perk we got.

[coachmac9]

12 minutes ago, packnrat said:

i am not far behind you on this.

been trying to understand it all. can be confusing. the ss office is about 60 moles from me. and always has a line out the door.

Exactly! I feel like am at least semi literate and can understand or figure out most things but after reading some of the literature and speaking with someone from the SS office I was more confused that ever...that's why I turned to this board and its members. Most are always very helpful with just about any topic I have ever brought up. Thanks again for those with helpful hints and experiences. 

[coachmac9]

2 minutes ago, Barbaraok said:

If you are still working, you need to sit down with your HR folks and have them go over how your insurance and Medicare will be handled.  Most group health insurance plans now stipulate that they will transition to cover the 20% Medicare doesn't while Medicare becomes your primary insurance.   And if your employer is paying most (or all, like ours) of your premiums, that may be the best deal for you while you are working.   Also discuss with your HR representative what benefits as a retiree you will get - we still have our health insurance which is now our secondary, and they still pay our premiums - best retirement perk we got.

Thanks Barbarok, good stuff. 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

2 hours ago, coachmac9 said:

Thanks Ronbo, that was one of the first questions I had...I see all kinds of advertisements about suppliments and was wondering if that was something I needed or not.

Be very careful of supplemental plans.  I'm a retired state worker (NY) and I got to keep my state health insurance when I retired.  It was a real sweetheart deal, and it serves as the 'supplemental insurance' that you see advertised on tv.  But if I ever sign up for a different plan, I'll LOSE my state sponsored insurance and can never get it back.

As other people have pointed out, you need to see how your current health insurance will work with Social Security once you retire.

[Kirk W]

As long as you continue to work the HR people are the place to start, as others have said. When you do retire you will probably be able to convert the insurance from your school district to a Medicare supplement. Your HR department should be able to explain all of those options to you. If you plan to travel extensively when you do retire, I strongly suggest the standard Medicare and a supplement and not one of the Advantage plans. 

At least in this area, many doctors will not accept patients who have Advantage plans. 

[sandsys]

50 minutes ago, Kirk Wood said:

If you plan to travel extensively when you do retire, I strongly suggest the standard Medicare and a supplement and not one of the Advantage plans. 

We chose our Advantage plan because it is a PPO with a list of providers all over the USA.

Linda Sand

[D&J]

I went to a independent supplement policy agent 6 months before I turned 65. They walked me through the whole process and answered all my questions and some I didn't even think of asking. First thing they said was all plans are the same and the only difference is the price and coverage is anywhere Medicare is taken. The next confusing thing is all the different plans,  more letters than you can believe. I  started out with a N plan and just this year I changed to a G plan mostly because of the excess charges part of the plan. Choose your supplemental carefully because if you start having major problems it may be hard to change to a better plan. You can also change your supplemental anytime during the year not just during open enrollment. For a RX plan I went with a Wall Mart RX, the cheapest one I could find because at this time I take no meds and Wall Mart's are everywhere we travel.

Denny 

[Kirk W]

2 hours ago, D&J said:

I changed to a G plan mostly because of the excess charges part of the plan.

We also have plan G for several reasons, one of them being that it will cover you for international travel.

[Twotoes]

I too am turning 65 and will be looking for a Medicare Supplement plan. I have been told that the Medicare Advantage Plans  are all PPO and HMO Plans and I will never be In Network so a Supplement Plan is better for me. I use the Escapees SD address. Does anybody know of an independent agent for SD I can contact for information?

[duraduk]

This outfit was a great help to me.......   http://www.rverinsurance.com

[D&J]

I used United Medicare Advisers, they are licensed in multiple states. 

Denny 

[coachmac9]

Great info guys! Thanks again for all the input!

[Ronbo]

While the plan may be the same from state to state, the cost is not. I was quoted anywhere from $112 to over $1000 based on the state. Also some states do not offer supplements under age 65,which I am. 

Be careful when discussing anything with Social Security. You will get 5 different answers from 5 different people and none of them may be correct. They are not held accountable for their answers. If it constantly you mmo year and you don’t discover it for years, they will only reimburse up to 6 months. Do your own reading and stay informed. 

[FL-JOE]

23 hours ago, sandsys said:

We chose our Advantage plan because it is a PPO with a list of providers all over the USA.

Linda Sand

Exactly Linda.  Our plan is a Medicare Advantage Plan but it is a PPO so it doesn't matter is we are in Illinois, Florida, or in between there are always doctors, hospitals, and other medical facilities we can use.  There may be just straight Advantage Plans out there (non PPO) where this may not be the case, maybe that is what Kirk is referring to.  

Like others, my previous employer granted me coverage but once I reached medicare age it reverts to just a supplemental, or an Advantage Plan.  

[Optimistic Paranoid]

5 minutes ago, FL-JOE said:

Like others, my previous employer granted me coverage but once I reached medicare age it reverts to just a supplemental, or an Advantage Plan.  

With mine, at least, if I go out of the country, where Medicare doesn't cover me - yes, I'm looking at YOU, Canada! - it goes back to being full medical coverage for me.

[OregonJim]

On 9/26/2018 at 7:29 AM, coachmac9 said:

Any advice from those of you that have dealt with or used Medicare would be greatly appreciated.

When I became disabled, I was eligible for Medicare 2 years later (even though I was only 47 at the time).  When the time came,  I enrolled.  I was NOT aware that you have to enroll in Part D (prescription coverage) AT THE SAME TIME.  I figured I'd add that when I needed it.  Big mistake.  A year later, I added Part D, and now I have a $7/mo "late enrollment fee" that I have to pay for the rest of my life.

 

-Jim

[Barbaraok]

On 9/27/2018 at 11:18 AM, FL-JOE said:

Exactly Linda.  Our plan is a Medicare Advantage Plan but it is a PPO so it doesn't matter is we are in Illinois, Florida, or in between there are always doctors, hospitals, and other medical facilities we can use.  There may be just straight Advantage Plans out there (non PPO) where this may not be the case, maybe that is what Kirk is referring to.  

Like others, my previous employer granted me coverage but once I reached medicare age it reverts to just a supplemental, or an Advantage Plan.  

What former employers are able to provide is different from what people can purchase on their own.    What you are describing isn't applicable to most Medicare Advantage plans that people purchase on their own.   The only way companies can offer the Advantage plans is that they contract with groups of providers and limit their subscribers to those providers.   They will all cover emergency work.      

[FL-JOE]

4 hours ago, Barbaraok said:

What former employers are able to provide is different from what people can purchase on their own.    What you are describing isn't applicable to most Medicare Advantage plans that people purchase on their own.   The only way companies can offer the Advantage plans is that they contract with groups of providers and limit their subscribers to those providers.   They will all cover emergency work.      

I'm not an insurance expert, far from it, but I do have a basic understanding.  A Medicare Advantage PPO plan can be purchased by an individual.  The employees company isn't the one contracting with the medical providers, it is the healthcare company (in my case Healthlink) that contract with certain doctors/hospitals/others in their network so we pay less.  But you can use almost anyone throughout the U.S. but you may pay slightly more.  That is why it is a perfect fit for us traveling.  

ANYONE can go online and check HealthLink's site to get the information reference purchasing a PPO Medicare Advantage plan if over 65.  I'm not pushing them, I'm just using that particular insurance company as an example because my previous employer uses them.