Medical Insurance

[Silverado333]

Good Day!

This is kind of unrelated to RV'ing, so if this is inappropriate, my apologies.

I am about to retire - last day is June 5th. My 65th birthday is also in June. My question has to do with medical insurance.

I am a Disabled Vet, rated at 80%. My question is do I need to also sign up for medicare? I have used my employee insurance since employed, but do go to VA for annual physicals, and also "some prescriptions".

For those of you that are not retired vets, but in a similar position as me (not retired military), do you use VA Healthcare (solely)? Do you also use Medicare? If so, what parts? I can and do get hearing aids, eyeglasses thru VA.

How does this work when you're traveling with your rigs, away from home?

I can't get dental thru the VA, can I get that via medicare?

Who provides your medicare? Who has the best deal/rates (if used)?

Thanks for any info you might provide!

Steve

[whj469]

Sign up for Medicare.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Don't have VA benefits.

We signed up for Medicare when we first retired, but found that the deductible was creating a significant dent in our savings.
So we looked around and signed up for a Medicare Advantage program in our area. What is available depends on where you live. Ours offers eye exams free and some help with eyeglasses and hearing aids. Dental was offered at a premium this year, but dentists have not been open.

Sign up for Medicare. You can change your coverage once a year if you need to. At the minimum get Part A (probably free since you've been employed), Part B for the doctor's office and part D for the drugs. B and D usually have a cost which you can have taken out of your social security.
Medicare is accepted all over the country as long as you can find a doctor that takes it. Most hospitals will take Medicare.

[SailorSam20500]

STRONGLY suggest you find one of the independent insurance advisors that are out there. Many give seminars that talk about the various options available. We have one who has been great, initially gave us a full education on what was available and the pros/cons of each. Then when we decided between a supplement or advantage plan he reviewed all the options available by price. Since we signed up, he has reviewed our needs annually and provided advice on whether we should change anything.

[rk06382]

Originally Posted by Silverado333

Good Day!

This is kind of unrelated to RV'ing, so if this is inappropriate, my apologies.

I am about to retire - last day is June 5th. My 65th birthday is also in June. My question has to do with medical insurance.

I am a Disabled Vet, rated at 80%. My question is do I need to also sign up for medicare? I have used my employee insurance since employed, but do go to VA for annual physicals, and also "some prescriptions".

For those of you that are not retired vets, but in a similar position as me (not retired military), do you use VA Healthcare (solely)? Do you also use Medicare? If so, what parts? I can and do get hearing aids, eyeglasses thru VA.

How does this work when you're traveling with your rigs, away from home?

I can't get dental thru the VA, can I get that via medicare?

Who provides your medicare? Who has the best deal/rates (if used)?

Thanks for any info you might provide!

Steve

Yes. You have to pay the monthly medicare part B because medicare pays first once you turn 65.

When I turned 65 if I did not sign up for medicare I would have lost my TriCare. (Military retirement medical insurance) Medicare also has a $10 a month penalty for every year you delay signing up for medicare part B.

[Bill and Gail]

Originally Posted by rk06382

Yes. You have to pay the monthly medicare part B because medicare pays first once you turn 65.

When I turned 65 if I did not sign up for medicare I would have lost my TriCare. (Military retirement medical insurance) Medicare also has a $10 a month penalty for every year you delay signing up for medicare part B.

X2

[Witch Doctor]

Stay with the VA first off, you can go to any VA hospital when traveling, I’m a 100% rated vet. Second you have to sign up for Medicare, but you also need gap insurance being Medicare only pays 80% if you decide to use it instead of the VA. There is a number of organizations out there, check AARP site, there are quite a few they recommend. If you are retiring from work, your best bet is to stay on there insurance if you had it and offer it, Medicare becomes your primary then and your gap insurance is secondary. At the VA Medicare doesn’t help, government can’t pay government. I have both and use both all the time and use the VA as my primary DR. They also will send you the meds that you need on the road. Important get some kinda of prescription plan even if it’s GoodRx. Hope that helps you sign up for Medicare A &B.

[CHICKDOE]

it's three weeks until you retire and you are still asking these questions?

i would immediately postpone retirement for a month or two and spend your time getting all you questions answered and get a plan prepared. there are many insurance brokers out there that can help you make a plan. of course, they sell medicare advantage and supplement plans. go to some of the free seminars that you have probably been invited to, some even offer a free meal. but get the information that you need to make a plan before you cut the cord with employment and employee coverage. and for sure find out when your employee coverage ends. is it on the day your retire? and the end of the month you retire? etc. some of the medicare plans only start on the first of the month and you do not want to have a gap between your employee plan ending and medicare starting.

[Silverado333]

Chickdoe, I'm not a complete idiot! My plan was to work a couple more years, then retire. But due to Corona - The company is laying off employees, I decided to take the incentive package and retire now. Perhaps saving a younger co-worker their job.

I did not plan for Corona, but its here and its offered me this opportunity. I completely understand I need to sign up for Medicare. Based on my research, it looks like I will also sign up for Part B. I am not sure if I need to add other supplements, since I do get the VA Benefits. Based on what others are saying I will likely add Prescriptions, but still not sure if I need to add vision, or hearing (or anything else for that matter).

As I understand it, I have three months before my 65th birthday and up to three months after) before I have to sign up for Medicare. I will do so within the next couple weeks - once I complete my research.

Sometimes in life we aren't given a lot of options, But when an UNEXPECTED opportunity knocks. Well we do what we have to do. This is what I believe is best for me, perhaps you'd make a different choice. This one is mine.

As for some of the other comments, my company is offering three months of provided insurance - medical and dental. Unfortunately due to an earlier layoff I do not qualify for employer provided insurance. So VA and Medicare is it.

[CHICKDOE]

one of the gotchas that we had was the date that my employer coverage ended and the date that medicare started. you are right about the 3 months before and after your 65th birthday to enroll in medicare. but that is not the effective start date of medicare. if i remember correctly it takes something like up to two months after you sign up for medicare until it atually starts to cover you. yet my employer coverage ended within a week of the actual retirement date. so we had a gap period with no effective coverage between the two. your extended employer coverage may avoid this for you.

i hope the retirement buyout was good for you. and you are certainly correct. sometimes life just doesn't go as you would like. i've had a few in my past.

[ChrisParise]

The only new information I can offer to this thread, and think I've read all the posts to date, is about guaranteed acceptance.

When you turn 65, you have a once in a lifetime guaranteed acceptance into a Medicare Supplement plan. Supplements cost more than Advatage Plans but there's no out of pocket expenses or any deductible (except the Medicare annual, I think it is $185/year this year, deductible)

If you do not take a medicare supplement plan during the guaranteed acceptance period but later decide to switch from an advantage plan to a supplement plan you have no guarantee of acceptance and can be denied or face even higher premiums based on your health - like in the old days of buying private health insurance.

[Silverado333]

Originally Posted by Witch Doctor

Stay with the VA first off, you can go to any VA hospital when traveling, I’m a 100% rated vet. Second you have to sign up for Medicare, but you also need gap insurance being Medicare only pays 80% if you decide to use it instead of the VA. There is a number of organizations out there, check AARP site, there are quite a few they recommend. If you are retiring from work, your best bet is to stay on there insurance if you had it and offer it, Medicare becomes your primary then and your gap insurance is secondary. At the VA Medicare doesn’t help, government can’t pay government. I have both and use both all the time and use the VA as my primary DR. They also will send you the meds that you need on the road. Important get some kinda of prescription plan even if it’s GoodRx. Hope that helps you sign up for Medicare A &B.

Thanks for the valuable info Witch Doctor!! Can you clarify a few things. First, I am a member of AARP, Costco and USAA - I get mailings all the time from these and many others. WHY?? Don't I sign up directly thru SS.gov? Why do I keep getting all these other mailings? What do you do for Dental coverage? What about GAP?
Thanks!
SEVE

[Silverado333]

Originally Posted by CHICKDOE

one of the gotchas that we had was the date that my employer coverage ended and the date that medicare started. you are right about the 3 months before and after your 65th birthday to enroll in medicare. but that is not the effective start date of medicare. if i remember correctly it takes something like up to two months after you sign up for medicare until it atually starts to cover you. yet my employer coverage ended within a week of the actual retirement date. so we had a gap period with no effective coverage between the two. your extended employer coverage may avoid this for you.

i hope the retirement buyout was good for you. and you are certainly correct. sometimes life just doesn't go as you would like. i've had a few in my past.

Understood - My employer is providing 3 months paid FULL COBRA for same medical & Dental coverage, post June 5th (my last day), and of course I always have VA coverage too - so I don't believe I have a concern for any lag time. Thanks!

[CHICKDOE]

The point that praise makes in post #11 is very important. You only have that guaranteed acceptance period for a short time. There may be others down the road like for if you move. Buy after that the supplement carriers DO NOT have to accept you.

[mzbrandi]

I’m 100% service connected and am turning 65 next month. I also use VA for all my medical. Sign up.

Brandi

[High Desert]

Sign uo for all that you can afford! Medicare,, part A and part B. Part D is also a cost saver as it picks whatever medicare does not (we currently use AARP, part D). Prescription plans and dental plans are separate from medicare (don't let the ads on TV fool you as they are just selling insurance plans). If you have a percent of disability via the military, you can use the VA for whatever they can provide. In my case, I do not qualify for any VA medical benefits, as a vet, due to my income is over what the VA allows to qualify for veteran benefits so have to rely on purchased plans, which is fine by me.

[Btm]

Pay attention to post #11 and #16. This first time enrollment is guaranteed and does not have any medical or physical condition questions. Supplement plan G ( pays 100% ) cost more,but only has a co-pay of $20.00.

Part A, B, supplement plans and D are medicare controlled. After these it's like High Desert said, you are being sold insurance. Not that Advantage plans are bad, just be aware of what you are paying for.


Btm

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Silverado333

Thanks for the valuable info Witch Doctor!! Can you clarify a few things. First, I am a member of AARP, Costco and USAA - I get mailings all the time from these and many others. WHY?? Don't I sign up directly thru SS.gov? Why do I keep getting all these other mailings? What do you do for Dental coverage? What about GAP?
Thanks!
SEVE

well my gap insurance is through my union, as far as dental, I have the VA and wife has a private plan, you will get enrolled automatically in Medicare A andB as of your 65th birthday. They will take the cost out of your SS check. At 80% with the VA you don’t need gap insurance you will be covered. Use the VA and if you can’t get to one then use your Medicare card. I have never had a problem with where ever I was traveling there was always a VA or a clinic to go to. Also check the mission act, that’s using a private Dr. and the VA pays, also with that act they offer urgent care all over the USA, there web site will give you the address of the closest one to you, your really better covered then most people on here, use your benefits, enjoy your retirement I know I am and worry free from Drs bills.👍

[ChrisParise]

Please please please - you MUST ENROLL in Medicare, there is no such thing as automatic automatic enrollment in Medicare as was just stated in the above post.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Silverado333

Thanks for the valuable info Witch Doctor!! Can you clarify a few things. First, I am a member of AARP, Costco and USAA - I get mailings all the time from these and many others. WHY?? Don't I sign up directly thru SS.gov? Why do I keep getting all these other mailings? What do you do for Dental coverage? What about GAP?
Thanks!
SEVE

One Thing I should mention if your married and your wife is also 65 make sure she gets gap insurance for herself that 20% can eat you up, being she is not covered by the VA.....