On 2/19/2012 10:48 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:23:27 -0800, wrote:




And when you hit 65, you have to go on Medicare and pay premiums in
addition to the payroll deduction.

Now you have me curious. Does a person drop their private health care
insurance when they go on Medicare? ( something I need to check into )

You can, but you shouldn't. There are many supplemental plans that
cover what Medicare does not. They range in price from $0 to about
$230 a month.

Every insurance company that offers a supplement must offer the same
plans. If you have plan "F" from United Healthcare, it is exactly the
same as the one offered by Blue Cross. The difference will be the
premiums and perhaps customer service.

When you choose a plan, consider your overall health, you ability to
pay either the premiums or the co-pay, the coverage for international
travel if you do that.

Overall, the total cost for Medicare and a top tier supplement and
prescription plan is about $100 month less than pretty good private
insurance. If you count deductibles, we save another $1000 a years
over the private plan. Keep in mind, the lowest price plan is not
always the cheapest.

When you are about 64 1/2, you will be bombarded by offers in the
mail.

I've been ****ed off lately about the supplemental drug insurance from
my former employer that piggybacks Medicare's with the current $330
deductible. I determined that I can save over $150 a year by skipping
the plan and just going to Walmart.