I’ve now been in the USA for three whole months! It has been exciting, challenging, confusing and fun. I should also say that I’m now “officially old”, having had my 65th birthday some time back. That has certain implications here in the US, namely Social Security and Medicare. These are two social programs that are supposed to aid the elderly, but I’m beginning to think that the process to enroll in these programs is really more of an IQ test to see if you still have enough wits about you to qualify you to get older.
Social Security offers people of my generation the option of retiring, not at 65, but at 66. The Social Security Administration is trying to save some money, since the government has already spent what they took from my paychecks over the last 40 years. Anyway, they will start paying me when I officially retire, but if I wait to retire until I’m 70, they will pay me quite a bit more. I guess they figure I won’t likely live as long after 70, and so it balances out. So, I have to decide when I want to start getting this assistance. Will I live as long as my mother did, nearly 93, and thus taking more money from age 70 onwards would be a good deal? Or, will I be like most of my recent ancestors and only live into my 70’s? In this second case case, I should start getting my money sooner so I can enjoy it. But who is to know?
Fortunately, I have some more months to think about the Social Security conundrum, so I will move on to the Medicare part of my tale.
Medicare, as the name suggests, is to help elderly people with their medical expenses. The first decision one has to make is whether to sign up for “original Medicare” or one of the many “Medicare Advantage” plans. There are pros and cons to each choice. Basically, there are three parts to Medicare: hospitalization (Part A), non-hospital medical costs (Part B) and prescription drugs {Part D). If you go the “original” route, then it is imperative that one apply for Part A at least. Part B is somewhat optional, provided you are still employed and covered by health insurance through your employer. However, my employer recommended going on to Medicare now, even before I retire, because it would be cheaper. But I digress. The “Advantage” plans cover Parts B and D together and so it is called Part C. (I don’t explain it, I just report it.)
My doctor’s office had already warned me that there was only one Advantage Plan that they would accept, and I had to be SURE to have my doctor’s name on the card they sent me. Apparently, regardless of what you tell them, the Advantage plan puts down the name of whatever doctor they happen to think of at the time. Until you have YOUR doctor’s name, s/he can’t see you. Also, whenever you need to see a specialist, you have to go through your primary care doctor for a referral. There is also a limit as to which doctors you can go to, presumably so that the plan can manage the costs more effectively.
My employer strongly suggested that I use the ‘original’ Medicare plan. Since they have worked with thousands of retirees, I figured they had the experience so I should take their advice. They also gave me the name of a broker, a person who would be able to look at my situation and advise me on the best plan for my situation. That was a real blessing. I called her and she is nice and knowledgeable.
So, while I’m collecting all this information, I have to send in the original application to Medicare, because you have to get on the list. In my confusion, I signed up for ONLY Part A. That part is “free”. However, as I worked through the process, I decided I also needed Parts B and D. With the help of my broker, I identified, and eventually signed up with two different insurance companies, one for Part B and another for Part D. As the year was ending, and all of this was going into effect on January 1, I realized I still wasn’t signed up for Medicare Part B. Oops.
My employer needed to know I had insurance coverage before they stopped their insurance, and I finally got around to sending that after Christmas. My paperwork was in such a mess that I could scarcely find the insurance numbers I needed, but eventually they turned up in a basket full of papers. (I put all my papers in one basket to try to corral them so at least I would have an idea where they were. I’m happy to report that I have now put them in a filing cabinet.)
In order for me, as an employed person, to sign up for Medicare Part B, I had to have a form completed by my employer. As the year came to a close, I realized I needed that form completed. I also talked with my broker, who advised me to go on to the Medicare website and get signed up there. I found a form that I needed to complete to request Part B. I completed the form, signed it, scanned it and sent it to my employer. I asked them for the form they needed to complete to give to Medicare. Within a short time, the completed form was returned to me.
Feeling quite pleased with myself, I sent both completed forms to my Medicare contact, who, of course, was on leave over the holidays. On the first working day after the new year, she phoned me. It seems that once the first application (for Part A) goes in and is processed, the whole thing goes to another office. She could no longer help me. I had to take these two completed forms to my local Social Security office and turn them in there. Furthermore, I needed to do that quickly, like today or tomorrow! I had no idea where the Social Security Office is in Knoxville, but I knew I could Google that.
Now this is the reason for the long introduction. I looked online and indeed the Social Security Office is just 1.5 miles from my house. I grabbed the forms and set off. My first clue that this was going to take longer than 10 minutes was the lack of parking spaces available. Having finally found a place to leave my car, I wandered into the office, and was informed that I should sign in on the electronic machine at the entrance. Once I had identified myself, I had to indicate why I was there. None of the choices seemed applicable, so I chose “Other”. Having signed in, I was given a ticket with O281 on it. The “O” was for “Other”. The room was FULL, and there I was with nothing to do.
I downloaded some games on my phone and began to entertain myself, while keeping an ear open for my number to be called. There are specialists in the various departments, but I’m not sure that anyone specialized in “Other”. I never heard my number called, but eventually saw there was an electronic board that told you which numbers were being called and where to go. At the bottom of the screen it said: PAST. My number was on there! I waited for it to come around again, and sure enough, it said “Desk 13”. So, I toddled off to Desk 13.
The guy at Desk 13 said, “I didn’t call you.”
I explained that while I hadn’t heard my number called, the board said “Past: O281”.
He looked me up on his computer, and when he saw the two forms, he invited me to sit down. He said, “Do you just need to hand in these forms?”
“Yes,” I answered.
So, he kindly took them and I was free to go. I wonder if I could have done that half an hour earlier? I’ll never know. But the next time I have to go there, I’ll bring my book.
About 10 days after handing in the forms, I got a letter from Social Security. In it was one of the forms (the one from my employer) and a Post It note saying it needed to be corrected. One of the dates was not correct. I needed to get the company to update that and then return the completed to Social Security. UGH! Will I ever see the end of this process? In the meantime, I’m pretending that all is well and seeing doctors and having medical tests as if all were in place. Let’s hope this cavalier attitude will NOT come back to haunt me!
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