I have a question about Medicare.

[Dysfunctional]

I am 100% service-connected disabled and receive all of my medical needs through the VA. Is there any reason for me to keep my Medicare or should I drop it and get another $164 a month?

[mahina]

1. What happens if the VA hospital or wherever you access care closes?

Good luck!

[Dysfunctional]

6. Except for my primary doctor, all other doctors are non-VA.

[Jirel]

2. Disability attorney perspective:

Keep it.You may need it for flexibility if you are or become ill. Also, getting back ON Medicare may be a pricey proposition. One woman who turned it down until she really really needed it in her 70s discovered that there was no problem getting it back… at $900+ per month.

Real life example with the serial numbers scratched off: I had a VA client who needed a transplant to save their life. VA transplant standards said nope, they would not put the patient on the transplant list. Under Medicare standards, no problem. So off to get Social Security disability to get Medicare, get on the transplant list, and survive to tell the story.

[TreasonousBastard]

3. I use Medicare to fill the few holes in VA coverage. I'm not...

disabled, so a few things the VA doesn't pay for or is ridiculously inconvenient. I also found the VA to be particularly bad at some things.

Your case is different, and I know plenty of veterans in your situation who happily go without Medicare, saving the money.

[gab13by13]

4. Being disabled don't you get Medicaid?

Remember that Medicare, not Medicaid, only pays 80%, does not cover dental or eyeglasses. My 89 year old golfing buddy loves his VA coverage, has had hip replacement and heart valve replacement.

[Dysfunctional]

8. No, my wife and I can't get Medicaid because of our income.

[Irish_Dem]

5. What if you are out of town or have an emergency and taken to a regular hospital?

[Dysfunctional]

7. I am covered for all medical anywhere in the U.S. I can go to any hospital in an emergency.

Actually, I don't go to any VA hospital since the nearest one is 110 miles away. I have a VA primary care doctor and all of my other doctors are non-VA. I don't pay for any medical help or medicine. The VA pays a podiatrist $160 to cut my toe nails.

[Irish_Dem]

9. I wonder if there are some other medicare benefits you might lose?

Maybe you should call medicare and find out?

[1WorldHope]

10. Don't do it.

Nobody warned my husband that if he didn't take Medicare for physician services to save that money, he would be penalized for every year he didn't have it.

"Medicare Part B premium penalty
The penalty for Part B is 10% for each 12-month period you delay enrollment
You have to pay the penalty every month for as long as you have Part B in most cases."
It is wrong to do this to people. My husband got community care for 1/2 of his cancer treatment. Then they stopped paying for his oncologist/urologist half way through the aftercare. It almost takes an act of God to get through to them to make an appt. And no way you can call and leave a msg for the nurse. You have to go through phone triage to get anywhere. My husband does not have the patience to deal with the bureaucracy.

[yellowdogintexas]

11. Does your VA benefit cover everything or just service related

Suppose you need gall bladder surgery - would VA cover that?

Cancer care? Accidental injury? Illnesses like pneumonia? Cataract surgery or glaucoma treatment? Diabetes? Bowel obstruction

Get a list of what VA does and does not cover, then compare it with Medicare. The Medicare.gov website will be very helpful for that.

If VA does not cover this sort of thing, having Part B Medicare would be very important. Part B isn't going to stick you with a network, or put you through a meatgrinder of referrals and medical necessity reviews for procedures and ancillary services. (such as determining if you really need a surgery or services like Physical Therapy, Rehab for pulmonary or cardiac conditions, etc.

Part B has no networks, so you can receive treatment anywhere in the US. Your providers would probably need to file everything to VA first and then Part B, let VA do their thing, then file to Medicare.

[Dysfunctional]

12. Since I am 100% service-connected disabled, the VA pays for everything.

I also get a letter from the VA whenever they pay a bill. The letter tells what the VA paid for, what they were charged, what they paid, and what I owe. Since I am 100% service-connected disabled, I always owe $0.00. I won't go into details, but the reason I am 100% service-connected disabled does not have anything to do with my being in the service. Even if I had never joined the army, I would still be 100% disabled. The only difference would be my wife and I and others would be living on $4518 a month instead of the $9226 we get including the 2023 COLA.