hi thickntired.
i highly suggest researching a medicare 'advantage plan' in your state.
just a example;
i was paying about $600 per month for blue shield's top coverage plan here in california. it was a 'ppo' and very 'rich' in coverage. i was very hesitant to switch over to my medicare insurance for lot's of reasons...
when i got the rate increase notice from blue shield for 2015 i was shocked. (yes, i have had ect. lol) it was going to be close to $700 per month. i'm 52 by the way. no way could i afford that anymore.
i researched hard about medicare and what my options might be. i had a ignorant bias towards medicare...
long story short; i found a blue shield medicare 'advantage plan' that i do not pay more for than just my regular medicare. this includes rx's. in fact, all of my doc's (except my pdoc, so far) were in the plan's network. all for $104. same insurance almost. even the card looks better than the medicare card. it looks like my old blue shield id card.
no prejudice from my primary doc. he even said 'great that you got it.'
other pluses; you usually get a free gym membership w/a medicare advantage plan. and! my plan is called 'blue shield 65+.' at 52 i feel like i must look pretty good for that plan.
most states have non-profit advisors who can help you pick a plan. look on medicare's site for help with that.
it's pretty confusing i know. please feel free to ask me questions in this thread or pm me. i'd be more than happy to help, if i can.
finally; medicare advantage plans are good. they may not be as 'rich' in coverage as the top tier private plans, but they are still very good insurance. again; many advantage plans 'mirror' the company's private or business plans.
unfortunately the one area that might be lacking is mental health. but, pdocs have the highest rate of any doctor's that accept no insurance. lame.
still, i found a plan that was also 'rich' in mental health coverage. much better than just stand-alone medicare.
hope that wasn't confusing.
like i said, just give me a shout if you like.
john