To Those Who Qualify: 3 Medicare Mistakes to Avoid During the Coronavirus Pandemic

DTA ^ | 08/15/2020 | by Maurie Backman

[hanamizu]

Secondly, if you wait too long to enroll, Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient services, could end up costing you more. Specifically, you’ll face a 10% surcharge on your premiums for each year-long period you were eligible to enroll but didn’t.

---

This hit my mom. She retired from an insurance company, but neglected to sign up for Medicare B for a few years. She claimed that no one told her she had to sign up but it was to no avail. Since she died at 99, the surcharge ended up being quite a lot of money.

[mewzilla]

How do you pay your Medicare premiums if you’re not on Social Security?

Just curious.

[RightField]

Medicare sends a bill quarterly, via small mail, in advance. My sister is not taking SS yet as she’s still working, but just turned 65. She got that bill in the mail a couple of weeks before her 65th birthday.

[Big Red Badger]

Is there a link to sign up
for Medicare?
I should have signed up
A few months back.

[linMcHlp]

Out of pocket, is typical.

Currently, Medicare Premium rate of increase each year, is outpaced by the "growth rate" (roughly/supposedly 8% per year) of SS payments - by NOT YET taking SS.

Kamala Harris's point of view, will force --- despite the words of leftist legislation buttressed by judicial-super-"legislating" --- everybody on to Social Security.

From that, the left will deduct KamalaCare, and retirees will thereafter receive somewhere between approx. 55% to 70% of whatever they would presently receive in monthly deposits to their personal bank accounts.

Expect increased taxes to "pay for" The New Social Security; while SS payments will probably be customized to match recipients' [leftist and racial] political purity profiles.

Many people are careless about their participation at Facebook, Google, Twitter - who report to the left, political profiles of such social media customers. Thus, an easy thing for The Swamp to match "your Social Security Benefits" to your social media profiles.

People want convenience, and they are reluctant to shun social media; in addition to which, with every increase by state imposition, more and more people will be desparate to take what money they can get.

Nevermind the increasing rates, of descending quality and performance of services.

[linMcHlp]

https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans

[Lakewood]

If you are 65+ and still working, and have group health insurance through your employer, then you don’t have to sign up until you are no longer employed or covered by the group health plan.

[Kozak]

Credit card or check.
I just wrote my first one.

[Big Red Badger]

Found the site,,,
My finance team said
Don’t bother to
Sign up,,,
Typical BS

[GOPJ]

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/

from link:

If you are within three months of age 65 or older and not ready to start your monthly Social Security benefits yet, you can use our online retirement application to sign up just for Medicare and wait to apply for your retirement or spouses benefits later. It takes less than 10 minutes, and there are no forms to sign and usually no documentation is required.

Apply for Medicare Only

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

That hit me, as well. Prior to turning 65 I was contacted by any number of insurance companies who wanted to sell me Medicare supplemental coverage, that is part C,D,E,F,G,H. The one I eventually settled with, he and I spent 45 minutes on the phone discussing all the parameters and I eventually settled upon part G. In all that time I never got the single sentence warning “oh by the way you have to go down to the Social Security office and sign up for parts A and B”. As a result, I signed up late, and had no coverage from January 19 to July of 2020. All because one douchebag could not say one sentence of warning, “make sure you do this”. As a result, my cost for Medicare Part B Rises 10%, forever. I would punch this guy in the face if I saw him today.

This is the problem with insurance, in general. You have no choice but to rely upon the person you are buying the product from for information about the product. And I have learned through many, many examples, that that is one of the worst possible positions to be in. I never, ever allow myself to rely solely upon the person trying to sell me something as a source of information. It is a near suicidal position you place yourself in. That is among my top 10 life lessons.

[hanamizu]

My mom worked for an insurance company—she worked for a marine surveyor, but when she retired, the company’s retirement ‘counselor’ was out. So no one ever told her that she had to do the Medicare thing. She based her appeal on that, but as I said, to no avail. I don’t know how many years penalty she accrued, but it was more than one.

[Big Red Badger]

That’s what I’ve
Heard,thanks.
.
I just Dread retirement
But soon I will,
Thanks.

[NoLibZone]

Thank you Seek for this post.

As I am 63 I love learning all I can about such.

[tallyhoe]

That’s what I’ve
Heard,thanks.
.
I just Dread retirement
But soon I will,
Thanks.

Don’t dread it. It is great.. Every day is a weekend!

[Lakewood]

I turn 65 in October. I’ll be working at least another three years...probably four. I’ll sign up for Medicare then.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

If you are 65+ and still working, and have group health insurance through your employer, then you don’t have to sign up until you are no longer employed or covered by the group health plan.

Not true.

If your company has less then 20 people on it's plan you need to sign up. Medicare is full of "ifs, buts and in that cases" designed to trip you up especially if you are a small business person.

[Big Red Badger]

As you say-—
You will sign up When
You retire in a couple
Years-—
Correct?

[Big Red Badger]

It’s Scary,
I work for A Large Contractor, many Thousands
Of Employees with good
Group Insurance and you’d
Think they’d help guide
You thru this stuff.
The Wuhan Flu ain’t helping