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Post by stevez51 on Feb 22, 2019 11:05:25 GMT -5
Do you have part b along with the supplemental.? My wife has found in the office she works in people opted for the cheaper plans than part b. But some of those plans have different rules about appointments & payments. We have part a & b through the government. The remainder is through Cigna Medicare Surround which includes prescriptions. Ok. My wife will mention some stories when the ads from AARP run.
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Post by guido2 on Feb 22, 2019 11:15:15 GMT -5
We have part a & b through the government. The remainder is through Cigna Medicare Surround which includes prescriptions. Ok. My wife will mention some stories when the ads from AARP run. A is mandatory. B is optional be it through the feds or private. So one of AARPs offerings could include type b coverage as well as supplemental. Sort of a roll up. At least in our case since we had Cigna through BCPS before Medicare. And were still able to tie to the group plan savings with Surround it was the best of both worlds for us. Again everybody is different. That is what makes doing this so hard. Especially if you retire ...hit 65...must take Medicare but ...as in my case β¦.waiting till 66 for full benefits. There it gets messy and difficult. As I have written and warned about earlier.
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Post by guido2 on Apr 24, 2019 13:23:07 GMT -5
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Post by guido2 on Jul 19, 2019 11:38:47 GMT -5
MEDICARE ALERT!
Just thought I'd pass something on to you guys that I just discovered. We all pretty much know that Medicare and SS are joined at the hip in many ways. But I was attempting to check my payment to Medicare and had great difficulty finding out where to go for that.
HERE IS THE ALERT part. I thought logically (I think) that the portal to Medicare would be through a Medicare portal or through SS portal link. NOPE. You must sign up with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS) and set up an account. It is not difficult or hard to do but not something you want to be dealing with (again I think) in a pressure situation....such as for some reason you are denied services at a hospital.
You can set up the account at MyMedicare.gov. There phone number is 1-800-633-4227
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Post by palealeman on Jul 21, 2019 9:54:36 GMT -5
There's also an app -- What's Covered -- that will let you know if Medicare covers a particular service or not. I have it on my Android phone and tablet. Don't know if it's available for iPhone or not, but I would presume so.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jul 21, 2019 14:37:57 GMT -5
I'll need to deal with this in a few years: My understanding: Part A covers in-patient hospitalization, pre-paid (in essence) and therefore no premiums. Part B covers doctor's office visits and costs a couple hundred a month (assuming you claim it at 65 without an exemption) Part D covers prescriptions and costs... ? All of it covers 80% and most people purchase gap insurance for around ? that covers the rest Are there other parts? Like Part C? What are they for? Anyone who has had to figure this stuff out and can summarize for me would help me a lot. Thanks! I tried to find a government site a few years ago but it was rather dry reading, and since I was much farther off then, I kinda lost interest. Not looking forward to figuring this out, but it's liable to be cheaper than the insurance I buy now, at least. And it's probably less difficult than I think. Getting a birth certificate for my upcoming driver's license renewal wasn't difficult at all, which surprised me since people were telling horror stories...
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Post by palealeman on Jul 21, 2019 16:51:37 GMT -5
Yoda,
Sprightly has linked to 2 sites for you. If you don't want to wade through, then:
Part A is hospital insurance. Required, and at no cost to you other than deductibles or costs if coverage runs out.
Part B is essentially outpatient and some other things. You pay a premium. After an annual deductible, B pays 80% and you pay the other 20%.
Part D is drug coverage. There are numerous providers to choose from with different costs for monthly premiums and sometimes different costs for the same drugs. Look around.
Part C is essentially HMO or PPO coverage. It's generally your monthly Medicare premium, then you have copays for various services. Some of these plans also include drug coverage.
Since Part B only covers 80% of costs after a deductible, and there could be some costs associated with Part A under some circumstances, Medigap plans are available if you choose traditional Medicare and Plans A and B. There are about 10 different variants, each with slightly different levels of coverage, ranging from "not a lot" to "everything," and with different premiums -- the more you get, the more you pay.
Sometimes your work insurance may be "convertible" to become, in effect, a Medicare supplement. I worked for the state and retired. I was able to choose a BC/BS plan through the State the covers what Medicare doesn't. Other than premiums and prescription copays, my wife and I haven't had a medical bill since we turned 65.
Good luck with your navigation through the system. Take your time, ask questions. We're here to help you if needed.
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Post by guido2 on Jul 22, 2019 12:26:22 GMT -5
There's also an app -- What's Covered -- that will let you know if Medicare covers a particular service or not. I have it on my Android phone and tablet. Don't know if it's available for iPhone or not, but I would presume so. It is. I loaded it for a patient. This might be one of the few good uses for my 'smart phone'. π I would imagine that you think highly of it sprightly to load it for a patient? Thanks to both you an pale for this info. Now where did I leave my phone. π
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Post by guido2 on Jul 22, 2019 12:46:16 GMT -5
Yoda; pale and sprightly have given you a really good head start on the voyage through Medicare. I suggest that you might take a few moments to scroll back through this thread...yeah way back...and skim/read through it. Many people have dropped some good info in it along the way.
Now the only real thing I can add is this. Because it bit me in the butt...in fact I put some posts on this thread about it. So here in a nutshell is the butt bite:
Always remember this: When you take SS benefits (not signing up for them) is up to you.... When you take Medicare is NOT. In both cases you are 'fully eligible' at age 65. With SS you can take it earlier or later that is up to you. HOWEVER, taking Medicare is not. You must enroll in Medicare at 65. And you must enroll for benefits for SS too at that time but that doesn't mean you actually have to start drawing a check.
You do not have to take SS at 65 and can defer for sometime. But you MUST start using Medicare benefits as soon as you turn 65. And pay for those benefits (additional plans too) at that start point.
Now the problem is when you don't take SS benefits. Normally people enroll and start getting checks from SS at the and at the same time ...through deductions, paying for Medicare from your SS check. If you do not take SS then you must start paying directly via check/etc to Medicare for that service till such time that you do take SS. Then it will take it from the SS check.
That is NOT very clear in the myriad of instructions that I found and many were in some case in direct conflict with each other. It took many lengthy phone calls and research to unravel that one. More than one consultant said that the clarity about that was pretty messed up and they spend a LOT of time working cases like this.
So bottom line; if you plan to really start drawing on your SS at 65 it is easy pretty much automatic. But if you deferred like I am till 66 to get more money in my SS check. Then you better make sure that the Medicare payments are lined up so you don't have a gap between your present coverage and when Medicare kicks in.
Hope this helps....
And good input for all you fellow contributors....thanks!
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Post by pickle20 on Jul 22, 2019 14:45:46 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2019 20:39:11 GMT -5
It has positive possibilities. Why should John Q. who has no kids be expected to pay for anothers pleasure or mistakes?
parents could either take less money in retirement, or work for three to six months longer before retiring.
The 3 to 6 months is nothing unless it's without pay. The deduction until the "loan" is paid for sounds better to me.
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Post by guido2 on Jul 23, 2019 10:11:28 GMT -5
It has positive possibilities. Why should John Q. who has no kids be expected to pay for anothers pleasure or mistakes?
parents could either take less money in retirement, or work for three to six months longer before retiring.
The 3 to 6 months is nothing unless it's without pay. The deduction until the "loan" is paid for sounds better to me.
John Q is already doing that....it is called welfare, snap and Medicaid. But at least this plan takes into account that having a family is the parents responsibility (in theory) not societies (in theory). Easy way around all this to keep Mr. and Mrs Happy behind zippers till they can afford a kid if they don't want to pay back the 'loan'.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Jul 23, 2019 10:18:05 GMT -5
Part of choosing to have children includes deciding whether or not you can afford them. If you can't afford them, pushing that cost onto others isn't right. You need to wait until you can afford them.
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Post by pickle20 on Jul 23, 2019 10:34:54 GMT -5
Part of choosing to have children includes deciding whether or not you can afford them. If you can't afford them, pushing that cost onto others isn't right. You need to wait until you can afford them. It pushes the costs of parental leave into the future of your own SS benefits. That millions of young parents might dip into their SS for 90 days from 20-40 could have big ramifications for seniors collecting SS today. Theoretically, this bill is fiscally sound compared to the plans the Dems have for parental leave. But as we all know, SS is not fiscally sound and never will be.
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Post by guido2 on Aug 1, 2019 10:53:00 GMT -5
In which case a majority of babies would never be born. And? What is wrong with not being born into a life of likely poverty, misery and fear?
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cyhmn
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Post by cyhmn on Aug 1, 2019 20:03:15 GMT -5
ou In which case a majority of babies would never be born. And? What is wrong with not being born into a life of likely poverty, misery and fear?
in theory this sounds perfect. In reality it is unworkable as you cannot control a lot of economic factors-- for example your remployer decides to make you unemployed...or you are the unfortunate victim of any number of natural disasters. Sprightly is right....of course the other downside to your idea is there wouldn't be anyone to contribute to your social security or anyone else's for that matter...then there would be the employment issues caused by a severe negative birth rate....
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Post by guido2 on Aug 2, 2019 11:00:06 GMT -5
ou And? What is wrong with not being born into a life of likely poverty, misery and fear?
in theory this sounds perfect. In reality it is unworkable as you cannot control a lot of economic factors-- for example your remployer decides to make you unemployed...or you are the unfortunate victim of any number of natural disasters. Sprightly is right....of course the other downside to your idea is there wouldn't be anyone to contribute to your social security or anyone else's for that matter...then there would be the employment issues caused by a severe negative birth rate....
Not to be cold....but most 'kids' that are born into poverty etc....do NOT become big contributors to SS or otherwise. And if anything that are a negative draw down the road on things like SS and social service. The take they don't contribute. Or are all those complaining about no job opportunities in cities like Baltimore just blowing hot air? Or the constant demand for more funding for social services just 'fake news'. So your negative birth rate is bogus.
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cyhmn
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Post by cyhmn on Aug 2, 2019 16:34:10 GMT -5
ou
in theory this sounds perfect. In reality it is unworkable as you cannot control a lot of economic factors-- for example your remployer decides to make you unemployed...or you are the unfortunate victim of any number of natural disasters. Sprightly is right....of course the other downside to your idea is there wouldn't be anyone to contribute to your social security or anyone else's for that matter...then there would be the employment issues caused by a severe negative birth rate....
Not to be cold....but most 'kids' that are born into poverty etc....do NOT become big contributors to SS or otherwise. And if anything that are a negative draw down the road on things like SS and social service. The take they don't contribute. Or are all those complaining about no job opportunities in cities like Baltimore just blowing hot air? Or the constant demand for more funding for social services just 'fake news'. So your negative birth rate is bogus. my negative birth rate is correct. Just take a look at the number of available jobs and look at why they can't be filled-- there aren't enough people to fill them. As a boomer I am sure you understand that 10000 a day are retiring and less then 10000 a day are beginning their work lives....very simple math
not cold, a touchof "I got mine'ism" sprinkled in with a relatively small sample size, and gross generalization about poor people...
part of fixing SS involves raising the ceiling for contributions to something more reflective of the current situation...move the cap from 129K to 250K....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2019 16:43:30 GMT -5
Not to be cold....but most 'kids' that are born into poverty etc....do NOT become big contributors to SS or otherwise. And if anything that are a negative draw down the road on things like SS and social service. The take they don't contribute. Or are all those complaining about no job opportunities in cities like Baltimore just blowing hot air? Or the constant demand for more funding for social services just 'fake news'. So your negative birth rate is bogus. my negative birth rate is correct. Just take a look at the number of available jobs and look at why they can't be filled-- there aren't enough people to fill them. As a boomer I am sure you understand that 10000 a day are retiring and less then 10000 a day are beginning their work lives....very simple math
not cold, a touchof "I got mine'ism" sprinkled in with a relatively small sample size, and gross generalization about poor people...
part of fixing SS involves raising the ceiling for contributions to something more reflective of the current situation...move the cap from 129K to 250K.... Why have a cap? The higher your salary, the less likely it is that SS will play a major role in your retirement. I would not only take the cap off, but would raise the rate % after $350K. And as far as "you pay into SS with the thought of getting it back" I agree, but it's original purpose, it's raison d'etre, was to make sure those unable and, to a degree, unwilling to save for their retirement had at least some income. It was never intended to provide an income stream to those who didn't absolutely have to have it.
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Post by guido2 on Aug 22, 2019 12:14:34 GMT -5
This reminds meβ¦.. turning 66 next month....time to collect on my 'investment'. ππ
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Post by Gentile on Sept 8, 2019 9:15:19 GMT -5
My wife and I had college degrees, decent jobs, savings set aside and owned a quaint little two-bedroom house when we decided to have our first child.
We had twins and immediately grew out of the house. One of the twins has serious health issues to this day, but also enough fight and spunk in him to get married last weekend. I was his best man.
Me and Mrs. G thought we were prepared for our first child but we weren't...
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Post by guido2 on Sept 9, 2019 9:53:51 GMT -5
Ok gang. Now that I am really applying to collect SS at 66 well you guessed it....another rats nest that I thought I would share. Maybe someone here has run up against it and can explain how it really works. Seeing as how the SS help pages are as before useless.
I deferred collection at 65 and am now applying for it at 66. The month differentiation is around 500 per month believe it or not. But as always nothing is clear. So the facts: - I turn 66 on Sept 22. - Your birthday is the trip wire for full benefit. - While filling out the e-forms I came to a selection 'WHEN DO YOU WISH TO START BENEFITS' or similar I forget exactly. But the choices are; Do you want the start of benefits to start in Sept? Oct? Or November. - Further muddying the waters is that the SS says that the first check will come one month after you apply. But makes no mention of month selection.
Now he is the question(s) to which there is no answer I can; -If I start in Sept. will my check be for the full benefit of 66 years or 65, especially since my birthday is in the later part of the month. So in that case if I pick 65 then I will be penalized on all subsequent checks going forward. - Or the system is smart enough ππ± to realize that I am applying for 66 benefits although at this moment I am only 65. Messing that up at 500 a month is A LOT OF CASH. -Or does selecting Sept and including 'first check' into October roll me into 66 benefits. -Or does it mean apply and request Sept., your check will be for 66 benefits in the Oct check. -Or does it mean if I say Oct then I lose the a check cause now the check won't be cut till November.
Confusing huh....you betcha...β¦β¦β¦β¦..
Yeah you think they would have a simple checkbox I wish to receive benefits after my 66th birthday.
As I said I have been through the SS webpages and AARP etc. and like before it is uber-confusing. And I can build a house in the time I spent trying to get SS to pick up the phone.
So if anyone has any ideas (hopefully with links π) it would be appreciated.
If I find anything I will post.
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Post by littleme on Sept 9, 2019 15:44:47 GMT -5
Ok gang. Now that I am really applying to collect SS at 66 well you guessed it....another rats nest that I thought I would share. Maybe someone here has run up against it and can explain how it really works. Seeing as how the SS help pages are as before useless. I deferred collection at 65 and am now applying for it at 66. The month differentiation is around 500 per month believe it or not. But as always nothing is clear. So the facts: - I turn 66 on Sept 22. - Your birthday is the trip wire for full benefit. - While filling out the e-forms I came to a selection 'WHEN DO YOU WISH TO START BENEFITS' or similar I forget exactly. But the choices are; Do you want the start of benefits to start in Sept? Oct? Or November. - Further muddying the waters is that the SS says that the first check will come one month after you apply. But makes no mention of month selection. Now he is the question(s) to which there is no answer I can; -If I start in Sept. will my check be for the full benefit of 66 years or 65, especially since my birthday is in the later part of the month. So in that case if I pick 65 then I will be penalized on all subsequent checks going forward. - Or the system is smart enough ππ± to realize that I am applying for 66 benefits although at this moment I am only 65. Messing that up at 500 a month is A LOT OF CASH. -Or does selecting Sept and including 'first check' into October roll me into 66 benefits. -Or does it mean apply and request Sept., your check will be for 66 benefits in the Oct check. -Or does it mean if I say Oct then I lose the a check cause now the check won't be cut till November. Confusing huh....you betcha...β¦β¦β¦β¦.. Yeah you think they would have a simple checkbox I wish to receive benefits after my 66th birthday. As I said I have been through the SS webpages and AARP etc. and like before it is uber-confusing. And I can build a house in the time I spent trying to get SS to pick up the phone. So if anyone has any ideas (hopefully with links π) it would be appreciated. If I find anything I will post. Why don't you just go to the SS office and speak to a live person and ask them your questions.
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Post by guido2 on Sept 9, 2019 15:54:21 GMT -5
Ok gang. Now that I am really applying to collect SS at 66 well you guessed it....another rats nest that I thought I would share. Maybe someone here has run up against it and can explain how it really works. Seeing as how the SS help pages are as before useless. I deferred collection at 65 and am now applying for it at 66. The month differentiation is around 500 per month believe it or not. But as always nothing is clear. So the facts: - I turn 66 on Sept 22. - Your birthday is the trip wire for full benefit. - While filling out the e-forms I came to a selection 'WHEN DO YOU WISH TO START BENEFITS' or similar I forget exactly. But the choices are; Do you want the start of benefits to start in Sept? Oct? Or November. - Further muddying the waters is that the SS says that the first check will come one month after you apply. But makes no mention of month selection. Now he is the question(s) to which there is no answer I can; -If I start in Sept. will my check be for the full benefit of 66 years or 65, especially since my birthday is in the later part of the month. So in that case if I pick 65 then I will be penalized on all subsequent checks going forward. - Or the system is smart enough ππ± to realize that I am applying for 66 benefits although at this moment I am only 65. Messing that up at 500 a month is A LOT OF CASH. -Or does selecting Sept and including 'first check' into October roll me into 66 benefits. -Or does it mean apply and request Sept., your check will be for 66 benefits in the Oct check. -Or does it mean if I say Oct then I lose the a check cause now the check won't be cut till November. Confusing huh....you betcha...β¦β¦β¦β¦.. Yeah you think they would have a simple checkbox I wish to receive benefits after my 66th birthday. As I said I have been through the SS webpages and AARP etc. and like before it is uber-confusing. And I can build a house in the time I spent trying to get SS to pick up the phone. So if anyone has any ideas (hopefully with links π) it would be appreciated. If I find anything I will post. Why don't you just go to the SS office and speak to a live person and ask them your questions. Hey did my wife call you? ππ Yeah I threw in the towel. I am packing a couple of books, a sandwich and some water. π Going tomorrow.
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Post by littleme on Sept 9, 2019 16:05:30 GMT -5
Why don't you just go to the SS office and speak to a live person and ask them your questions. Hey did my wife call you? ππ Yeah I threw in the towel. I am packing a couple of books, a sandwich and some water. π Going tomorrow. The last time we went we weren't there that long. I guess it depends on which office and time of day/week that you go.
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Post by guido2 on Sept 9, 2019 16:18:13 GMT -5
Hey did my wife call you? ππ Yeah I threw in the towel. I am packing a couple of books, a sandwich and some water. π Going tomorrow. The last time we went we weren't there that long. I guess it depends on which office and time of day/week that you go. I have to admit that I have been on this hamster wheel with SS. I went through what a good citizen does, filed on line blah blah. Actually I gave up about a week ago. And sat and sat for a human to pick up the line. Either to ask for an answer to my questions OR allow me to make an appointment to avoid lines/sitting AS THERE WEB PAGES STATE! And admittedly it got personal,,,, I will defeat the beasty,,, yeah right. So I will be the faithful hamster...eat my sandwich...and glory in the idea ...that...the 'advice' they give me will be correct.
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Post by guido2 on Sept 12, 2019 11:57:28 GMT -5
Well... I finally got that straightened out. The facts you all may find helpful.
- The month of your birthday regardless of where in the month you fall is your 'vested' date. So IOWs I am fully vested on Sept 22 'officially' but the SS considers the entire month to be your fully vested month. - That means regardless of what the web says or misleads with. Apply I your birth month and you get full vesting. In my case that means I will not get the reduced age 65 rate. But if you are 65 or less that month will be your 'actual payment' calculation used on your check. Which varies according to age. So waiting a month or two could mean an extra 100 or so depending. - The actual check will arrive the following month around the date you actually applied plus on month. So in my case I applied on 9/11 my check should be here 10/11 - The SS associate also explained the multiple month selections to apply/get my check. In my case Sept, Oct, Nov. . That was for people that are taking retirement 'early' meaning prior to 66. So they can 'squeeze' the last few bucks out of SS. Nice touch I think. Confusing but nice.
Other tid bits. - I am NOT alone in this confusion. The SS Associate stated that this question and associated confusion comes up frequently. And the SSA's have taken notes and pushed them up hill for years and nothing changes. Naturally.
-OHHHH and this is really important. I 'complained nicely' that the phone numbers they gave to call for help or setting up an appointment had no 'please press x to....' for that. To which she was surprised. In fact she called those numbers and was very 'What the?'. Total and absolute surprise on her part. And it was honest β¦ I could see it in her face. She promised to talk to her boss.
IN THE MEAN TIME.... she gave me a work around...after dialing and getting the selection menu...HIT ZERO on your phone...that pushes you into the 'talk to a human queue'...then HIT ZERO again and again. She said that there is a little known "I am getting POed' algorithm in the system that jumps you up the queue.
But bottom line, I have to say that my experience at the Owings Mills office was quick and efficient. I waited maybe 15 minutes as a walk in and was out the door in less than 30 minutes after that.
Hope this information is helpful
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