Folks, I was recently forced into an early retirement and have been going without medical insurance since June. I've signed up for Social Security and Medicare and I'm being bombarded with information about Medicare that's just over whelming. Here's my situation: I had open heart surgery in 2001, I walk for at least 100 minutes every day and only missed one day of walking since 12/16/2002 or more than 18 years (I'm a stubborn bastard, what can I say?). I take relatively cheap blood pressure and cholesterol drugs and I'll eventually need a few surgeries on my hands because of calcium build ups. I also have chest pains since the jabs but they're occurring less and less and go away completely when I walk. On December 21 I turn 65 years old. In your highly informed and educated opinions, which Medicare plans beyond parts A & B should I look at more closely? Bitch session: My last job recruited me even though I had zero expertise in the technology they use, (my technical expertise lies elsewhere) they wanted me to manage and not be a technician. I took the job because of promises the recruiter made, most of them never came true. This company is in an industry that is getting killed by it's competition, as such, they had layoffs every year I was there. What they did was dump a lot of the work those laid off people did on me to the point where I had no life, none. Not even vacations. In 7 years I took a total of 14 vacation days, but just one or two days at a time, I took off 2 days for hand surgery, and I worked from home when I had the china virus. My wife was worried that I was working myself into the ground. Even though I was not an expert in the technology this company provided, my job performance was excellent and my willingness to do the work of others without complaining had me listed as a keeper. My reward was being laid off back in May. For what it's worth, this company has gotten super woke. I had to take tons of on line courses about unconscious bias and other courses which had scenarios where black women were the head honchos and white guys were the ones getting disciplined. There were bi-weekly and monthly conference calls where first it was all about women, but when the Floyd thing happened it then was all about blacks, blacks, blacks and only blacks. If you're a white guy, no matter how good you are at what you do, you will not get hired if a black person applied for the same position. On a nationwide conference call, and I posted this once before, a very senior vice president said we don't need the smartest people, the most productive people, the most educated people, etc. because diversity will make the company better than all those things. Yes, he, a white man, actually said that. Anyway, I'm now reluctantly retired, my wife says I'm done and it's a bitch getting used to doing nothing all day. If anyone needs something Photoshopped then send it my way because other than walking, that's what I'm doing during the day.
And in the meantime, take up gardening! It's definitely a full time job, if you want to feed yourself from it. And you get your daily 100 minutes of walking in without noticing it
Based on your health description, it sounds like you are going to need a lot more medical care in the future, so since regular Medicare (A & B) is 80/20 plan, I would recommend getting either a Medicare Advantage plan or regular Medicare with a supplement and the Plan D prescription drug plan.
Even in a thread that’s all personal you still have to take jabs. In case you didn’t know, look at my profile and see where I live. Most of the people I worked with were Mexicans and they have a very different view of races and genders.
You know that ex I sometimes refer to? She has relatives in Australia, she’d love to retire there, but she said the immigration system there isn’t as…lets say liberal as it is here. Plus she owns a gun.
What to consider when comparing plans: Premium - if it's going to be more than the standard Part B premium, and the Part D premium Deductibles and co-pays - these can vary wildly In-network providers and hospitals For example: I have an advantage plan with $0 deductible (B & D), $0 primary care copay, $25 specialist copay, etc...
Oh yeah ... we're definitely not keen on throwing the doors wide open like insane children on a sugar high. It's can be tricky for sure. I have a relative who recently managed to secure his bride an entre, but it took a long time and a lot of money - and even then she personally had to be what we consider an asset (ie young, sponsored, healthy, fluent English, and with useful skills). Besides, if your ex wants to keep a gun in the home she's probably better off staying where she is!
It depends on what you want; complete freedom to choose your doctors, or get the basics and some more frills covered? Supplements will cover most of your expenses with Plan G, except for your part B deductible, but you pay a premium that will go up every couple of years. Medicare Advantage plans generally have no or low premiums, include Part D, and can cover dental, vision, hearing aids, and more, but you will be limited in the doctors you can see. Beyond that, talk to a licensed health insurance broker. They can break down which one will be most cost effective for you. What you DON'T want to do is procrastinate because there are strict rules on when you can apply or change plans.
Go with a Medicare advantage plan available in your area. You can have dental, eye, and hearing covered some that way and because it is actual private health insurance paid by your tax dollars you contributed over time you have an out of pocket expense cap each year. AMAC is a good resource to check out plans. You won’t need an expensive medigap plan from AARP with advantage. Advantage covers part D and prescription drugs as well.
this is one of the great things about capitalism. you now get to make choices. and you have 2 bill weeks to decide. but don't worry, you will have plenty of help from robocalls, e mail, and the postal service on your options. or you could just listen to experts like joe namath and the guy who says "dynamite" on tv. i'd begin by sending off for a few dozen plan brochures. these are very glossy with lots of photos of happy seniors with perfect teeth. inside you will have plenty of information about deductibles and copayments and enough information to compare your medical situation over the next 30 years or so with the other plans. but do not worry, none of these plans cover nursing home care. there are 2 kinds of nirsing homes. the gind that the very rich can aggirdm and the kind that the rest of us will need medicaid (which your party will cut ) so that minimum wage workers, certainly minorities, will tend your every need. hope you make the right choice.
1) Congratulations on retirement, you deserve it. 2) It is true that people have to have something to retire to, rather to retire from. Find a hobby that gives you joy, otherwise you'll die of boredom. 3) Welcome to the world of the capitalist free market, where workers are treated as commodities, who can be laid off at will. How does it feel to have been loyal and hardworking for a company for more than a decade, and then disposed off like a wet rag? Doesn't feel good, does it? But, that's how it is in today's dog eat dog business world. Survival of the fittest. If you stop being fit, you are gone. Time to rethink your politics. 4) As to Medicare, from the few seminars I attended (I still have 5+ years to retirement), I know it is a minefield of rules. If I get closer to the point, I'd go here for info: bogleheads.org 5) Make sure that your SS strategy is sound, i.e. when you start collecting, when does your spouse start collecting etc. Lot's of different choices that are difficult to optimize depending on personal choice and health. 6) Get your finances in order. If you haven't done so yet, change your asset allocation to a safer one, maybe 40/60 stocks/bonds. Set your withdrawal rate to a safe value, maybe something between 3-4% annually. Again, bogleheads.org is your friend.
I only asked to that in the OP. And you put this in political opinion and beliefs. So it's about politics and beliefs
Medicare itself provides insurance no matter what your history. Medicare supplements, of which there 7 (IIRC) per-definedd coverage plans, might adjust your premiums or coverage depending on your history. The only way to analyze it is to review the premiums and coverage with the different Medicare supplement plans each with a number of insurance companies. This can be a tedious task -- there is no getting around it. Medicare Advantage (Medicare C IIRC), which Obama a wanted to kill with Obamacare but hit a speed bumpt, might be a good option but I'm not familiar with the specifics, other than Medicare Advantage replaces Medicare B in addition to its supplemental HMO-type benefits. I can offer no help with your employment situation. A company who takes its eyes off its business, as yours and many others recently have (like the NFL) are destined for failure. It sounds like your former company never had its eyes on its business or was not very good at running its business. All I got is sympathy and a some empathy. I found substitute teaching very satisfying even though much less compensatory. Best of luck.
Way ... WAY higher. The cost of housing is astronomical, food is expensive, fuel is expensive, and electricity is close to being unaffordable for many. But we're quite a bit more frugal than Americans (smaller houses, smaller cars, less prepared to spend on 'comforts', etc), so it works. It's not unusual to visit middle-class family/friends on a hot day, and aircon either doesn't exist or isn't being used. Same approach in winter. We'd rather add another layer of clothing, than use heating which has to be paid for.
