I do think that's exactly the way you need to reason it out. Those premiums are a very high cost just to preserve a wider array of options that may be wider than what you require. Also, I wonder just how much wider that array is. For instance: if you needed some complicated, dangerous surgery, I wonder if having Medigap would mean you are free to travel to any hospital in the country, like maybe someplace really prestigious, and you will be covered? Also, you have to ask yourself if that's something you would ever reasonably want to do, as it would entail other costs of travel and lodging that might be beyond your means.

Regarding ambulances, this has come up in threads before. If you can't drive and there is no one to take you AND you don't need the attention of EMTs/paramedics, then it is more appropriate to call a taxi for transportation. Of course, that can depend on the availability of taxi service in the area where you live.

The issue about you co-owning a valuable asset, like the home you live in, is a great question and beyond what I know much about. (I rent.) If I were in your shoes, I would think about scheduling a visit to a lawyer to discuss the implications of home ownership in my life. If you are near a big town, there may be free legal consultation available, like LegalAid for low income persons. Alternatively, one of your brothers may have a relationship with an attorney who could be asked about this.

The fact that you live in this house affords you some protection while you are alive and still living in it. Be aware that Medicaid sometimes comes after things like houses, after you die, to recover some of what they spent on you, while you were alive. It's called: "Medicaid Right of Recovery" or "Medicaid Estate Recovery." Google that for yourself. From what I've read, it's mostly only used to go after property of people who ended up living in nursing homes on Medicaid. I haven't read that it is used to recover expenditures to help you with things like paying part B Medicare premiums or out-patient care . . . or even in-patient care.

The next question is whether the house can be gone after by hospitals, doctors, etc. I doubt that they can, while you are living in it. But I would love to know what a lawyer would say, especially about what could happen, if you were to pass away owing a lot of money. Your brothers might want to ask one of their own lawyers about that. You probably already realize that, if your brothers ever buy you out, you will need to be very careful what you do with the money, while you are getting any form of Medicaid.

Never let it make you feel disturbed, if any medical bills you ever rack up get turned over to a collection agency. That is often done automatically and sometimes doesn't mean a blessed thing in terms of putting you in any greater danger, financially. Know that you are never legally obligated to talk to anyone on the phone about anything.

Regarding the lady above who pays five dollars per month: married people do share joint liability for certain things. If she owns property, it may be prudent for her to make the small monthly payments. Also, it sounds like she has an income that is not "judgement-proof," as Social Security is. I do think it is wise to know the Statute of Limitations for debt collections in your state. That can never kick in, while you are making any payments on a debt, which is why debt collectors so badly want you to pay "even a few dollars now and then." Sometimes, that is not so much a case of them "working with" you, as it is a case of them keeping you from availing yourself of debt relief to which you are legally entitled.