Medicare & medical & prescription costs

CCinPA: RE age 65 Medicare sign-up, Part A = Hospitalization coverage. Part B = Outpatient physician + medical tests/lab coverage + a few limited types of med coverage. Some yrs back when I was approaching age 65, Medicare HQ wanted us potential retirees to sign up at Soc. Sec. office visit 6 months before our 65th birthday for Medicare Part A. However, we still had the option to stay on our job-related insurance if our employer continued keeping us on full-time. At that point the U.S. govt. decided it was acceptable for us to work past age 65 and launched an SS benefit called "Making Work Pay", by which we got a small percentage increase to future SS payments for each month we stayed in the workforce past our govt.-approved retirement age, which already had increased to age 66 for people born after 1942. We could also stay on our employer's health care insurance if they were willing to keep providing that benefit. HOWEVER, if lacking employer's health care insurance after age 65, we were obligated to then sign up for Part B Medicare coverage within a specified time-- or else we would incur a lifetime penalty charge added to Part B fees when signing up after that specified time. That's basically what potential retirees have to double-check when approaching age 65. Be aware that the official govt.-approved retirement age increases to 67 now for people born in 1960s onward. In the 2nd half of every year the Medicare HQ issues a free handbook that includes any revisions to Medicare taking effect in the following year. You'll catch on to the essential info., don't worry. Besides, Straydog is here reminding us what is most important for IBD retirees to check on. Then if you need to buy a Part D drug coverage supplement at some point, you'll have to find out which supplements are sold in your geographic area-- and which supplement provider has a formulary that covers the Rx med(s) you need. It sounds like rocket science to you right now, but you'll adapt to dealing with it-- think of all the hurdles you've mastered being in the workforce over time. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC; in remission taking Colazal)