Medicare and traveling south

thank you so much! I appreciate this information so much :)

Just remember if you get medical service while away, ALWAYS give them you home address, and not a local RV resort etc!

Chris

If you get a supplemental plan (most do), make sure you understand the differences in coverage between "A", "B" "F" etc. I chose F because of the out of state coverage and no possible getting hit for 20% of bills which can happen in some states. And, it doesn't matter what company you buy the supplemental insurance from, the benefits are the same.

There are lots of businesses that provide information re supplemental and prescription plans...usually at no cost. They make their money from the companies that are chosen by their clients. I found the lady that I dealt with here in Ohio to be very helpful in making my decision and there was no sales pitch or pressure to choose one particular company. And, you're not locked into staying with a company as each year during the "window", you can sign up with a different company.

Good luck....you should be able to work everything out!

And...the medicare search engine for choosing a prescription drug plan is quite good. You enter any medications you take, and you will get a listing of estimated yearly costs per perscription plan provider.

I don't use regular Medicare. My wife and I have a private Advantage plan (Blue Cross Blue Shield). See part C in you Medicare booklet. I actually receive $6 a month back from SS because my Advantage Plan cost SS less than regular medicare.

When I turned 65 I set everything up online while in FL, but my home SS office, in PA, did require my signature. I had to go to a FL SS office and give them my signature. They faxed my signature to my Pennsylvania home SS office. If I recall correctly you have to set this up 90 days before you turn 65. So you may be able to set everything up before going south.

My eyes were opened when we went to the FL SS office. I expected to see a bunch of old people signing up for SS. What I saw was mostly foreign language speaking women with children signing up for some sort of SS benefits. My wife and I were the only ones there for SS. The women and their children occupied all the chairs. My wife and I had to stand for over an hour. It was so chaotic they had a uniformed guard in the waiting area.

THANK YOU!!!!

Many of us began fulltime RV travels long before age 65 and were on the road when signing up for Medicare and SS. No problem since its all done online these days. You just need to have internet access and mail forwarding. When you select a Medicare Supplement Plan (also easy to do online), get a PPO type with a nationwide network. Although a few docs may not accept new Medicare patients, there are more than enough who do. I use different docs all over the country when traveling and never have an issue getting routine medical services wherever needed. I find Medicare easier to use than my previous private plan with BCBS.

Don't forget about your supplement (if that is something you're planning on.) Some will not allow you to be out of state for an extended time and still be covered. Others will require you to call in when you'll be out of network.

FWIW, park I was in this winter had a benefit for a US snowbird that didn't have a supplement. He had extensive rehab that Medicare did not cover. It drained his savings.

you can sign up online at http://www.ssa.gov/medicare/apply.html#a0=1

you should sign up 3 months before your birthday. They will take premiums for Part B from your social security money.

They will mail you the information.

One issue you might run into is that not all doctors will take new patients who have Medicare as their primary insurance, even though you have private insurance. If you don't have a primary doctor yet, get one now before you you get on Medicare.

I was already getting my SS benefits, received my Medicare card a couple months before my 65th birthday. Had to go online and setup an account and answer some questions. My previous insurance from my MEP became my secondary or Medigap under Medicare.