Medical Insurance before Medicare kicks in

[tackleandtax]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Your friend is most likely considered a resident of NM. Related items like a drivers license, registering to vote, a mailing address can all help to confirm.

The medicare medi-gap policies offer some out of US coverage. Usually only for the first 2 months out of country. You pay for the medigap policy separately from medicare and it is optional.

Traveling back to the US or a US territory and medicare coverage will kick back in.

Paul thank you so much for this. You left a little nugget of information that could be very helpful... "US territory".

I am not sure he will be able to sail any time soon, and flying long distance may be agonizing/very expensive. But potentially we can arrange a short hop flight to some nearby US soil which may "kick it in" so he can be treated abroad.

I will continue my research! Thanks again!

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by chuckr

... Went to a eye doc here in Turkey the other day and cost was about $40usd for a visit and check with no waiting and a referral to an eye specialist in a university hospital that was for the next day and cost about 210usd for the most complete eye exam I have ever had and a dx that I have to use eye drops the rest of my life. It also included a follow up. The first doc has seen me on a walk in at no cost twice now and wants to see me one more time before we set sail at all no added cost -

FWIW these prices are very comparable (if not more expensive by a few net dollars) to US eye doc services if one is paying cash and calls around for price/availability checks.
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Otherwise I'd add that people not familiar with direct primary care (DPC, aka concierge medicine) physicians in the US might consider giving them a look. Such medical practices are not insurance but instead sort of like a club membership where for a flat $50-$100 per month fee you have ~unlimited access to your physician, often with after hours services, almost always with medications provided at cost with otherwise deeply discounted prices for lab testing an imaging. Many providers are also networked to specialists who provide deep discounts to cash paying patients.

Again, this arrangement is not a substitute for catastrophic insurance, but it's an outstanding value. The emergency room charge for one stitch job could pay for years of memberships for a DPC practice who otherwise could have likely done the stitch job themselves.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by tackleandtax

Trying to make sense of Medicare for a close friend of mine who hasn't paid enough attention to his paperwork and is now in a bit of trouble. Sorry if these are dumb questions!

If he is past 65 and has never bothered to sign up for Medicare -- it doesn't "just happen," you have to sign up -- then he has got some major problems.


Also, medigap policies don't "just happen." You have to sign up for them, and usually pay a premium. If he has not already done this, then he is not going to get any sort of medigap coverage right now.


It is a lot to dig through, and it can be very confusing, but the official source for information is www.medicare.gov


Good luck.

[Sailor 99]

I just got a quote from RBC in Canada.. 2400 for 7 months out of country. Good anywhere for the wife and I.