[BadOregon]

Technically it is not mandatory. HOWEVER, if you do not sign up when you are first eligible, the PTB ding you for an extra 10% for every year you don't sign up. And that is a forever ding.

Not only that, but if you refuse Medicare, they withhold your Social Security. No Medicare, No Social Security.
Great program , huh? Shouldn't be legal, since it is YOUR Social Security, but there it is.

We just went through this with my husband. Just because you are 65 you are basically forced to sign up and pay.
They also don't let you pay monthly, it is a great big quarterly chunk they bill you for.
Even though his full retirement age is 67 1/2 and were planning on waiting till then (when he might actually retire) to start Social Security.

If you can prove you have alternative insurance, you can defer it, but they will probably still ding
you for the extra $.

 

[BadOregon]

Yes, but you are retired military. His benefits would have been more if he could have waited until full retirement age.
Although the way things are going, who know if SS will be there by then. It is pretty much a coin flip for lots of people
as to when to take it. He is one of those who probably "can't" retire anyway. He can't stand being home all the time and
I most certainly can't stand having him hovering at home all the time either. Best if he stays busy doing what he loves.

 

[BadOregon]

It means they charge you that penalty (or ding) extra every month above and beyond what you would normally pay for Medicare premiums.
So, instead of the $170 every month they take out of your SS, it would be 36% more than that. EVERY month till you die. It's a scam.

 

[BadOregon]

I'm not talking about a Medicare Advantage plan. I am talking about basic Medicare that is provided directly by the govt.
You don't have to sign up for extras which is what Advantage plans are. That is an extra $ amount on top of what you
pay through SS for Medicare. They may let you pay monthly, but the gov't. does not.

 

[BadOregon]

Yes, if you have other insurance, you can defer part B. But they insist you still sign up for part A. Since Pony has insurance, she could do that until her other insurance is no longer available.

 

[BadOregon]

It was quite a surprise. Not happy about the whole situation, but....

They do take it out monthly from SS. I was talking about if you aren't getting SS and have to pay out of pocket.
He didn't want to start his SS until his full retirement age, which is NOT 65. Therefore, in order to sign up for Medicare and NOT get the penalty later, we would get billed for Part B.
Which the gov't. does not let you pay for monthly if you are not getting SS as well.l

 

[BadOregon]

This is all well and good and I know it is a good idea to have health insurance. However, there are some people
who do not have it and never have had it. Nice that the gov't "offers" insurance when you get old, but I do not
appreciate having it forced on us. It is like age mandated insurance. Which, unless everyone is mandated insurance,
why does someone who is turning 65 get made to purchase it? That was pretty much my whole issue with the whole
thing. Yeah, I would love to have great insurance, but I don't like the gov't telling me that just because I hit a certain
age I HAVE to have it.
Off the top of my head there isn't anything else that has an age requirement where suddenly you are forced to pay
for something whether you want it or not.

 

[BadOregon]

I don't know where in the heck you got they'll withhold your SS. They don't. Can't legally do so since you paid into it.

It says so right on the medicare site. I also have a letter from SS stating the same thing. They CAN and they WILL because they are the gov't and do pretty much what they want. And there is not a blasted thing you can do about it.

I was wondering why AARP and senior advocates hadn't started screaming about this years ago. I guess we are
supposed to be grateful to be "allowed" to have health coverage at such a "reasonable" price.

Optional means you don't have to have it, not that you don't have to have it NOW. Being penalized basically means
it is not optional.

 

[BadOregon]

Why should you have the same benefit without penalty that others have been paying since eligibility?

Why should one get penalized for not using something for ten years that is supposed to be optional?
Just choosing an arbitrary age for eligibility is what I find unacceptable. Especially when you are essentially
forced to sign up just because you "became eligible". That is like forcing someone to buy car insurance
because they are driving age, but they don't have a car.

 

[BadOregon]

I understand, but what is the benefit of hesitation?

The fact that I don't get charged $170 per month for something I may (or may not) need just because I turned
a certain age. See my last post.

 

[BadOregon]

That is just assuming we will all need it. Not saying I won't, but still don't like the way they have gone about it.