I'm waiting to see if you do eventually hijack this thread with your political views,

For those with regular insurance where you may have several plans to choose that are looking at this for perhaps parents and others jemdandy's comment about certain plans not being available in all areas of a state can also be true for them. For years my husband and I have been on a plan that only covers certain counties. When I was thinking about moving him to a new home I discovered that the nearest hospital was in a different country and would not be covered.

Seeing this thread was a good reminder for me to start looking at various supplemental plans as I am planning on traveling. While most health insurance both regular and Medicare plans will cover emergency treatment they may not cover more than just making you safe enough to travel. Transportation via ambulance either ground or air if you would need it is very expensive.

"my husband and I have been on a plan that only covers certain counties. "

If you're talking about true insurance and not a combo insurance/provider like Kaiser that does have geographical limits (depending on where it has facilities), and also then unless you're talking about the odd situation as where different parts of Kansas City are in two different states and maybe with different regulations or obstacles making it difficult for one company to offer coverage in both, I think maybe that rather than having geographical limits, some insurance companies simply don't have contracts will all providers. For whatever reason. Hospital A has a contract and is in network and Hospital B (wherever located) doesn't and is out of network. A [policy holder can get services from an out of network provider but the cost can be much higher.

My employer sponsored plan integrated with Medicare recently changed and what had been more comprehensive coverage abroad is now limited to emergency services and repatriation. For foreign travel, there's an insurance broker that specializes in such coverage and if you check the website and then call, you can get what you need and not more for a modest cost. We've used them a few times for foreign travel, most recently a few months ago, and have purchased policies with top companies that had everything we wanted and nothing unnecessary. The people I've dealt with on the phone were very helpful, knowledgeable and very nice.

http://www.insuremytrip.com

You may also be able to obtain health travel insurance if you take any trip. When I went to Hawaii the travel agent offered it and I accepted for the just in case. It was not the health insurance portion but the transportation feature if I became ill or died that made me decide to accept it. I think it was an additional $58.00 but having seen a bill for health transportation just 200 miles that small amount was worth it. The cost also included other stuff that I discounted as not needed.

Those travel accident plans that I used to receive all kinds of mailing on sound good but if you read the information most only cover you if you are a "common carrier". Common carrier means bus, plane, etc. not your own car.

Salti Dawg -- It's not 'political' to want good health care for all. I wouldn't care what 'party' agreed it's something the US lacks, different from all the other first world nations. I don't think it's 'political' to try to limit the ability to buy legislators.

Moronic. The post is seeking help for what to do NOW... your biggest disappointment is the wrong Congress and President caused part of the problem and your politics got in the way.

By again inserting inflamatory rhetoric reflecting your bias such as, " I don't think it's 'political' to try to limit the ability to buy legislators." you totally troll this thread away from providing the help being asked for!

Oh yeah, only two exclusions to my coverage and they are the only things my Medicare does cover... so no exclusions.

Deciding on Medicare plans isn't as complicated as it sounds when reading through all these posts.

First decide do you want plans A and B, then decide do you want original medicare with a medigap plan or an advantage plan. Some of this is determined by your zip code, you may not like your options on one type of coverage. You personal current medical needs or finances may also dictate your choices.

As mentioned, your available plans are shown on the medicare.gov website. You can then determine your best prescription plan.

I've never gone to a SS office or a seminar to learn what plans are available for me, they are all listed online with a link to sign up.

I thank you all for this thread. I never paid much attention to health insurance as I rarely use it and DH and I are under his Federal BC/BS. I am turning 65 this year, and he is younger and still working. As I understand it, I have to sign up for part A at 65? Is there a cost to that?

Yes.

jane -- It's convenient to have everything paid. You can ignore bills. You don't spend time figuring out if you've been billed correctly because you know you aren't liable. However, you will pay large premiums for that 'everything covered' policy, whether you need it or not. Many people do not have out-fo-pocket anywhere near the cost of the premiums.

My DH would have paid at least $2000 a year in premiums for that coverage, but it would have 'protected' him against only between $200 - $400 that he actually owed.

Medicare pays 80% of *its approved cost* for any procedure. DH pays the remaining 20% of that, not 20% of the inflated provider bills. That's what the providers have agreed to accept under Medicare rules.

DH's Plan F HD protects against large expenses for under $1000/year in premiums. He can afford to risk the $2400 deductible and is protected against anything more than that. He's saved about $5000 in premiums over the last five years with the Plan F HD supplemental.

Womanofsteel you should sign up for both Part A & B. Just something for you and your husband to be aware of when he retires is that his insurance will switch from being primary and become secondary to Part B. If you do have any medical bills at that time you may have to provide the provider several times which is which. Hopefully you have been on his medical insurance for the required 5 years for you to be covered after his retirement.

Another thing that you should do is go to OPM.gov and read about the various benefits both for employees and their spouses. Doing so can prevent surprises when he retires and when either of passes away.

For Jane and others. Depends on the state the plan is written in but most insurance plans will cover the cost to stabilize an injury or disease so that a person can travel back to the area in which they are covered. If you have any questions about this look at your plan.

Insurance is there to cover the "what ifs" while hoping those "what ifs" never happen. It is not to just reimburse you for your current expenses.

Also if you are on A & B with BC BS FEP they reimburse you $600 every year per person on BC BS FEP. The holder of the BC BS FEP can hold off taking part B as long as they are still working without penalty. My husband is the dependent and has part A & B. He has several medical conditions. BC BS pays for whatever medicare doesn't cover. Since he turned 65 he hasn't payed any medical bills. It is all covered 100 %.

As I understand it, I have to sign up for part A at 65? Is there a cost to that?

Yes and no.

We have BCBS under my husband's employer. We're in the process of evaluating supplemental plans so when he finally retires we'll be ready to sign up for Part B and enroll in whatever supplemental plan we end up choosing.

No cost for part A.

If have you have a SS # you will automatically be enrolled in part A upon reaching age 65. They will send you a card. You have to accept or decline Part B at the time depending on your circumstances.

Automatic enrollment in Medicare at age 65 is ONLY if you are currently receiving Social Security payments. Otherwise, you do have to enroll, either on line, by phone or in person. My full retirement age is 66, so I have to apply/enroll for Medicare parts A & B since I won't be taking SS now.

I was hoping to keep my Blue Cross Blue Shield when I retired but you all are saying Medicare is mandatory?

Kathgrdn depends on your age when you retire. It is mandatory to sign up for A at 65 and if you do not sign up for B there is a penalty that can be added. There is nothing that states you can not keep your BCBS. You would need some type of supplementary insurance to cover what Medicare A & B does not. The question you should be researching now is what happens with your insurance once you reach Medicare age and sign up. If it is through an employer some will allow you to keep it and it acts like a supplement/advantage plan. Others will simply drop you from the insurance but may or may not provide an amount toward purchase of other insurance.

Edited to add that you can find the information on types of care that each of the parts cover by looking on line. What you may not be able to find is what your insurance plan does when you sign up for Medicare.

"If have you have a SS # you will automatically be enrolled in part A upon
reaching age 65. They will send you a card. You have to accept or
decline Part B at the time depending on your circumstances."

NOPE.

You must enroll for part A and B. I went to the SS office and enrolled because I had questions and preferred speaking to an agent in person. Part A has no charge to you. Part B does have a charge which you can have taken directly out of your SS check.

I chose to have a Medicare agent broker come to our house to help us with the process and decision for what to go with. That was very helpful and it's free. She explained everything well. She did not try to sway us to a specific choice but did advise us about the history of the various companies and plans. I decided that for my needs and medical history I would prefer to go with a supplement plan f and a separate plan d for drugs. I picked the AARP United health care Medicare plan f. Let me clarify this for everyone! You must have a membership in AARP to enroll in any plan by United health care. If you don't you will have to enroll in AARP right then and pay the $16 fee for one year to enroll in the United health care Medicare insurance. You absolutely must have the AARP active membership! I had to pay for one year live on the phone with my credit card and get my AARP member number. Then proceed with the process of enrollment in the United health care Medicare plan. I do not have to continue my AARP membership after the one year if I don't want to. It will not affect my plan or cost. I probably won't be continuing the AARP membership unless I find it provides me with benefits in some way.

I really like the idea of having an agent that will continue to work with me and help me with any questions or concerns I have in the future. She was very helpful. I am so glad to have that part done. For the part D drug plan the best choice for the medication I take was mutual of Omaha. I have some very expensive medications which knocked me out of a lot of companies. The person at Medicare that I had spoken to had also told me that mutual of Omaha would be the best choice so I happy to see she found the same answer from her research for me. It's a big scary process, I am glad it's done for this year!

DH was working full time with health insurance when he reached age 65. A medicare card came in the mail without any signing up etc. when he turned 65. He declined Part B. When I turned 65 four years later my card came in the mail. The only issue I had was when they messed up my declining part B at the time because I didn't need it. Unless you are very poor Part B is automatically deducted from your Social Security check. You don't ask for it. However some people with special circumstances like having Railroad Retirement can pay it themselves. I have a friend who does that. When DH retired a few months ago (April 9th) at age 72 we were given information on the medical plans offered to retirees by his employer. Took me about five minute to eliminate 2/3 of the options and another 30 minutes to choose the best plan for us including doing the math of what we would paying out of pocket for our share of the premiums. In order to make the change to the retiree plan we had to first be on Part B. So I downloaded the form online, made a quick call to make sure it was the correct one, we filled out one for each of us with the date we wished it to take effect and DH dropped it off at our nearest Social Security office while he was out running errands. Other than a few crossover visits to doctors some billed old coverage instead of new and having to update our records with our health care providers it wasn't as hard as so many are making it out to be. It was quite easy actually. I would say the whole process took about an hour of my time minus the time spent on hold with Social Security around 15 minutes and the drive to drop off the paperwork.

DH landed in the ER a few weeks ago and ended up being admitted and later having surgery. He was hospitalized for one week and in a nursing care center for one week of our choosing. Haven't been billed for one thing except by one doctor who was called in and a quick phone call updating giving him our info fixed that. No co-pays charged, no deductible for all the care surgery etc. Had we only used the emergency room our co pay would have been 100.00. Not sure if it would have been applied to the deductible which is 1000.00 each but most everything we would normally expect in our health care is covered without a deductible kicking in. I am so glad I choose a supplemental option.

Watchme -- Sorry for your DH's medical problems and hope he's recovering well. Medicare pays all but 'small change' for ER and 'In Hospital'. Do you know what your supplemental paid for his care? Was it more than he paid in premiums for the coverage? Our experience has been that each of us could pay $2500 a year in premiums to cover out-of-pocket costs only come to a couple hundred dollars a year -- because Medicare pays so much, and because the Medicare-adjusted costs make our 20% copay so small.

My DH's share of medical expenses *after Medicare* has been $200 - $400 a year. He is 80. In his case, our high deductible supplemental plans have protected against major financial damage (beyond a $2400 deductible in 2019), while we each pay $1K a year in premiums for the coverage.

I have had to pay the deductible last year and this one, since my diagnosis of multiple myeloma last May. Still, Medicare pays so much -- and adjusts costs downwards so much -- that I would have owed 'only' 1% on provider billings that started at more than $500,000.

Of course we all pay for Part B Medicare -- $1626 in 2019. What a bargain, though, over supplemental premiums and Part D premiums and drug costs!

"You must have a membership in AARP to enroll in any plan by United health care. If you don't you will have to enroll in AARP right then and pay the $16 fee for one year to enroll in the United health care Medicare insurance. You absolutely must have the AARP active membership! "

Sure, it's a way for AARP to gain financially from United Healthcare's insurance sales using its name. But as I said before, I believe AARP has no involvement at all in the insurance coverage or insurance operations of UHC concerning policies using the AARP name under license. It's misrepresentation by inference and misleading marketing that you would think such entities would avoid. The fact that so many think there's some connection is proof enough that people misunderstand what's going on.

Yeah, I use Consumer Cellular for my Phone and Data plan... 5% discounted if a member of AARP.

This is the only reason I belong to AARP as I have much better Medical and Retirement benefits then they offer.

Certainly AARP does not have any involvement in my phone and data service... just a symbiotic financial arrangement.

What some people do not seem to understand that there are time limits for what Medicare pays 100% for a hospital stay. They will the first 100 days with a deductible that varies each year. after that what they cover goes down. At one time, 2014 when my husband was admitted to the hospital, they only covered 60 days and their coverage reduced to 50%. Then to 25% then 0. While most would be transferred to a nursing home before then or die you do not want to be reaching to the end of whatever the time period and not be covered by some other coverage. Once you use the 60 reserve days the cost is all on you.

I attempted to look but they have a frustrating sign up pop-up that made it hard.

In case you do not know if you are in the hospital for 72 hours Medicare will start paying for skilled nursing home coverage if medically necessary. Any time period less than that nursing home costs are all on you.

You also must be *admitted* to the hospital to have Medicare coverage. Being there 'under observation' isn't going to qualify.

Just wondering what Seniors are hospitalized for very long these days... Hospitals have so few beds -- everything is out patient.

Stroke victims can also stay longer especially those with cranial bleeds that either will not stop or have additional bleeds. Not all strokes are from blood clots and cholesterol deposits moving to the brain.

“

"You must have a membership in AARP to enroll in any plan by United health care. If you don't you will have to enroll in AARP right then and pay the $16 fee for one year to enroll in the United health care Medicare insurance. You absolutely must have the AARP active membership! "

No. This is not true. I do NOT have AARP membership but do have AARP United Health Care. Have had it for 4 years.

I had to have the AARP membership ONLY at the time I started my medigap policy, but it has since lapsed and I have not renewed. Maddielee, did you have AARP at the time you first got your insurance?

No. And I found this... on the UHC website (disclaimer).

“AARP® MedicareComplete® Plans

Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract. ... You do not need to be an AARP member to enroll. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers.Jun 26, 2019”

Like maddielee, we are not members of AARP. We do have United health care but still get emails from AARP trying to get us to join.

I had no choice. I had to sign up for one year of AARP. I did not want it but I had to have a membership number to proceed with the enrollment process. I was not doing it myself I was with a broker who was filling out the paperwork. She said that she had to call and they could enroll me over the phone with AARP. Which is what we did. Maybe things have changed but as of yesterday that's what was required. As I said I only have to keep it one year after that I can drop it or keep it. I do not have an advantage plan, I have supplement plan F.

Directly from the AARP UnitedHealth care site

I don't know what the requirements are for the advantage plans. But for the Medicare supplements you do need a year of AARP to get started.

And you apparently do not need to keep up the membership after it has lapsed.

No you don't, just that original first year. I think the difference is that for the medigap supplement plans you do have to be a AARP member but for the Advantage plans you don't have to be an AARP member.

That would explain the difference, I believe that I have an Advantage plan.

I have a BC/BS supplemental plan...not cheap, but I have not had to pay a penny for and service or surgery that Medicare pays toward.

My Plan covers 100% of everything with only a minuscule co-pay for drugs. - the plan is provided "free" by previous employer. I am prohibited from using Medicare... lol.

She specifically asked for advice on Medicare! Why reply if you don't have any? And why bring it back up? *shaking head*

"I am prohibited from using Medicare"

Maybe it's not what you have, salti, but many subsidized or provided retiree medical plans are Medicare Advantage plans and indeed have an unseen substantial Medicare paid-for component to cover provider charges.

A Medicare Advantage plan is one where the private medical insurance administers Medicare benefits on behalf of Medicare itself and sends them the bill for payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. Medicare Advantage plans can be far more generous than straight Medicare or Medicare plus one of the standard supplements and other than which system pays what portion of a charge (Medicare or the private insurance) invisibly in the background, the covered individual would never know they have anything other than coverage from the insurance company they deal with.

I have an employer provided Medicare Advantage plan and I too am "prohibited" from using Medicare directly. But it's there all the same and invisible to me but for one provision - I am required to go to providers that accept Medicare. But there's no in-network/out of network benefit difference for any health related service or goods. Not actually prohibited but I can be on the hook for some charges. For some non-Medicare accepting providers, I pay a deductible/co-pay and the provider gets what would have been the Medicare reimbursement if they accepted that in full

If cost won't be an issue when you retire, from what we've gathered a supplement is the way to go. It's costlier but you have more freedom with it, especially if you are one to do a lot of traveling or are away from your primary home for a good part of the year. Also it's my understanding that if you don't opt for a supplement the first time, then if you change your mind later and decide you don't like the Advantage plans, the supplements don't have to accept you. You will be forever stuck with the Advantage plans. We opted for Advantage plans due to the cost savings and the fact that we don't travel. If we do go out of the area and get sick or injured, we can go to the ER or an urgent care center but if there has to be a follow up with a specialist or tests or whatever we would be forced to go back home and follow through with the care we would require. And yes, it's correct that you do not have to be a member of AARP to buy United Health Insurance.

Travel medical policies to provide comprehensive health coverage when travelling abroad, even including those policies with a generous allowance for evacuation/return to the US when necessary, are quite inexpensive. Having or not having that coverage shouldn't be a factor for deciding on medical policies, even for people who travel a lot.

An extension of Elmer's comment but something some of us think about. The travel medical policy that my travel agent suggested earlier this year also covered the costs associated if I would have died on my trip. Probably not all plans cover that so it is something to ask about.

mailfleur, in my experience most travel agents BARELY know much about choosing and booking travel, much less about travel insurance. I recommend you do it on your own.

There's a terrific agency that specializes in various types of medical and travel insurance and its website is

insuremytrip.com

I've dealt with them several times, usually doing some scanning first on the site and then by telephone. I've experienced an attitude from them each time about putting the customer's interests first that's shocking for an insurance agency. They'll ask questions to tailor the policy choice, answer questions about how they work, and in the end I've found they recommend options based on reasonableness of both price and insurance company dealings from among their past customers.

They handle policies from all the major US and international companies.

Normally I did my own planning and will for most trips in the future except for my going to Chelsea Flower Show next year as I am unable to obtain tickets on my own other than going through a lottery as a member. I am still debating on using a tour agency for a trip to Japan. I bookmarked the site to use later, so thanks many thousands.

Elmer "Maybe it's not what you have, salti, but many subsidized or provided retiree medical plans are Medicare Advantage plans..."

Nope. No restriction on using providers that accept medicare. No Co-pays for Hospital, emerg room, doctor's visit, MRIs/X-rays, etc, no nothing except a tiny ($7) Co-pay on 90 Day supplies of meds(. (And that was only recently added.)

Sure, that was why I said "maybe".

Sure, and that's why I clarified and pointed out that it was wrong.

Just trying to help. Don't get your panties in a wad.

Ditto to you. I suggested a possibility and described it as such. It's correct to be mentioned to be a possibility, you're simply saying that's not what you have. I forgot to consult a crystal ball.

Several folks I know have made comments similar to what you said only to learn later that what they were saying related to their procedure (deal only with the insurance company, not Medicare), not their underlying insurer in whole or in part. These folks had Advantage plans and, indeed, invisible to them, underlying costs were being borne by Medicare.

Medical policy provisions are whatever decisions are made for them to be. Either for retail or participant cost control, or for sponsor cost control, or indeed to provide benefits or other allowances as are desired by the sponsors or designers. There are no limitations other than cost considerations and anyone's imagination. There are hundreds and probably thousands of permutations.