Medicare

[Raven]

Got my SSDI approved with a date of Dec 03- I am retired and have Tricare Prime family coverage for wife and kids- Should I look into the Medicare deal- From what I have read I will automatically be enrolled in Medicare but I have not heard anything?

Also, the only thing I got to know I was approved was a vague 4 page letter stating the effictive date and monies due- then a bunch of can statements- Nowhere does it give details on my disability or when I can expect a review- Do they send a more detailed package or is this the normal package they send

Thanks

Raven

[Casper]

Berta,

Here is the answer on the Part B penalty if you didnt signup when first eligble.

What is Medicare Part B?

Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover your doctors’ services

and outpatient care. It also covers some other medical services that

Part A doesn’t cover, such as some of the services of physical and

occupational therapists, and some home health care. Part B helps pay for

these covered services and supplies when they are medically necessary

(see pages 9–14).

Cost: You pay the Medicare Part B premium each month ($88.50 per

month in 2006). In some cases, this amount may be higher if you didn’t

sign up for Part B when you first became eligible.

Caution: If you don’t take Part B when you are first eligible, the cost of

Part B will go up 10% for each full 12-month period that you could have

had Part B but didn’t sign up for it, except in special cases (see employer

or union coverage information on page 9). You will have to pay this

penalty as long as you have Part B.

You also pay a Part B deductible each year before Medicare starts to pay its

share. The Part B deductible for 2006 is $124.00. You may be able to get

help from Medicaid to pay this premium and deductible (see page 60).

Medicare deductible and premium rates may change every year

in January.

Casper 1956 US Army1976

100% S/C, SSDI, CRSC

Jay- thanks- I need info on this new law too-

Have two dear friends of over 35 years and they think that they do not need Part B-

they are not veterans but they don't seem to understand- for the minimal amount Part B is-it should be purchased.

I believe that SSA can penalise someone for not applying in time-for Part B but I might be confused-it is just a small monetary penalty-

Another friend I have did not pay self employment taxes -he gets SSA Retirement but might not qualify for Medicare-he is afraid to call them---and ask-

he got in trouble with an uninsured worker he hired decade ago ---didnt pay the workers unemployment money etc

Maybe the penalty is in that part of the SSA site-

they will sell Medicare to uninsured but it costs a LOT.

I think maybe the penalty is about that.

Thanks for this important info. Berta

[Jay Johnson]

What they are doing, in effect, is negating ANY COLA increase you get for the rest of your life. The extra amount we have to pay due to this mandatory medicare bill will not be covered by COLA for quite some time and they raise premiums EVERY year to coincide with COLA raises (for SSD). It was a very sneaky way to cut veteran pay overall imo (cutting via a premium raise rather then actual cuts looks much nicer on paper).

Edited March 29, 2006 by Jay Johnson