88 yr. old father has been using VA for medical care and has Medicare A and B. Lawyer we spoke with regarding some estate planning suggested a supplemental policy. He has very limited income (Soc. Security only). Having been on borrowed time...one emergency room visit away from some heavy co-pays, etc.? A supplemental plan will be a budget stretch, but does VA, Medicare A and B still leave him (us) too exposed to major costs?
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My dad also had VA and this supplement with A and B. He was never in a VA hospital. He suffered with meds he was prescribed by VA. So glad we had the supplement insurance to go to alternate doctors to find out why the VA prescribed meds weren’t right for him. Just our experience. Others are surely different. An uncle had VA but when he needed a new valve at 92 we didn’t even consider VA. No charges over insurance premiums. My aunt, his wife knee replacement, kidney failure etc. No extra charges. The best thing that could happen is you pay the premium for a supplement and he dies in his sleep having never needed it. It gave my mom peace that she would have her bills paid regardless of what happened.
It was actually cheaper for him to get a supplemental insurance policy.
Can I suggest that you find a Medicare specialist broker, they can help you determine what is the best plan for your dad.
Did your dad serve during war time? Usually a war veteran gets really great insurance, check with the VA and find out if they have a policy.
Most importantly be sure what his out of pocket annual expenses would be if he did nothing.
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I don't know how much VA helps out, but medicare only pays for 80% of the bill. That other 20% is up to the recipient. So if someone falls and is in the ER for a few hours, that can be $10,000. Can he handle a $2,000 copay? Say someone needs their appendix out, that's $40,000. Can he handle a $8,000 copay.
Supplemental insurance also helps out with rehab. It can either greatly reduce the copay or eliminate it altogether. It can also put aside the 3 day rule.
That's why I say that medicare for all is the wrong goal. We need medicaid for all. Since even a 20% copay will bankrupt a lot of Americans.