Listen up if you are 65 and over, do not sign your Medicare over to HMO UNLESS you are comfortable with the HMO medical group having total control over your medical care.
Before today, I know nothing about Medicare as I am a young man with many more decades to go before I get to 65 (if i get there) and I have no interest in learning anything related to medical care. I wish to die in my own home when my time comes.
Here is what I learned today and I think it is very helpful for anyone who has no clue what Medicare is. Medicare is a “social insurance program” administered by the government to provide health insurance to senior citizens 65 and over. Basically, when you reach 65 years old and you have had work in the U.S. or that you are poor, the government will issue you a Medicare card which has red and blue strips. The card has 2 parts it’s called A and B. [A is free, B has a minimal cost] I don’t know what it is really, but the bottom line is you must have both. This card (A & B) will cover 80% of your medical expenses. The remainder 20% of your medical expenses can be covered by buying a supplemental insurance which cost a few hundreds a month. Unless, you are poor then the state government will pay for it through issuing a WHITE card. (That’s how it works in California…don’t know about other states). You see the pattern here, you need to be POOR when you are old.
You can buy the supplemental insurance via PPO or HMO. Here is where the HMO insurance company sell to Mr./Mrs. Senior Citizen and tell them that it will pay for the remainder 20% of their medical expenses including any deductibles and they don’t have to pay a dime.
Mr./Mrs. Senior Citizens you don’t need to pay a dime for your health insurance. We will take care of everything, but under ONE condition. Sign over your Medicare and give us TOTAL CONTROL over your medical care. We will decide what hospital you can go, what doctor you can use, what procedures or treatment you can have.
The good news is you have the opportunity to exit the HMO once a year during open enrollment period during November, and the switch over take effect on the first of the year. Unless, you have a pre-condition, then it’s a hairy situation. You may need the approval of Medicare in order to exit HMO.