I had another thought. If your district provided health insurance
after you retired there is something to think about. My district did
but I had to put 15 days in a year until I reached 65. I did
because we had excellent insurance including dental and vision.
We had the option of continuing and paying what the teachers
pay. However, if we would ever opt out of this, we can never go
back in. A friend did that because some financial adviser told
her she could save a lot by going to a cheaper Blue Cross plan.
That works as long as a person stays healthy. With our
coverage, our co-pay is just $10 a visit for doctor visits. It's $75
for ER and there is no cost if you're admitted to the hospital.
If you have a great plan through your district consider staying
with it. Our friend didn't and now she can't get back in.
On 8/20/16, Diane wrote:
> On 8/15/16, Jeannie wrote:
>> How close are you to 65? You need to get the ball rolling three
>> months before your 65th birthday. You can go to your Social
>> Security office for specific info. Also go on the Medicare
website
>> or call. You might have to wait an hour or so on the phone.
>> We have Medicare for hospital which covers 80% . Our
>> supplement, Blue Cross covers part B and also covers our
drug
>> plan which is Silverscript. Kaiser covers everything with just
one
>> card on their senior Advantage plan. The only thing is there
aren't
>> Kaisers everywhere. They do reimburse expenses though.
>> It is confusing and it was a lot easier before turning age 65.
It's
>> working now. Some friends have had trouble finding a doctor
that
>> will take new patients as a Medicare patient.
>>
>>
>> Thanks for your response, Jeannie. I will be 65 in December. I
> will check the website for sure. It definitely was a lot easier
> before Medicare for me!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 8/15/16, Peggy Harris wrote:
>>> On 8/15/16, Diane wrote:
>>>> Any advice about going on Medicare? I went to a meeting
>>> and am more
>>>> confused than ever!
>>>
>>> Read the free Medicare book. Highlight it and take notes.
>>> I read it twice before I felt like I understood it. Some
>>> people go to their local Medicare office for help. If you
>>> go that route, I still recommend reading the Medicare book
>>> so you understand the options they will present to you. I
>>> use Medicare part A and B plus a supplement. I also get a
>>> Part D Prescription drug plan. You will find a list of drug
>>> plans on the Medicare website with all the prices. You can
>>> type in your prescriptions and then be given a choice of
>>> plans that will cover those prescriptions. I use Walmart
>>> for $15.00 per month.
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