 |
 |
When I called the Medicare Hotline I was told that I had the option to opt out due to other coverage without jeopardizing future coverage at age 65. I also took early retirement and had my employer's coverage until age 65 and was told I could opt out as well until the age of 65 ....Medicare had said I could buy the coverage at the early age for $50/month and I didn't think I needed it for the two years as I had my work coverage... I don't remember exactly where in the medicare book but it said something to the the fact that you must be covered from the beginning of the year in the year that you turn 65 and my birthday was later on in the year but the Medicare person I spoke to sounded so unsure of what she was telling me that I decided to call back with the same question and got an entirely different answer...I called four more times for a total of six phone calls with three answers saying yes and three saying no.......I finally called an attorney who researched it and bottom line I took the Medicare coverage along with my work coverage...so my health insurance is primary and Medicare is secondary coverage....Joan H. ----- Original Message ----- From: Ed Haskell To: [log in to unmask] Sent: 3/27/02 6:49:34 PM Subject: Re: SSDI Debra - I took an early retirement 8 years ago and worked only on a part-time basis until 1998. I started drawing SSDI in 2000. Last year I was eligible for Medicare. I contacted Human Resources and found out my former employer would continue medical coverage until age 65. When I called the Medicare Hotline I was told that I had the option to opt out due to other coverage without jeopardizing future coverage at age 65. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Debra Sutton" [log in to unmask] To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 4:44 PM Subject: SSDI Well I have decided to finally swallow the big pill called PRIDE, and start the application process for SSDI. I don't know why that's been such a big deal - it's not like I'm doing anything wrong. I do have parkinson's after all. It's not like I'm going to wake up in the morning and it's going to be gone. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with before I start. 1) Right now i have great health benefits through my husband's job ( thank you God!). Once I get approved for SSDI - you know, in a year or two, - will I still be able to use his medical benefits for doctor's visits and Rx. I think the answer is yes but I figured I better check to be sure. 2) After you have been on SSDI for i believe 24 months, you are eligible for Medicare. Does that mean you have to go on Medicare? I mean, Medicare might be advantageous in some cases but if it doesn't cover prescription drugs, that could be really bad. I don't see any advantage to getting SSDI and then having to spend the whole thing on my meds. How exactly does Medicare work with SSDI? I just don't want to make the wrong decision about applying and end up worse off that I am now, in the future. At the same time, my family could use some money since my energy is zapped and my brain is muddled which makes working impossible. Any advice?? Debra ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn