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If you work for a company with more than 20 employees, you can drop Medicare Part B (you can save $104.90 per month). You can simply accomplish this by signing (& witness) the back of the Medicare card and mailing it. Alternately, you can visit any Social Security office to do the same. By the b...

Can the vinegar solution be used to kill grass
imbedded in juniper bush area? This problem of
grass growing in unwanted area has been chronic.

The Medigap plan premium rate increases are usually subject to
approval by the state department of banking & insurance.

Our experience (Medigap premium increases) in New Jersey is not as bad.

But, New Jersey ranks very high in health care costs in general.

Consider getting the best health insurance so that your Out-Of-Pocket (OOP) is close to zero (0). You can do this by buying supplemental (Medigap) plan for him as he is on SSD. You can purchase Medicare Part D plan. Medicare gives good protection in terms of how much a provider can charge for his/he...

You can sign up with BCBS Medicare Advantage plan now (which is your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) ) and switch to a different plan, if needed, during Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 - December 7) with effective date of January 1st. Optimal way to choose a Medicare Advantage with Prescription...

In general, people do not buy dental insurance. Contact your local HIICAP (Health Insurance Information and Counseling Assistance Program) to obtain sources for cheap dental services. You can obtain telephone number for HIICAP (New York State Medicare SHIP counseling service) from Medicare & You...

Consider your Wealth and Health factors.
In your case health is the primary factor. Health
includes your own as well as your ancestral family.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

rixer,

If your health care needs are modest, Medigap F, HD is a good option.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

Unbiased advice: http://www.medicare.gov/longtermcare/static/home.asp Also, use your wealth and health factors to decide LTC coverage. Your local SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) counselor (also know as Medicare Counselor) can assist you. Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medica...

Additional sources for buying health insurance:

http://www.healthcare.gov/

http://www.gohealthinsurance.com/

The first one is from Federal Government.

For the needy, New Jersey offers subsidized health plans.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

If a Medigap plan insurer goes bankrupt, you will have guarantee issue right to buy a medigap plan from another insurance company. Cost can be used to buy. Please note that once Medicare pays, Medigap plan should pay without any questions asked. Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counse...

Larry,

Thanks for the enlightening article.

Do rising interest rates affect the expected rates
as expected by PE10?

You should choose Medicare PART D plan based on the following criterion: Plan that is the lowest TOTAL annual cost that covers all your drugs (with no usage restrictions: Step Therapy, Prior Authorization and Quantity limit). Also, make sure the plan has 3 (or higher) star rating. Note that using ma...

Nationwide offers Roth 457(b) and also
a Guaranteed Income Contract.

Their fee is 0.25% in addition to the
specific fund expense ratio.

The above information is for New Jersey.

YMMV

The date that she is disabled (Disabled date) as per SSDI approval letter determines
Medicare eligibility date.

The actual disability duration does not have any effect on Medicare eligibility.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

Thanks both of you (Grabiner and Duckie) for the responses.

Grabiner, VGD listed Target Retirement Income as one of the ones with
Foreign tax paid.

I am confused as to how to handle the Foreign Tax Paid Reporting Information: Vanguard statement says I paid Foreign taxes paid from two (2) Funds (Target Retirement Income and Total International Stock). It seems Turbotax did not deduct these amounts any where. How do I fix this problem? Where do I...

In addition to enrolling in Medicare Part B, the beneficiary should look into supplemental health insurance based on her medical condition: (1) Look into retiree health insurance from the current employer (2) A medigap plan. (Medigap plan requires Medicare Part B enrollment) Compare (1) and (2) from...

Alan S.,

New York and Connecticut state laws granted
special privileges to buy Medigap plans at any time.
This guarantee enables beneficiaries to stay on a
Medicare Advantage plan (or Original Medicare)
until their health care needs warrant.

One can not predict future medical needs and basing your decision on three medical treatments may skew your decision. You can use a decision matrix using Wealth (Rich, Middle and Poor) and Health (Good, Fair and Poor). Since Colorado is one of the 48 states where one does not have the guarantee righ...

I am looking to buy a good Frozen-food Knife primarily
to cut frozen vegetables such as frozen spinach.

Any recommendations as to the brand and size?

PHYSICAL EXAM ============== History: Allergies, Medications Vitals: T, HR, BP, RR Head, Eye, ENT Respiratory CV Abdominal: Digestive, Urinary Extremities/Joint Lab/imaging NOT COVERED BY MEDICARE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANNUAL WELLNE...

One need not stay with the same Medigap insurance company life long. People change insurance companies. Medigap plans 'C', 'F' and 'N' are popular. It is worth evaluating plan 'N' if your health as well as your ancestral family health is good. It is worth making a phone call to your county SHIP (Sta...

If you are from New York or Connecticut, consider a Medicare Advantage plan as you will have continuous guarantee issue to buy a Medigap plan at any time. Else, consider Medigap Plans 'C, 'F', High Deductible 'F' or 'N'. Plans "C', 'F' and 'N' are popular Medigap plans. Go with the cheapest ins...

It is not clear from your post if you are (< 18 months) close to 65 years.

If the answer is yes, then you can use COBRA until you become eligible
for Medicare.

dm200, I am guessing that both you and your spouse are on Medicare and that both of you have supplemental plans form Kaiser. The monthly premium of $894 (each $447) is rather high. Did you shop around? You can always try to find a cheaper insurance company. As you know, the Medigap plans are all sta...

Try the following web sites for health insurance rates: 1. http://www.healthcare.gov 2. http://www.ehealthinsurance.com 3. http://www.gohealthinsurance.com [Affordable Care Act --admin LadyGeek] will make it easier to obtain health insurance if you have any medical conditions. Disclosure: I am a Cer...

Since your are interested in saving on premiums, you may want to look at Medigap Plan 'N'. Plan 'N' could work for people with lower health care needs. One should use Health and Wealth factors to make the decision. Your best bet is to visit County SHIP (State Health Insurance assistance Program) cou...

For Gordon: You have 8 month SEP (Special Enrollment Period) to enroll in Medicare Part B. Of course, you can apply for Part B any time prior to January 11, 2014. Please note that Medicare enrollment effective dates are always the 1st of next month. For Almost there: You will be directed to SSA.GOV ...

Thanks for the replies.

Are there any good forums for discussion of Health Care related issues
for the consumer?

Thanks for posting the article. It is fairly optimistic.

You are right; if your employer offers retiree health insurance that could provide for her health insurance for two years. Your employer may provide COBRA for spouse only. Here are sources for finding the best insurance: http://www.healthcare.gov/ http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/ http://www.gohealth...

You need to find out Health Insurance costs.

From 2014, you will have the right to buy health insurance.
Therefore, you may want to go for COBRA which will cover
health insurance for 18 months. Ask your employer for details.

In general, retiree health insurance with Medicare would be sufficient. Retiree health insurance usually covers drugs as well. If you continue with retiree coverage, you may not buy Medicare Part D drug plan. Since company plans differ, you need to compare benefits and costs. If You have Original Me...

If Medicare approved amount is greater than $140,
your out-of-pocket expense:
$140 + (Medicare_approved_amount - 140) * 0.20

You are responsible for 20% co-insurance after meeting the
annual deductible.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

It is a modest increase from historical point of view. Affordable Care Act may have dampened the increase. Private insurance companies set Part D premiums and vary quite a bit. The most important factors for selecting Part D plan: Total Annual Cost based on the drugs that one is taking Coverage Rest...

Anyone with experience with alternative energy (Electric and Gas) suppliers
to PSE&G in NJ? Is it worth to switch? Are there good alternative suppliers?

Thanks. However, I did not find the usual report.

Every year, VictoriaF (and others) issue an annual report that is like 50
pages long. Where is it this year?

Was there a report issued after BH11?

I may have missed it due to power outage that we had in New Jersey. Thanks

If you live in New York or Connecticut states, you have the right to buy a Medigap plan at any time and therefore you can start with a Medicare Advantage plan if your health is good. If you live in any of the other 48 states, you need to evaluate your options carefully using your wealth and health f...

Countryboy, Medigap plan 'N' is supposed to be an alternative to Medicare Advantage for those who face higher premiums, lower benefits or discontinued plans under the Advantage changes. First, decide if you want traditional (original) Medicare or Medicare Advantage. Most beneficiaries who choose ori...

Countryboy, Medigap plans 'E', 'H', 'I' and 'J' were discontinued in 2010 and new plans 'M' and 'N' were introduced. Plans 'C' and 'F' have been in existence for a long period of time and there are more enrollees in those plans. Plans 'C' and 'F' have higher premiums compared to plan 'N'. But plan '...

If there are no issues with your MSNs, there is
no need to retain them beyond one year.
There is no hard and fast rule for saving medical payment records.

MSNs can be useful in tracking health conditions over a long period.


Disclosure: I am a Certified Volunteer Medicare Counselor from NJ

Countryboy,

Medigap Plan 'N' is becoming popular, please note that it is still
a new plan. It is good if your health care needs are modest.

Most insurance premiums can be paid using Bill Pay.

Munir: Pre-existing condition waiting period is USUALLY limited to 3 months (in NJ and NY). Please contact your local SHIP counselor for information Camino396: In New Jersey & New York, local SHIPs (State Health Insurance Assistance Program) have complete Medigap charts for all Medigap insurance...

My bookmark 'CBS Marketwatch.com Bloggers' is no
longer working. Famous bloggers like Larry Swedroe,
Alan Roth posted at the site.

What is the status?

Our current Nationwide Fixed Account is yielding 3.5% minimum guaranteed
for the year 2012. Our funds are in 100% GIC as retirement is about 2 years away.
Are there other choices to reduce risk?

Is there any estimate as to percent decrease for the year 2013?

Nisi,

As someone already pointed out, it appears that there was erroneous
price for Simvastatin. I tried the Medicare web site this afternoon, it
showed the wrong price. I reran just a minute ago, it seems the
price is corrected.

Please try again and see what happens.

If a Medicare beneficiary has Medicare Advantage (With or Without Prescription Drug coverage), or stand alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), annual checkup is recommended. In general, beneficiaries with Original Medicare (With or Without Medigap) may not need annual check up. Local SHIP (State Health...