Any Social Security Experts Out There??

[CIGARBUM]

I am about to achieve the ripe old age of 65 in a few months. I have been recieving a ton of mail about Medicare "stuff". I am a retired Railroad (CSX) employee, I have never paid Social Security, it always been Railroad Retirement which differs a little.

I am single and have some medical problems all being controlled at the present time. Up in to this time I have been covered under the insurance policy of the Railroad that I believe will end and will convert to Medicare.

Does anyone have any insight in the selection that are offered. My main objective is to get greatest coverage with the least amount of out of pocket expensives.

Any help will be appreciated.

Cigarbum

[JJkizak]

If you call those people up[ on the phone they are very accomadating and will explain everything you need to know. To get things started they require you to mail them your original birth certificate.

JJK

[LarryC]

JJK's advice is very good -- call or visit the good folks at your local Social Security office, to get started.

There are several layers to health insurance under Medicare.

The first is Part A, which is basic Medicare but only covers hospital insurance. So, your first fundamental decision is to sign up for Part B, which adds coverage for physician services. Part B premiums are taken out of SS payments, so you'll want to find out if they're taken out of your RR payments. I strongly suggest that you do sign up, as waiting for later enrollment periods only increases the monthly cost if you sign up later.

Again, you need Part B since it covers a principal part of doctors' charges; Part A covers only hospital bills. Most of the cost of Part B is paid for by the federal government, so your premiums don't pay the full cost. It would be much more expensive if you had to buy it on your own.

The next layer, which is not subsidized by the government, is "Medigap" or supplemental insurance. A common source of information is the AARP, and you may want to give them a call. See https://www.aarp-medicaresupplement.com/?SourceCode=TID&gclid=CMG0mY3L1a0CFcfe4Aod_Wwbmw. Although these are private insurance policies, Congress enacted requirements for what they must cover, to reduce market confusion.

For a simple outline of "medigap," see https://www.cms.gov/Medigap/. More complete but more complicated is http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02110.pdf.

I hope this helps. It can be a massively complicated subject, so you'll want someone to guide you as JJK suggested.

[Edited]

[Guest " "]

My military retirement medical coverage will convert to part A medicare when I hit 65. Part A is basically worthless in the northeast. almost everyone needs a part B plan, which is a pay for item. Plans vary in costs and are provided by third party insurance providers. So you will also need to understand part B plans.

[Guest " "]

JJK's advice is very good -- call or visit the good folks at your local Social Security office, to get started.

There are several layers to health insurance under Medicare.

The first is Part A, which is basic Medicare but only covers hospital insurance. So, your first fundamental decision is to sign up for Part B, which adds coverage for physician services. Part B premiums are taken out of SS payments, so you'll want to find out if they're taken out of your RR payments. I strongly suggest that you do sign up, as waiting for later enrollment periods only increases the monthly cost if you sign up later.

Again, you need Part B since it covers a principal part of doctors' charges; Part A covers only hospital bills. Most of the cost of Part B is paid for by the federal government, so your premiums don't pay the full cost. It would be much more expensive if you had to buy it on your own.

The next layer, which is not subsidized by the government, is "Medigap" or supplemental insurance. A common source of information is the AARP, and you may want to give them a call; https://www.aarp-medicaresupplement.com/?SourceCode=TID&gclid=CMG0mY3L1a0CFcfe4Aod_Wwbmw. Although these are private insurance policies, Congress enacted requirements for what they must cover, to reduce market confusion.

For a simple outline of "medigap," see https://www.cms.gov/Medigap/. More complete but more complicated is http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02110.pdf.

I hope this helps. It can be a massively complicated subject, so you'll want someone to guide you as JJK suggested.

covered very well in this post. emphasis on the diffeence between part A and B.

[LarryC]

My military retirement medical coverage will convert to part A medicare when I hit 65.

SF, when I retired from the USPHS, I took the option to sign up for DOD's "Tricare For Life." I had to have Part B, which was well worth it in any case.

Tricare for Life is a "wrap-around insurance" for Medicare, apparently the equivalent of the supplemental or "medigap" policies I described, since I rarely have deductibles or co-insurance for my care under Medicare (this may vary by geographic area). Since I didn't sign up for a "Mediare Advantage Plan," I can get care from either a military facility like the Naval National Medical Center (now the combined Army-Navy Walter Reed) or in the private sector under Medicare. A great choice to have!

Tricare For Life was an excellent choice for me at retirement.

[BEC]

JJK's advice is very good -- call or visit the good folks at your local Social Security office, to get started.

There are several layers to health insurance under Medicare.

The first is Part A, which is basic Medicare but only covers hospital insurance. So, your first fundamental decision is to sign up for Part B, which adds coverage for physician services. Part B premiums are taken out of SS payments, so you'll want to find out if they're taken out of your RR payments. I strongly suggest that you do sign up, as waiting for later enrollment periods only increases the monthly cost if you sign up later.

Again, you need Part B since it covers a principal part of doctors' charges; Part A covers only hospital bills. Most of the cost of Part B is paid for by the federal government, so your premiums don't pay the full cost. It would be much more expensive if you had to buy it on your own.

The next layer, which is not subsidized by the government, is "Medigap" or supplemental insurance. A common source of information is the AARP, and you may want to give them a call. See https://www.aarp-medicaresupplement.com/?SourceCode=TID&gclid=CMG0mY3L1a0CFcfe4Aod_Wwbmw. Although these are private insurance policies, Congress enacted requirements for what they must cover, to reduce market confusion.

For a simple outline of "medigap," see https://www.cms.gov/Medigap/. More complete but more complicated is http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02110.pdf.

I hope this helps. It can be a massively complicated subject, so you'll want someone to guide you as JJK suggested.

[Edited]

Then there is Part D. If anyone ever figures that mess out, let me know.

[merkin]

At work we instruct people to go to medicare.gov and check out how to sign up for your part D plan. The plans very depending on your drug therapies and location. You have to plug all that in and compare cost. Good luck Being 65 and just a few medical problems is good. About the only people that are 65 and don't have a few problems are probably dead.

[Islander]

Our bodies are like our cars: every year, there are a few more dents on the outside, and a bit more rust on the inside...

[JJkizak]

The part B thing is standard for medicare and pays most items. The part B supplemental plans which you must pay for are for extended care in case of full disability. You will be bombarded in the mail with these supplemental plans and they will confuse you to no end inferring that you have no coverage uder part B.. The part D is for drugs which is also optional and you will be hounded to death in the mail also. If you get the part B (or part D) supplemental plan you will get a new card that looks like the medicare card but with the insurance companies logo, colors, and bullcrap on it. The insurance companies will bug you in the mail every year to sign up with them for the drug participation plan. The AARP will send you literature that will clog up your file cabinet ten times over and you will need a lawyer to figure it out if you want to take the whole year to do so but then you might be dead before you do. Then there is the constant barrage of nursing home literature received in the mail. Best of luck in figuring it all out.

JJK

[Groomlakearea51]

At the rate it's going, there will be a Part - "F" before it's over......

[CIGARBUM]

I guess this is what scares me the most, the government. The Railroad always made things very easy, now I'm not sure what is going to happen. The Railroad will in fact provide me with a Licensed Benefit Advisor, whatever that means, to assist me me in the proper selection and to make the process seamless. ya, I bet.

Parts D,E,F, whee will it end???

Cigarbum

[LarryC]

The Railroad will in fact provide me with a Licensed Benefit Advisor, whatever that means, to assist me me in the proper selection and to make the process seamless. ya, I bet.

From Wiki's description of the RR retirement system, I suggest you meet with the Benefit Advisor at an early time to start becoming familiar with it all. The RRR is interesting and looks better than SS in some ways, but help in coordinating the programs and benefits and getting around the seams looks like a good thing to me. You need someone who is familiar with all the programs to help coordinate your decisions and make sense out of it for you. Hopefully your advisor is a good one.

Part B of Medicare is NOT automatic -- in fact, you need to sign up for both. Over 95% of the over 65 have Part A and nearly 95% have Part B, which tells you that both are a very good deal. You almost take your life in your hands by not having both.

The next layer, "supplemental" insurance, is also important. However, it's private insurance and not included when you sign up for A and B. You should get this insurance IMO, to avoid, for example, a $1,000 deductible if you go into the hospital. I strongly suggest you find a contact at AARP -- they're in the business of making things easy for seniors, and sell very good supplemental policies to boot. Hopefully the Benefit Advisor will also be able to make good recommendations along these lines.

By all means, don't let yourself be buffaloed by the spectre of Parts D through whatever. Parts A and B are a basic given. Get good advice on "Part D."

Also, be informed of pros and cons of "original" Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage before deciding on the latter. I chose original.