How can yiou be working AND getting Medicare?
Odd thing is a Remember my grandfather telling me about 8yrs he paid $900/mth for "some Medicare co-insurance" him and his new wife (both in thier 80's)?
Working has nothing to do with being able to go on Medicare. It's quite easy, and very legal. I'm 70, still work full time for a small company, and have been on Medicare since I turned 65. When I turned 65, I had medical insurance through my company. They paid half and I paid half. My half was 600.00 a month, and going up 15% to 20% per year. Going on Medicare was a no-brainer. I have traditional Medicare, not an Advantage plan. Part A is free, covers 80% of hospital bills. Mind you, that's 80% of hospitalization, not the doctors inside the hospital that treat you. So you need to buy part B to cover 80% of the bills from said doctors. Now you're on the hook for 20% of the hospital bills and 20% of the doctor bills. That's why you need to buy a supplemental plan through an outside insurer to cover that 20% not covered in Parts A and B. I have a Part G supplement for that, and I also have a Part D drug plan. I looked into an Advantage plan. Yes, it offers many "advantages" but also many "disadvantages". On the surface it can be very tempting, and I was very tempted. But I chose to go with a traditional plan, not an Advantage plan, to be on the safe side.. As said elsewhere in this thread, the devil is in the details on the Advantage plan, and you are limited to which doctors and health networks you can use, and could have coverage problems when traveling, and especially when traveling abroad. And under some circumstances, you could be on the hook for some large bills. I'm not telling anyone to not get an Advantage plan, but research it carefully. Meet with a Medicare advisor, and make an informed decision, and choose what is best for you, and what you are comfortable with. And get a head start on researching and signing. You want to start this process 6 months before you turn 65, or whatever age you decide to do it. If you enroll in a traditional plan, as others here have advised, sign up immediately for Part B, the Part D drug plan, and the supplement of your choice. If you fail to do so at time of initial enrollment, you be penalized by having to pay more in the future when you do decide to enroll.
Hope this advise is helpful. Medicare can be a frustrating and confusing task to research, but you will need to do it. Good Luck!!!
