robin1234

Good thing about being in the donut hole, it at least means you're still alive!

I'd highly recommend the AARP book Medicare for Dummies, by Patricia Barry. AARP also has very good Medicare explanations, FAQs etc online. Note that although AARP affiliates sell a Medigap policy, AARP are very careful not to try to market their product via their educational material online.

Medicare themselves also have voluminous and helpful material online. So the material is out there... But seriously folks, expect to spend many, many hours becoming informed, because there are serious and expensive decisions to make. And for Medigap, Medicare Part D, and Medicare Part C (if you choose to investigate that route) you'll be dealing with commercial insurance companies (even though they are offering products defined and regulated by Medicare.)

jmood

What?

jmood

I'm also in this boat. I brought my 78 year old dad here and in the process of getting his LPR.

So all this expense with medicaid. Like the app $12K /year. Isn't that about the same cost as private health insurance. So why bother with medicaid then, especially since with medicaid the options for care providers will be seriously limited?

scrubbedexpat099

Have you got quotations for Private Insurance? Anybody out there who will insure a 78 year old?

robin1234

Remember there are two alternate routes with Medicare, traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (aka Medicare Part C.)

Traditional Medicare, providers should NOT be seriously limited. You can go to anyone, no referral needed, as long as they take Medicare assignment. For Traditional Medicare, you would need;
Part A
Part B
Part D
Medicare Supplement

Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C is more of an HMO or PPO situation. You just go to certain providers. For that, you need;
Part A
Part B
Part C

robin1234

My apologies, I misread this. My previous response was talking about Medicare; which your father will be eligible for after living here for five years. I now see that you were asking about Medicaid.

scrubbedexpat099

He probably was talking about Medicare.

I am famous for mentioning one but meaning the other.

Sally Redux

Bit of therapy there.
Wouldn't he get a subsidy based on his income?

durham_lad

Good point, and I believe that you are right that the ACA means no one can be denied insurance regardless of age or existing conditions. Of course if the income is too low and he is living in a State that has not expanded Medicare he would not qualify for subsidies.

jmood

Exactly.
But in my case, it's not that I'm famous, it's that I still struggle to identify which is which. They are far TOO familiar sounding.

jmood

No idea about the subsidy. He does have a peanut sized income so if there is such a thing he would qualify, but how does it work and where do I start?

scrubbedexpat099

I looked on the local ACA site for CO and my ZIP.

You can get pricing for someone of that age.

In round numbers varied from $500 to $1250 pm.

Assuming you can get credits, would that not be a better deal than Medicare?

jmood

Not recently but I had looked it up about 2 years ago. Yes there were plenty insurers then, the monthlies were around $1000 and the yearly deductibles were very big. Hmm, I guess that does add up to more than $12,000 quoted before for MediCARE.
Need a mnemonic or something - we CARE for the elderly - does that work?

scrubbedexpat099

Nope.

I do not think of ACA as private insurance. But assuming subsidies are available then a basic plan should be free or close to that, you have to fund the co pay/deductibles.

Do NOT try and make sense of any of this, just does your head in.

jmood

So if the state he is living in does not have expanded medicare (which means part D?) he may be eligible for subsidies for the ACA? Did I get that right?
Where do I start investigating?

Edit:
OH, OK, perhaps you actually meant if the state he is living in does not have expanded medicare he may be eligible for subsidies for Medicare? Please help me understand! Eek!