My new life, I hope

[Value Buy]

Post 132:

Are you confusing Medicare with SS?  I think you are automatically enrolled in Medicare at 65. I did not do anything. The card came in the mail to me. Medicare part A does nothing for people who have insurance at work. It pays nothing, or the doctors and hospitals do not bill as it would be double dipping on their part. Medicare part A does not recognize payment if you have insurance
Social Security, you do not enroll until you are ready for benefits, and you pick the date. I assume you were getting yearly updates from S.S. on what the benefit amount would be. I know I did. If he did not get them, then there was a problem somewhere.
If he was not having Social Security with holding for the years overseas, I am not sure if it was better to wait or not, but they do say your benefit increases every year you wait.

[TheOtherMe]

I am already retired but when I turn 65 in 2016, I will be signing up for both Medicare Part A and B.  My premiums will be higher for Part B because I will not be receiving social security.  That is because I am a civil service retiree.  From the information they have given me, if I wait until I am 70, I will come out just a little ahead of the WEP offset and so I am waiting until 70 to attempt to claim Social Security.  If I get it, I think the Part B premiums will go down.

I am told Medicare will be primary and my current insurance secondary once I am on Medicare.  If I take Part B, I will have no co-pays and I will come out ahead in the end.  Only co-pays I will have is prescriptions.

[Value Buy]

Nov 26, 2015 19:29:16 GMT -5 @patstab said:

Apparently you have to sign up for part A, it is not automatic and he did not, he said he had all the insurance he needed and I did not

research it as that was true, things must have changed and I didn't read all of it each year, my bad, sounds like we needed

B also. Why I have no idea, we will see when its all said and done. I'm guessing if you sign up at 65 or your full retirement age

for SS you might automatically get the other 2 also.

No I'm not confusing the 2 and yes, we check annually on what his benefits would be, when completing the application you

could go in and look for an estimate, it said $2653, I thought they raised it for each additional month, didn't say. He

wanted to work till August would have been $282 a month more, if that is the correct number. But I'm getting so much conflicting

answers who knows what may or may not happen.  Really sounds like we may have to pay higher prices for insurance for

2 years because of means testing.  Just have to wait and see I guess. Sounds crazy to me when our income is going to drop off

the cliff, so then they will charge you more.  But no common sense in anything I've looked at yet so who knows.

Medicare did say that the IRS requires the means testing, I can see it if you are still working but unemployed?

I did not sign up for Medicare part A.
It just showed up in the mail. When I did retire a year later, I had to show proof of health insurance after age 65 while I worked and then sign up for supplemental, etc, after having no insurance.
With your husband working so many years out of country, he might have hit a glitch in the system. IDK

[Deleted]

Nov 26, 2015 9:16:17 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Medicare part A does nothing for people who have insurance at work. It pays nothing, or the doctors and hospitals do not bill as it would be double dipping on their part. Medicare part A does not recognize payment if you have insurance.

I'm not on Medicare, but DH is. He is also on my insurance.

I'm not sure what part of Medicare has been helping to pay his medical bill, but it does pay.  In our case, my work insurance is primary and pays the majority of his bills. But Medicare has been picking up what BCBS doesn't such as copays, etc.

In fact, since we married six years ago, he has paid very little on what is probably $600,000 worth of medical bills. I think he does have to pay the Medicare deductible.  They don't pay a lot, but it has made a significant difference in our lives since his health care could easily bankrupt us with just a 20% copay for hospitalization.

Maybe it's part B (I don't know the difference), or maybe you haven't had enormous medical bills.

But Medicare does pay something if you are enrolled and have work insurance.  They just pay secondary.

[gacpa]

All this Medicare talk is scaring me really bad.  It sounds so very confusing.  And I deal with lots of confusion all the time.  Holy cow!

[Ombud]

Simplified : apply for Medicare up to 3 months before turning 65, elect to receive Part B unless gainfully employed with employer provided coverage (in which case be prepared to prove it), pay for Part B through:
○ SSA deduction payment
○ OPM pension deduction
○ recepient auto pays from checking

Means testing: uses last 2 tax returns to determine Part B cost.

Charged for (mandatory?) Part D unless within Medigap insurance

[gacpa]

Simplified : apply for Medicare up to 3 months before turning 65, elect to receive Part B unless gainfully employed with employer provided coverage (in which case be prepared to prove it), pay for Part B through:
○ SSA deduction payment
○ OPM pension deduction
○ recepient auto pays from checking

Means testing: uses last 2 tax returns to determine Part B cost.

Charged for (mandatory?) Part D unless within Medigap insurance

Ombud,

Seriously, thank you.  I will also have to research Medigap coverage when the time comes.

This subject deserves it's own thread that people could use as a resource.  My thanks to you and Pat and other participants for discussing Medicare.  It is not as easy to be a retiree as I thought.  All this rigamarole makes my head swim.

[Ombud]

Nov 28, 2015 16:17:23 GMT -5 gacpa said:

Simplified : apply for Medicare up to 3 months before turning 65, elect to receive Part B unless gainfully employed with employer provided coverage (in which case be prepared to prove it), pay for Part B through:
○ SSA deduction payment
○ OPM pension deduction
○ recepient auto pays from checking

Means testing: uses last 2 tax returns to determine Part B cost.

Charged for (mandatory?) Part D unless within Medigap insurance

Ombud,

Seriously, thank you.  I will also have to research Medigap coverage when the time comes.

This subject deserves it's own thread that people could use as a resource.  My thanks to you and Pat and other participants for discussing Medicare.  It is not as easy to be a retiree as I thought.  All this rigamarole makes my head swim

You're welcome. It's a maze but info's finally on the mobile site at: SSA.GOV. I was getting a little concerned bc I'll be Medicare in the future but not SSA until 5 yrs later (WPO). Not sure about the website

Edited: mobile site has 2 more links explaining oversees work and work for oversees companies while oversees ... apparently not the same thing

[Ombud]

Actually that is better. If 85% of your SSA is taxable then you are well above the poverty line

I want to make so much that 85% of mine is taxable

[debthaven]

Pat, I am absolutely thrilled for you! 

But I'm just wondering ... since he's so skilled, might they ask your DH to replace people here and there, because they're sick/off/personal reasons/whatever? Have you ever talked about / considered that (both the likelihood of it happening, and what your DH would say)? 

Forewarned is forearmed ... I just wouldn't want you to be surprised by that if it ever happens since it doesn't seem impossible (looking at it from the outside of course). 

[marvholly]

Dec 1, 2015 0:21:39 GMT -5 @patstab said:

I fully expect it. He is thinking of offering to fill in for up to 3 months at a time
if someone gets sick or they are hunting for a replacement or someone quits
at the end of an assignment.  But he is also nearing 70 so they may not be
wanting guys that old now.  I think he will get restless in about 6 months to
a year, but we shall see. He also still has his union card in the operating
engineers so who knows.


 

I was thinking the same thing about DH getting bored or restless in 3-6 months and ending up driving you CRAZY.

Any chance of him getting short term jobs in the US.  Maybe you could even go with.

[CCL]

Dec 1, 2015 6:20:00 GMT -5 marvholly said:

Dec 1, 2015 0:21:39 GMT -5 @patstab said:

I fully expect it. He is thinking of offering to fill in for up to 3 months at a time
if someone gets sick or they are hunting for a replacement or someone quits
at the end of an assignment.  But he is also nearing 70 so they may not be
wanting guys that old now.  I think he will get restless in about 6 months to
a year, but we shall see. He also still has his union card in the operating
engineers so who knows.


 

I was thinking the same thing about DH getting bored or restless in 3-6 months and ending up driving you CRAZY.

Any chance of him getting short term jobs in the US.  Maybe you could even go with.

He might surprise you. My hubby (and myself) get numerous offers from former employers and others, he's not interested at all (neither am I lol). No issues with driving each other nuts either.

[dannylion]

I'm glad you're feeling better, Pat! I hope the strength training is helpful.

If you are concerned that you are developing kyphosis (dowager's hump), you might want to consider taking a few more steps to determine the cause.  The severe kyphosis one often sees in elderly women is not due to poor posture or weak muscles, it is caused by vertebral collapse due to osteoporosis.  The bones become so fragile they actually become crushed.  You are very wise to be planning ahead to avoid this. 

Have you had a DXA scan (a test to determine the state of your bone mineral density)?  It's quick and painless (you just lie still on a fairly comfy bed thingy for a few minutes) and can give advance notice of bone thinning so you can do something about it.  Also having your vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium levels checked can let you know whether you need to start adding bone-building supplements.  You are so active with all that you do around your home and caring for your daughter and MIL, so you've got the weightbearing exercise part of the bone health equation covered. 

It's so good to see that things are coming together for you so you can start to focus on yourself and your DH.  You've done so much for others; it's time for you to be the center of your attention.

[seriousthistime]

Didn't the doctor say if you didn't feel better you should go to the ER?

[wvugurl26]

I wish my throat didn't hurt. I can hardly swallow even soup or pudding. This crap is awful. Hope the doctor can do something for me tomorrow.

Hope you get better before everyone comes home for Christmas.

[CCL]

Maybe you could call the doc and they could give you something else?

[Pants]

Pat - you are going to make yourself sicker. Just stop. Seriously, STOP. 

[saveinla]

Pat,

You need to rest even if you don't like to be idle. I have had pneumonia and the only thing I was able to do at that time was walk from the bed to the bathroom for the first week or 10 days. Even that would leave me exhausted and it would take me forever to get back to bed. Just rest and get some soup or food delivered if you can.

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I've got similar symptoms -- as do/did the rest of my family.  What sucks is that you think you've finally turned the corner and then it knocks you back down to your knees.  Just keep resting, stay hydrated, and wait it out, Pat.  MIL can survive without the perm for a few days while you take care of yourself.  

[TheOtherMe]

Pat, you should not be going near an assisted living facility with you being this sick.  I wouldn't be surprised if they tell you to leave. 

You need to only go to the doctor tomorrow.  The assisted living facility can handle the hair appointment.  If you don't think they can without you being there, call and cancel it--for your sake and the sake of the people living there.  They are elderly.  They will die from this if they get it.  Look what it's done to you.

[Anne_in_VA]

Pat, did you let that pharmacy know that by not calling you you've been I'll make ch longer than necessary?  I'd be letting them know that unless they take better care of their customers you'll be moving to another one.

I'm sorry you've had to deal with this.  I hope you feel better soon.