My husband will be elligible for Medicare. I currently carry him on my insurance Should I drop him off of it?
We also have AFLAC for medical procedures performed in a hospital, which we will keep. Will Medicare and our AFLAC plan be enough to cover him?
Public Comments
- Research the terms of your insurance. If he enrolls in Medicare, is Medicare primary to the private insurance or vice versa? Is there a change in premium?
- Check to see if your employer changes premiums for you. Also, keep in mind Medicare only pays 80% of most services (labs are typically 100%) and they don't cover a few things (like vision). The catch is, if you are actively working, it will depend on why he has Medicare to determine who is primary. Typically if you are actively working, your insurance would be primary and Medicare secondary. you may want to call your insurance company to discuss that (or Medicare). Premiums, contact your employer
- The question to answer is what is your monthly contribution for his portion of your medical coverage? Compare this to what he will pay for Medicare coverage. + Medicare Part B costs $96.40 a month and pays for the out patient part of Medicare. + He will pay around $175 a month, depending on where you live, for a Medicare supplement plan to cover the part of treatment cost Medicare does not pay. + The rate may be $35 a month for a Medicare Part D plan which covers outpatient medications. Good luck
- Keep him on your coverage until after he's Medicare eligible--that will keep his COBRA eligibility open, in case he needs to take COBRA for a portion of the coverage he currently has under your plan. If he's active on your coverage when he becomes eligible, they cannot deny him COBRA, as long as your plan is required to offer it. I recommend calling a Medicare specialist and go through your plans with her, to make sure that all possible expenses will be covered. I've been helping a friend in Alabama and Medicare Part B is ~$98 a month for someone who makes less than $80k a year. Part D can be purchased through a few different vendors for about $30 a month, which will have that gap after $2400 up to $4000 (about), or $110/month to cover the gap. Blue Cross and Humana both have very affordable plans, so you may even want to look at your AFLAC plan at this point. My point is, you can find additional coverage for as little as $25 a month.
- Talk to your insurance company and find out how they cover someone who is now on Medicare. I'm on Medicare (disabled) and my husband's insurance picks up what Medicare doesn't pay as part of his family coverage. I don't have to have a separate 'medigap' policy (medicare only covers 80%). Check with AFLAC. It may not work concurrently with Medicare. And yes, I have both Medicare Part A&B.
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