Turning 65.
 

What are the steps we Villagers should take as we move to the 65 year mark with respect to Medicare?


I have almost a year though to plan.

Start here to get sound advice versusTOTV opinions.
SHINE - Counseling Sites

Come on! TOTV answers are so much more fun. :1rotfl:

That they are.

Determine if you want a supplement plan or an Advantage plan. If the former you can get on a plan without answering health questions within 6 months of turning 65. After that you will gave to answer questions about your health.

Omg

:agree:

Go to the county office and apply for your 65 years old Homestead discount

Are you a veteran? If so DAV can answer your questions first.. If not then I agree Shine is a good resource, but you may get a first time volunteering as I did, that really could answer any questions, help, in anyway.

So my recommendations for Shine is to go more than once, different volunteers have better answers for you.

I don’t use a Medicare supplement. I am healthy for my age group due to food choices and activities. I see one physician once a year, so with my regular deductible, I pay out very little.

That may change later in life once the 70s, and beyond comes around, but for right now I just add what I save on advantage plans in my travel account

65 years of Procrastination, but needs answers immediately…taking the bull by the horns is your first step in life’s Rodeo

Try the Elder Helpline. I've never used them but all states have such a service. They should be able to answer your questions.

Elder Helpline 1-800-963-5337
Florida Department of Elder Affairs

go see the people at SHINE ( Serving Health Insurance Needs of the Elderly). several meeting places....Lake Miona Rec Center, Eisenhower Rec Center, Chula Vista Rec Center, Lady Lake Library. All different days and times. They are Medicare trained people, NOT insurance people.

Get a supplement plan and never look back. You can go anywhere in the country (even in the world with some plans) that accept Medicare (except for the villages healthcare places, which could be a plus). These plans cost very little per month and what you get is no copays, $200 deductibles, no referrals, and no refusing medical services. Some of the advantage plans have very high deductibles, copays, and if you listen to people who have these advantage plans, they are constantly getting their health care procedures not approved so the companies can save money.
The biggest decision you have is when you turn 65: this is the only time you won’t get refused getting a supplement plan, after 65, any supplement plan can refuse you. Also, if you have a supplement plan in another state, you don’t need to change to a florida based plan because supplement plans are accepted everywhere medicare is accepted.

The main initial steps are learning about the byzantine Medicare system and choices you have. It’s complicated.

Two areas you might think about to get a fuller understanding of Medicare are: (1) healthcare insurance and (2) healthcare providers. Your personal choices of healthcare providers (e.g., which physician you can see, which cancer center can you go to) may be determined by what Medicare insurance plan you choose.

You can put Medicare consultants into two groups: compensated and not compensated. Generally, the non-compensated Medicare consultants will give you more unbiased information. The State of Florida has an agency that others have mentioned, SHINE, that offers free information for seniors including Medicare information. I believe many compensated Medicare consultants are biased toward Medicare Advantage plans (versus traditional Medicare) because there is more profit for the insurance companies and large health systems, and those organizations have big marketing budgets and pay their agents.

I suggest starting by reading a lot from not-for-profit sources that seem competent (Medicare choices are complicated and overwhelming when first learning about the system). AARP, although they get advertising dollars and tends to get somewhat biased at times, is a relatively good place to start reading about Medicare choices. Then read from there.

The last place I would start learning about Medicare is asking for personal opinions. Start with people who have been trained in that complicated system.

Good luck.