Maximize your Medicare : qualify for benefits, protect your health, and minimize your costs
Edition
Updated 2022-2023 Edition
Publication Information
New York : Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc, 2022.
Physical Description
xxiv, 198 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Summary
A guide to help understand how and what to choose when deciding on Medicare options for 2022-2023.
Notes
Includes index.
Contents
- Introduction
- Medicare is a mystery: It doesn't have to be
- Why is Medicare so important?
- Why is Medicare so confusing?
- How to use this book
- Avoid mistake #1
- Very brief history of Medicare
- Ignoring Medicare noise is difficult
- Chapter 1. Enrollment
- Medicare eligibility
- Signing up for Medicare
- Can I delay enrollment in Medicare?
- Late enrollment penalties
- Medicaid
- Conclusions: Thinking ahead is key
- Chapter 2. Medicare Part A
- Eligibility
- If you don't qualify
- Part A benefits
- Key term: Benefit period
- No annual out-of-pocket limit
- Chapter 3. Medicare Part B
- Premium
- Annual deductible
- Coinsurance
- Part B coverage
- Coverage details
- Sources of Part B confusion
- Canceling Medicare Part B
- No annual out-of-pocket limit
- Chapter 4. Prescription drug coverage
- The basics
- Eligibility
- Enrollment
- Prescription drug plan terms
- The standard Part D plan
- The complicated calculations involved in Part D
- Why people misunderstand the coverage gap
- How to choose
- Important hints on using the Medicare plan finder
- Preferred pharmacies and mail order
- Changing plans
- Important extras
- Chapter 5. Medicare Advantage
- The basics
- Types of Medicare Advantage plans
- Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans
- Enrollment
- Annual election period
- Medicare Advantage twelve-month trial right
- Open enrollment period
- How to choose
- How to compare Medicare Advantage plans
- Medicare Advantage has improved
- Consumers must understand networks
- Surprise medical bills
- Medicare Advantage extras
- Medicare and Medicaid
- Extra help and Medicare Advantage
- Snowbirds
- Foreign travel
- Chapter 6. Medigap
- Medigap enrollment
- Medigap Coverage
- Medigap and Medicare Part A
- Medigap and Medicare Part B
- Premiums
- Advantages of Medigap
- Switching to Medigap
- Switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap
- Special topics
- The bottom lines
- Chapter 7. Working beyond sixty-five
- People are working longer
- Small employer
- Base case: Medicare is superior
- Large employer
- Employer group plans and the coverage gap ("Donut hole")
- If you decide to cancel
- The bottom line --
- Chapter 8. Retiree benefit plans
- Retirement from a small employer - Retirement from a large employer
- The base case
- Medicare retiree and non-medicare spouse
- Retiree and medicare-eligible spouse
- If your employer cancels retiree health benefits
- Employer-sponsored Medicare Advantage
- Dental, vision, and other benefits
- What employers can do
- Conclusions
- Chapter 9. Special groups
- Veterans Administration (VA)
- CHAMPA and TRICARE for life (TFL)
- Disabled
- Disabled and employer-sponsored plan
- ESRD and COBRA or employer-sponsored plan
- Federal employee health benefits (FEHB)
- State and local government employees
- Educators
- Unions
- Hospital (and other health-care employees)
- Small business owners
- Professional "associations"
- Seriously ill
- Conclusions
- Chapter 10. The savvy Medicare consumer
- Putting it all together isn't easy
- Ignore the noise
- Dealing with Medicare problems
- Professionals, amateurs, and advertisements
- Last tips
- Experts' addendum
- Insurance is an option
- Health insurance is different
- Options are priced using probability
- Everyone is "short" an option
- Sources of volatility
- Changes to the Medicare system
- Comparing apples to apples
- Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage revisited
- Our national long-term care problem
- Insurance-based solutions exist
- Long-term care insurance
- Life insurance basics
- Life insurance and living benefits
- Annuity-based solutions
- These options are difficult to analyze.