Medicare only, no supplement

I ended up with Medicare parts a & b after my pancreas transplant in 2005 when I was 48 years old. As I neared age 65 my husband and I put a lot of time in researching Medicare. We found out it was better to get Medicare piece meal (parts A - D) because of the transplant than one of the Advantage plans. We purchased a supplement and a part D drug coverage plan. We recently went to a Medicare Seminar and were told that we did the right thing. Hope so. There is nothing worse to deal with than insurance and taxes!

Hi @cehunt57 😊
Thanks so much for your sharing your Medicare experience! So from age 48 to 65, you just had Medicare Part A, Part B and Part D with no other supplemental insurance until 65 years old when you purchased the supplement.... Do I have that right.... or did you buy a supplemental insurance before 65 years old?

If (big if) my memory serves me correctly it was A for sure and I think B when I got the transplant (at age 48). We added the supplement and D when I was 65.

Hi @cehunt57 😊
Your post makes me very happy! I think I am going to choose that path too.
I will have Medicare only now. And then when I turn 65 years old, I will add the supplement and drug plan.
I read that Medicare covers 80% and the patient is responsible for the remaining 20%.
While you were on Medicare only, did you experience any large charges that you were responsible for, or were they mostly small charges that were pretty easy to handle?
Thank you again @cehunt57 for sharing! Your experience is very helpful to me. 😊

@hello1234

I am 82 and have only ever had traditional Medicare and the part D for drugs.
Supplemental plans are outrageous for premiums and deductibles here in Florida. Since I am basically a healthy person, this works for me. I added up my 20 % copays and deductible over a years time and the amount was less than what I would pay for a supplemental plan. I am not interested in any Medicare Advantage plans. I just changed my part D to a different tier level since I rarely use it and the premium had increased drastically.

Doctors and hospitals are always open to a payment plan for the copays if you have trouble paying it. A lot of people don’t pay their bills and they are generally agreeable to receiving some monthly payments from you. The Medicare premium is automatically taken out of your Social Security on a monthly basis when you are eligible for SS.

Remember that you can change your options during the yearly open enrollment period and I understand my decision would not work for everyone. You can only be charged for what Medicare allows and never more than the 20% copay. I keep track of that. It’s very easy to find out what Medicare covers and there are a number of basic screening tests like mammograms that are covered at 100%.

Here’s to good health,

FL Mary

Hi @imallears 😊
I can't thank you enough for taking the time to provide me with such detailed and valuable information! You and @cehunt57 are both terrific.
I am going to shop for an inexpensive Part D drug coverage to add to my Part A and Part B.
I love Mayo Connect so much because kind and well-informed people are willing to join in and help. I am very appreciative for your excellent response. You helped me a lot.

Hi all please be careful of the mc advantage plans unless you are low income, one stay in the hospital especially TP patients it can wipe you out, if you are fortunate enough have $$ in your bank then it will work for you. The meds are expensive if you do not have a part D plan I have lower co pays b/c I have been able to get help with rx coupons. Their r more options for kidney TP versus LTP patients “ why I am not sure”
Advantage plans are for folks that are healthy , not taking specialty meds. I to went to a MC class for the aging and they were very informative. MC Advantage Plans have high deductibles, co pays most test have to be pre certified b/f they can be done. I have MC/supplement which is expensive but so far they have covered my medical needs rx’s my deductibles are very low. It’s a tough choice but if you have any assets own a home you can get into a financial mess with owing the 20% it adds up I was on private insurance when I had my LTP I am still paying monthly payments and it’s been 3years . Mind you this was my choice. Good luck most of all stay healthy.

We recently received a letter from Mayo Clinic advising us they do not accept Medicare Advantage plans, only regular Medicare. We are blessed to have regular Medicare A & B and our secondary is Tricare for Life, the coverage my husband and I get as a benefit from being retired Coast Guard. These two plans covered his transplant and pre and post coverage 100%, Medicare 80% Tricare 20%. No deductible, no co-pay. We get our meds from Express Script, as part of the Tricare program and that does have a deductible and co-pay, that continues to increase each year. In the last 12 months his cost for meds has been $1,981.84.
Ask your provider's billing staff what plans they accept and which they think is better. When looking for coverage for my parents I found that very helpful. They know not just which plans say you are covered for certain things but actually pay for them. I was told some plans say they have certain things but the pre-approval process makes it almost impossible to get them. Good Luck.

As a lung transplant, Medicare a & b paid 100%. If you get a supplement mayo will not accept your insurance starting in 2024, according to a letter and email I received. Transplant this year, double lung March.

I also had Medicaid