what to do medicare etc retirement coming (moving, spouse, community)
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I see Mathjak answered as I was typing. He is right. The big issue is picking supplemental coverage. My wife has multiple medical issues so that was easy for us. We went with the most comprehensive Plan F coverage. It is pricey!!! You will also need to decide on a prescription drug coverage. My wife has a plan. I do not since I am able to get statins at low cost and am not on any other meds.
Get prices from multiple companies for your Medicare Supplement. I been getting quotes for Plan G and there were big differences for the same coverage.
Get prices from multiple companies for your Medicare Supplement. I been getting quotes for Plan G and there were big differences for the same coverage.
Absolutely. The plans have helped make this easy since coverage is defined and it is not necessary to read the fine print. However, there are often important differences with open plans and plans requiring use of specific plan physicians.
from what i see they may have told you wrong. i believe you only have 60 days to activate cobra and have it retroactive not 6 months .
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That is correct. I signed up for COBRA (that is, paid) right away for the two months before my Medicare date of April 1. I didn't use the COBRA coverage at all but didn't want to dance around the 60 day thing, so just paid upfront.
Call your Soc. Sec. office (or call the national number and they'll tell you what office you go to- I thought I had a choice, but no). Make an appointment to sign up, it goes a lot faster than just walking in. Take the I.D. that you need, sign up for Medicare A&B, and go out to lunch somewhere fun. It was that simple for me, and I was assigned a busy urban office full of walk-ins. The appointment people went in a different area and the whole thing took 20 minutes.
Get prices from multiple companies for your Medicare Supplement. I been getting quotes for Plan G and there were big differences for the same coverage.
we went for a high deductible f-plan with 2k deductible. best thing we ever did . a regular f-plan was 2k more a year . we run about 300-400 in uncovered stuff and deductibles so not only do we save the rest but out of the 92 bucks i pay for the supplement a month 40 of the 92 covers my gym since they are part of silver sneakers.
other than that we pay for a drug plan at 40 a month and medicare premiums at 134. so about 3200 each with a 2k deductible .
So I will be retiring within the next few months. I am not certain of the exact date- but I turn 65 in a few months and will absolutely be quitting my job. I can continue with COBRA for the very good but somewhat pricey but worth it health coverage for me and dh at least for a bit.
The house just went on the market, we are getting some offers, but have not found where we will move to yet. (we know about where, just have not found the house). All of this can be resolved soon- so the point is I don't know the actual day I will be quitting/retiring, but it's soon.
What does a person need to get in order with respect to Social Security.Medicare?
Do I need to enroll formally in Medicare?
My full retirement age is 66 and the plan is to wait until then to draw on Soc Sec (2019).
What advice as far as the government stuff? I think I am ok on all other aspects.
Thank you
You might consider buying the book Medicare for Dummies by Patricia Barry. It's well worth the price. I'll be turning 65 next January and decided to learn all that I can before the time comes to sign up for it. It addresses issues you might not even think about. I have the 2nd edition, but there's now a 3rd edition.
one of the problems i found is learning what is really true and not .
it is like everything you will read says advantage plans have to cover what medicare does , but it is only true in a broad sense as you learn in experience .
no one ever mentions the real life situations people run in to where for profit advantage plan , which is the gate keeper DENIES certain procedures or treatment . because you do not have medicare you cannot prove what medicare would have done in your case .
we saw a real life situation like this crop up with a friend . she was denied the removal of both the cancerous side of her pituitary gland and the not so good side by the advantage plan review board . they would only pay to remove the cancerous side even though her surgeons argued that that is ridiculous because medicare always approves the removal of both sides , never an issue .
but since she has an advantage plan and not medicare she has no way of showing what medicare would have approved in her case . advantage plans know they have you over a barrel in this regard and they ultimately say what gets done not medicare .
so now she has to wait for the other side to actually have cancer .
these are the kinds of differences you don't learn about from books and guides .
Q8: How long do I have to elect COBRA coverage?
"If you are entitled to elect COBRA coverage, you must be given an election period of at least 60 days (starting
on the later of the date you are furnished the election notice or the date you would lose coverage) to choose
whether or not to elect continuation coverage"
It sounds like the employer, or the insurance company at the direction of the employer, can give the employee longer than 60 days if they choose to. 60 days is a minimum. And that is from the date you are notified, which for me was over a month after retirement. I did not use the Cobra.
I see Mathjak answered as I was typing. He is right. The big issue is picking supplemental coverage. My wife has multiple medical issues so that was easy for us. We went with the most comprehensive Plan F coverage. It is pricey!!! You will also need to decide on a prescription drug coverage. My wife has a plan. I do not since I am able to get statins at low cost and am not on any other meds.
Same with me. Those who have read various posts of mine know I have multiple health issues. Draw, SSDI and have Medicare. I pay for plan F as I don't ever want to see a bill.
An advantage plan is different, but I think it is better for healthier people, while a good supplemental may be best for those with health issues.
My best friend also draws SSDI and has an advantage plan. His is much cheaper, but he will have a shock with the bill he will get after upcoming surgery on his, shoulder, as it's not all covered.
Research and choise plans...advantage or supplemental ( there's a variety of coverage and costs for various supplementals)...
Also as,noted sign up for Medicare several months in advance to be sure you a rent penalised for NOT doing it on time for the rest of your days.
Call, go in to the office or look online for particulars.
Best of luck making your choices.
Research research tgen research and plan again.
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