[Big_Al]

When you first turn 65, you must sign up for Medicare Part A.
You don't have to use it, however.
I did not retire until age 67.5, at that point I began using Part A and activated Part B.
However, that is not enough to save you from bankruptcy if you have a catastrophic illness or injury.
That is where a supplemental policy from a non-government becomes essential. HOWEVER, you MUST do your research and get a good one.
So, the government charges $200/month for Part B, plus I pay $300/month for my supplemental. NOT an Advantage Plan, they suck.
As ex-military I am eligible for USAA insurance. I have their Medicare Supplemental Plan F, and my recent total knee replacement was completely covered. Just the hospital part alone was $138,000!!!
I could have gotten it done by the VA, but there is no way in hell I would let a VA doctor do something that extreme.

 

[Big_Al]

Exactly. I wish I could afford the coverage you have but that alone could bankrupt me. My hubs had it a couple of months after he was diagnosed with cancer. Just in the three months before the DX and the two months he didn't have the plan like yours our out of pocket was in the thousands with our Advantage Plan.

At first i had a Medicare Advantage plan through Humana.
It did not cost anything extra beyond what was already being deducted from my SS. But, it had high co-pays and high out of pocket.
And then I had a stomach ulcer, that went undiagnosed for months, until I just about bled to death.
Three days in the hospital, 4 units of blood, and other medications. A colonoscopy and an endoscopy to find the site of the ulcer.
Bottom line was very extreme. Luckily the hospital wrote off over $20,000. But I still had to pay $100/month for almost two years to pay off the bill.

Lesson learned - cheaper is not always better.

 

[Big_Al]

Why on earth would anyone WANT Medicaid?
Medicaid is totally different than Medicare. Medicaid is for people dependent upon welfare who don't have a job that has medical insurance benefits, or otherwise are unable to obtain insurance.
Medicaid is the bottom of the barrel for health care and many, many doctors will not even accept it as the re-payment rate is so low.

 

[Big_Al]

Medicaid or Medicare? Actually if your income on SS is low enough you can qualify for Medicaid.

I've seen the commercials for zero Medicare premiums. Since I probably wouldn't qualify I have not looked into whether this is legit or not.

Those ads most likely mean no premiums beyond what the government already deducts.
Humana is one company that offers those plans. I had one. The choice of doctors was limited. I had a plan that also included vision and dental, which is why I chose that particular plan. Again, the choice of eye doctors, and more importantly, the actual eyeglass providers, was exceedingly slim. In my area the only provider that would accept Humana is Pearle Vision.
Remember the old saying - you get what you pay for.

 

[Big_Al]

I've had to sign up this year and Medicare plus a supplement is cheaper than what was being paid for my coverage through DH's policy. I've also had the opportunity to 'break it in' with my ankle fracture a couple of months ago. Multiple appointments, casting & splints, xrays, surgery, physical therapy later.... they said my deductible for the year was $233 and that really is what it is. I had been thinking of signing up for an Advantage plan, but experience is now telling me that I chose well with standard Medicare and the supplement. Despite the name, Advantage really doesn't seem to have any advantages.

Medicare Advantage and a Supplemental Plan are two different animals.
Advantage absolutely sucks. Having a supplemental plan is absolutely necessary unless you have very deep pockets.

Folks - if you are approaching retirement, please talk to Medicare experts before making any decisions. There are many “senior centers “ that will do this for free.
There are also insurance representatives that will try to talk you into their plan too.

 

[Big_Al]

Things might have changed since I turned 65 in 2013, but at that time it was mandatory to sign up for Part A within a certain time after your 65th birthday.
I did not use it, because I worked for two more years after that.
When I started collecting Social Security the government automatically signed me up for Part B and started deducting that from my monthly benefit.
I also signed up for a Supplemental Plan, not Advantage.
The first plan I chose had a high deductible and high out of pocket. A three day emergency hospitalization showed me the foolishness of that.
I now have a supplement called Plan F which covers everything. My total knee replacement, which when all was said and done would have cost over $200,000, cost me nothing.
Do your homework.

 

[Big_Al]

@Big_Al, if only we could afford to have 300$ a month taken from our SS checks. It's just not realistic for many. Or maybe I should say most.

There absolutely is a rider that can be added with the right company. I pay less than 50$ a month on top of my Advantage plan. I'm reimbursed for quite a bit of out of pocket expenses for surgeries or hospital stays.

The adjusted gross income of my wife and I puts us below the federal poverty level, even with my part time job.
We are stone poor. But, we manage to find the money for necessities, and good health care is one.
We don’t have a lot of “stuff” our trucks are both almost 20 years old, we just prioritize.