Medicare and the Missing US Health Care “System”


Missing the 7-month Enrollment Period (starting 3 months before you turn 65, ending 3 months after)


Beware of Gaps in Coverage for Parts B and D


Late enrollment penalties (Some of these      

accrue & are permanent)


Delay in purchasing the Medicare                  Supplement (MediGap)Special Enrollment Period (SEP) errors


Expect Out-of-Pocket (OOPs) Costs (Deductibles, co-pays; Medicare is not free)


 Separate drug coverage (Part D)

Zero coverage for Dental Care or Vision (must be purchased separately)


All of these pitfalls are avoidable.


Image 1: www.avepoint.com/blog/migrate/cloud-migration-pitfalls 

Unfortunately, Health Care is not considered a Human Right in the US, or we might not have these:  

·        Health care costs that are considerably greater in the US (up to 3X more),

·        Mortality steadily declining and

·        Medical errors were the 3rd leading cause of death in 2016. [1]


The 25 wealthiest countries in the world all have Universal Health coverage for their citizens, except the US. [2]

 

Image 2:

Why is life expectancy in the US lower than in other rich countries? - Our World in Data

   


Avoiding Medicare’s Pitfalls: Be Prepared

Sign up during your Enrollment Period, even if you are covered by other insurance, Enroll for Part A, free* hospitalization. Now you’re in the system. You can also sign up for Parts B and D at this time.

       Everything starts at www.ssa.gov the Social Security Administration.


If you have other insurance and wait to sign up for Parts B and D, you’re in a Special Enrollment Period (SEP): The 6-month window to enroll in Parts B and D starts the month you are first eligible for SSA benefits.


Be Prepared.      

Make your Part B and Part D choices timely because if you miss more than 6 months of coverage, you may be penalized later!  

                                          


Medicare Part B covers doctor expenses* and Supplemental Medicare, available in all 50 states, covers other Part B expenses*, for an average monthly cost of $167. (*less deductibles, copay). Compare plans at: https://www.medicare.gov/medigap-supplemental-insurance-plans 


The Biggest Fail: our teeth and eyes are not covered any Medicare plan. This has the effect of pushing people out of the Medicare system and into privatized Advantage Part C plans. Your annual window to change plans is October 15 - December 7. www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/get-more-coverage/joining-a-plan


Image 4:vuing.com/incredibly-unconventional-buildings-around-the-world/

 


The US health care “system” or lack thereof, is fragmented at all levels - for patients, medical providers, insurance industry – which has led to a patchwork structure *lacking General Practitioners, *heavily invested in medical specialties, *constant referrals for any service, *disbursed services - affecting access, *overuse of the ER, and extremely high doctor liability insurance.


One of the harshest consequences of this broken system is medical bankruptcies, over 500,000 in US yearly, breaking people’s lives.[3]

This does not happen in the other 24 wealthiest countries of the world.

 

AZ Resources: Arizona has eight Area Agencies on Aging, one for every region of the state, all of which provide a wide selection of health services for the region’s older adults.

 

References: 1. www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i2139 2. www.oecd.org/health/universal-health-coverage.htm

3. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6366487