I didn’t consider NOT taking part A since its free. There was no point is paying the monthly premium for part B since I think (didn’t confirm this since I want planning to take B) my DH’s BCBS would still be primary and its unlikely a secondary would pay anything, so why bother. And the monthly premium looks like it would have been several hundred dollars a month , based on joint tax filing income numbers. There is also an issue if you have a HSA https://www.ssa.gov/planners/retire/justmedicare.html
We had H get part A shortly after turning 65 but waited until he retired to pay for part B as well. His BCBS was and is excellent and primary. We saved an extra 5 years of Medicare B premiums in this manner. Now his Medicare is primary for him and his insurance pays any balance so he rarely pays anything out of pocket except vision and dental.
His BCBS provides Rx coverage and is better than any MediGap or Medicare Advantage programs plus since he has family plan it covers me and other dependents.
My prescription plan is lousy. Can I get Medicare part D if I didn’t take part B? I probably won’t since I don’t take much of any meds but I just wondered.
D us useful for the future when you MAY be prescribed expensive Rx. For example, some monthly infusion meds are $100,000+/year!
When I looked into D, Walmart’s was the least expensive. As I don’t live so near a Walmart’s, I chose silver scripts. The agent plugged in the meds I used to see what plan would be least expensive.
Infusion is a medical expense so doesn’t fall under Part D. Personal experience reveals that Silver Scripts is like your mother. They call you up and nag you if you’re a day late refilling your prescription. Kind of annoying.
I’m on regular non-Medicare prescription coverage and they nag me every 90 days. Of course they do. It’s their income stream. If I am non-compliant and only take my med 75% of the time ( true happening in my life, doesn’t matter much) , my pharma giant will fall behind in income if they don’t nag me.
I am supposed to take an Rx MWF but the MD writes it for daily, just in case. I get nagged regularly by CVS.
I like having Rx covered. They rally can add up, especially if you are on several and they are each 300-500. Our eye drops are $500/month/person but our copay is $30 or so. I’m on 3 inhalers, an epi-pen, a beta blocker and an acid blocker plus 2 nasal sprays. All are via Rx.
Question: I am really confused about the sequence of signing up for Medicare Advantage and/or Medigap and/or Part D. I’m single & self-employed – with ACA coverage – and I turn 65 in February 2019. It looks like I can sign up for Medicare A/B online in October (3 months before 65th birthday). But assuming I want Medicare Advantage … what do I do? Do I go ahead and sign up for A+B and simltaneously try to sign up for the other plans through an insurance broker? or do I wait until after I am approved for A+B and then sign up?
Also, I can see that various forms of add-on insurance can be changed during an annual open enrollment period… but are their limits? For example, I am not on any regular medications and never get prescriptions except occasional short-term things like an antibiotic. So I’ve never worried about RX coverage because even a minimal premium is more than I would usually spend. But if I don’t take part D… would I be able to get it later? Or if I opted for a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan that had lower premiums & less coverage early on… would I be able to switch to a more comprehensive plan down the line when my health profile changes?
(aargh… I’ve spent all these years assuming that Medicare would make things simpler… and now that I’m trying to figure out the system I really don’t want to give up my Obamacare!)
I would recommend not taking Medicare advantage.
I went to an agent. She directed me to a plan that is less expensive for females. One hour in her office and all was done. No cost to me. (This includes signing up for 3 plans on the computer.)
I could have saved money if I had taken one of the least expensive plans with a very good company. You pay less per month, and have @ a $2200 deductible. Such plans don’t pay the Medicare deductible, which is @$180. After the deductible is met, then Medicare &the secondary pay 100%.
Personally, I wouldn’t have saved $$ in the two years I’ve had Medicare. I scheduled my first colonoscopy for the month I turned 65, and the second year I had surgery. I also am taking better care of myself. I see the dermatologist 2x a year, and saw an Opthamologist for the first time.
I know I can change part D every year, but I don’t know if I could have skipped it completely.
Advantage plans mean you have a large co payment. In my area, you’d have a very hard time finding doctors who accept Advantage plans, cuz they pay less than than a traditional Medicare plan.
Can I ask why you don’t recommend Medicare Advantage plans? I am 2 years away from Medicare but my mom lives in upstate NY and has, for years now, a very comprehensive and well-priced Medicare Advantage plan. All the doctors and hospitals in her community are part of the network and her premiums are not much at all. It effectively covers her meds, testing, PT, and even has a vision and dental component. The co-pays for hospitalization and specialists are reasonable, too.
^ Medicare advantage worked well for my mom until she fell, broke pelvis, and we learned that Medigap Plan F is considered a much better plan.
A related question - for those who started on Medicare B before they started on social security, when do you get the bill? I turned 65 this month and signed up a couple of months ago. I was expecting to have received a bill by now.
Re not signing up for Medicare D - if you don’t sign up during your initial enrollment period (3 months before you turn 65 to 3 months after) or your special enrolment period (,if for instance you have insurance elsewhere) then you can only sign up during the annual enrolment period from mid October to early December with coverage starting january. You will pay a permanent penalty if you don’t sign up when you are first eligible (again exceptions apply it you have other coverage and delay because of that). I believe the penalty is pretty hefty.
There is a plan finder at the Medicare website that helps you compare plans available in your area. If you are taking any prescriptions you can enter what they are here and it shows you the costs by plan - you should do this every year as some plans may change coverage for some drugs from year to year. My husband changed his this year as his cost was going to go up several thousand on one drug if he stayed with his old plan. You never know when you might need prescription meds and they can be expensive. I would certainly not want to be without coverage.
My husband has plan F - he pays very little out of pocket (except prescriptions but that is a whole other story). Over the 5 years he was under M D Anderson we twice had to pay $50.
I am actually quite excited to be going on Medicare this month - premiums will be a little lower than I was paying for the spousal retiree plan but I won’t have $3000 deductible to meet. I got sick the last week of January - a few days before the start of the month I was going to be on Medicare - good my husband I didn’t care if on was dying, I was NOT going to the doctor before May 1 and having to meet the deductible 
@runnersmom I think it depends on where you are. Where my parents live lots of doctors won’t take it
I will have an Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield Medicare Advantage Preferred Provider Plan. It’s actually excellent coverage. I am not in CA!
@calmom I was told…In my case, i must be signed up for Medicare parts A and B. In my case, there is a charge for Medicare Advantage…some plans have no charge. I am required to be current on my Medicare payments as well.
YMMV on this depending on the type of Medicare Advantage Plan you are getting.
@jym626 there are a lot of different kinds of Medicare Advantage programs, and the service provisions vary from plan to plan.
In terms of doctors…where I am, every doctor who takes Medicare seems to be on the list of in network providers.
@swimcatsmom, I signed up for Medicare in July 2016 and received my first premium bill in September. They billed me quarterly until I turned 66 and started receiving social security. Now they just take the premium out of my SS check.
@patsmom - so you get billed 3 months in arrears?
I’ll be in SS next year. Too young right now (not often I get to say that nowadays!) as I am still working. It will be a little simpler just having it deducted from SS!
In post 34 I meant I got sick April a few days before Medicare kicked in, not January
Should also say TOLD my husband I didn’t care if I was dying - not good!