Medicare Premium Increase

[kellyt]

ugh.  I pay three months at a time and I usually pay $289 and some change and my new payment (Jan - March) is $331 and some change.  booooo!        But, hey, they'll (Medicare) pay a lot more for me in the long run!!!!!!      ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha

[tyefly]

  boy I wish I paid that much .......  I just started medicare and they sent me a bill  which was for 96 for three months.....  the bill also sad that it was going up to 110 in Jan.......    Now between my private health insurance, my perscriptions, co payments, medicare charges, dialysis charges ( co pays)...    I will be broke in no time....   and If I am not  I need to put my self there....  I cant believe how much all of this cost......   if rates keep going up  ( like my private health insurance went up 24% this year alone )  I will have to give away all my assents and go homeless and broke....to get help...

[kellyt]

Oh no, no, no... $331 is only what I pay for Medicare.  For my primary insurance, for my husband and myself, we pay over $1000 monthly (includes a minimal dental plan), and I pay roughly $100 for medication co-pays.  In two more years when Medicare goes away my out-of-pocket expenses will be much higher.  Not looking forward to that...

[susan parry]

so medicare does help?  i received my transplant in august and was holding out until next july to sign up.  i have health insurance through work and have a $10,000 cap on my prescription insurance.  will medicare help after i hit my cap? if so how much?

thanks

[greco02]

The transplant center suggested that Jim apply for Medicare Prime.  This would become his primary and my insurance would become his secondary.  As far as I can tell the $100.00 or so per month preimum would give him the coverage that would take care of all his medication and doctor visit copays.  So for us it would be a wash.  The transplant center would benefit as would the healthplan.   

[kellyt]

Medicare has picked up quite a bit.  I have a $150 deductible and once I hit that Medicare picks up all my copays for doctor visits, it makes my portion of my medication smaller, and I didn't pay any of my Humana deductible last year, which is $3000.  Medicare has helped  a lot in my opinion.  I received a statement the other day from the radiology dept at the hospital for services I had performed in August 2009 and the balance was 156.00.  I called them and informed them I had Humana and Medicare and that should take care of it.  They made the correction and that was all.  Otherwise that $156 would have been out of my pocket.  Also, they used an "out of service" doctor from my Humana which could have cost me the entire cost, but Medicare picked that up because they all are under Medicare.  I recommend it, but that's just me.

[Chris]

Saw this and thought ohhhcrap! my monthly Medicare deduction would be more than the usual$96 a month. I now see why yours is higher. I'm on disability income and Medicare is my primary and not my secondary.

[Jean]

I am not complaining, but my Medicare did not go up for Jan 2010 and neither did Hubbys. Go figure.

[Yvonne]

Well I think in the  we must think out selves very lucky, as we are retired we don't pay anything, mind you all the time we worked we all pay NHS out of our wages every week. John was never ill, never ever went to the Dr. while he was working and always complained how much he was paying. He can honestly say now in the past 3 years he has had his moneys worth and a bit more. I really think here in the UK thats why they leave it until the last moment before they put you on dialysis. Also wait for an emergency before you have an operation.
Any one got any thoughts on that.