any Medicare experts out there?

[muttmeister]

The knowledge that the people on this board posess always blows me away. I am hoping somebody here can answer my question because I have searched several other places and I haven't really gotten an answer.

I was 65 in December and signed up for Medicare. I have a supplemental policy through Blue Cross that pays pretty much everything Medicare doesn't pay (It is the same policy that my mother had so I have quite a bit of experience with them and I know they pay well). I also have the prescription drug coverage, even though, at this point, I don't take any prescriptions.

I am planning to go back to work. If I get a job that includes health care benefits, do I have to take them or can I keep what I've got? Does anybody have any experience with this?

 

[DDD]

Hey, Mutt. I know what I "think" the answer is but, lol, I'm not 100% sure. My advice is to fix a pot of coffee, grab a magazine to read while you wait and call the toll free number for SSA and ask what the policy is. Sometimes there is a long wait and sometimes they have an automatic return call system where you leave your number and wait for a rep to contact you. I have found the employees to be helpful and polite. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

I think I have the answer too but Im also willing to bet the answer is somewhere on Medicare.gov

I know that when my parents were alive and my father still was covered by his insurance at work because he worked well past the age for social security and medicare, my mom was covered under both as was my father. They did this because his job paid 100% of their premiums and copays. Now I dont know if she had to stay on his insurance or if they could have opted out if my father had to pay for her to be on the policy.

I would think that if insurance is offered at your new job and you do take it, that policy will be primary and medicare will be secondary. You could probably drop the BCBS policy until you needed it again. Im assuming you are paying for your BCBS and your Part D. If you get extra help for Part D, that would probably change the fact that you can get the extra help for Part D because I believe that is based on income.

Now that is all my understanding and it may be wrong. I know I wont even attempt to work because I get medicaid along with my medicare even though Im not on SSI. It just happens to be that the amount of money I get for disability is less than the cut off for medicaid for the disabled. However I could only make about $75 a month before I would go over that cut off and paying for what medicaid covers would be prohibitive.

 

[DDD]

Do be careful about dropping any insurance. Some of the policies for seniors are only available for sign up during specific times of the year. You'd want to make sure you didn't get caught in a time gap should your job fall through. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

Thats very true but I also think there is an exemption if you lose another policy. Now remember Im just going on what I remember from reading everything I could on medicare. In the beginning I was so confused about medicare I read everything I could. I had a different problem but it was something I was trying to get a decent answer to and no one, even the higher ups and medicare can figure out the answer to my question...lol.

 

[mom_to_3]

I am an office manager in a physicians office and deal with a lot of insurance. We have many seniors that have returned to work after becoming
Medicare eligible. Skotti is correct in that your employer provided insurance would become your primary insurance and Medicare secondary. I would still encourage you to contact Medicare for confirmation and advice regarding your current secondary policy.

 

[Signorina]

What mom to 3 stated is usually true. However, employers w less than 20 insured employees can stipulate that Medicare is primary.

 

[DammitJanet]

Wow, all that is so good to know.

In a little while I will go scour the Medicare website and see if I can find the answer for you that is correct. It has to be out there somewhere, everything else is.

 

[flutterby]

Medicare will be secondary and employer provided insurance will be primary, unless the company is small enough. That does not mean that you have to take the employer provided insurance if you don't want to. You can just have your Medicare alone and refuse employer provided coverage.