For those approaching Medicare age:

You will see a great many ads for 800-number Medicare registration/benefit businesses.  DO NOT CALL THEM.  #1, they are intentionally misleading as to potential benefits for which relatively few qualify.  They make it sound like all you have to do is call them and get all kinds of free stuff.  That's bait.

Brings us to #2:  In the fine print disclaimer nobody reads, they sell your data to any insurer or agent who will pay for it.  That is their specific business model and any data you give them will come back on you in an endless stream of solicitations

until the end of time.

To register for Medicare, go directly to the official site:  www.medicare.gov....

The 'additional benefits' the ads use as bait, are dependent on your state regulations.  To find out if you qualify for those (Medicaid) call or web your state.  Your state office will give you an answer on the spot and will NOT sell your identity to marketers.

Medicare supplement coverage is mostly a good thing, often without even a premium for you to pay.  This is because Medicare pays/outsources the insurer to administer your account whether you ever have a Medicare claim or not.  As far as choosing a supplement provider, research as much as you can on your own. 

Anyone can be a Medicare supplement agent; my sister was one (retired).  All you do is take a license exam which consists mostly of exactly what you CAN say and what you CAN'T.  The industry term for these agents is "producer".  If you have someone in your family, that is ideal.  In your trusted social circle, second best.  Pay no attention whatsoever to any solicitation on TV.  TV is not held to the same ethical rules as providers are.  The supplement sellers themselves use the 'additional benefit' bait to get you to call.  The sellers have no authority to bequeath 'additional benefits'; that is determined by your state alone.

I got some good advice from my primary doctor's office manager. This is a small practice and the doctor and I have become good (family) friends. I just presented her (manager) with some of my choices and she gave me her opinions. With the insurer and plan I went with she said "you will probably never see a medical bill again". So far she's been correct. I see several doctors regularly, many tests with scans, MRI's, chemo & radiation and along with my cancer surgery last April and I have yet to pay for anything...not 1 dollar. Not so with many people I know. The charge for my private room in April at nearby Eisenhower Medical Center was $34,000 for 6 days, and that was just the room charge. It pays to make careful decisions regarding your medical coverage. 

This is something I saw posted on Facebook earlier today, more than likely someone younger than me without the benifit of Medicare, but still very sad.

Thats great Joe!  I’m curious, what plan and insurer did you select for your Medicare advantage plan?  I’ve never heard of anyone on Medicare having zero copayments.  My sister just became Medicare eligible this month and already her premium is $122 more per month than it was under Covered California and her prescriptions are substantially higher in cost too with Anthem Blue Cross, which she also had with Covered California.

We have Kaiser Senior Advantage through my pension and our copayments are very low, only $10 for office visits, $5 for tier 1 and 2 prescriptions $10 for tier 3, no charge for lab, x-ray and hospitalization and surgery.  ER without admission is $50, same for ambulance service, unless admitted as an inpatient. Durable medical equipment is a 20% copay. I’ve had both hips replaced and paid nothing for either surgery or hospitalization.  This is the lowest cost plan I’ve been aware of thus far and we are very pleased with it and our doctors.  But my sister could certainly benefit from whatever plan you have.

BTW, I hope that you are continuing to do well after your recent surgery and are making a full recovery.

Eddie

Feel free to email me and I'll be glad to tell you about my Medicare supplement. My address is in my profile. I don't want to turn this thread into an infomercial. I have had this same insurer for 5 years and no payments, including a few ambulance rides. I don't receive a bill for eye care visits either. I do of course pay a monthly premium for this insurance but I think it very reasonable. My prescription plan with the same company (but a different policy) does have a deductible I have to meet for some brand-name medications but most generics are covered. My advice...don't get old.

PS...I've managed to get on the other side of the cancer thing. Oncologist says I'm cancer free and "cured"...but of course there is no cure for cancer. Last step is scheduling the reversal of my ileostomy, or as the surgeon says "putting everything back the way it was'  Thanks for the well wishes.