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I’m on Medicare parts A and B, and a Medicare supplement called Plan G from Mutual of Omaha, plus a drug plan from Express Scripts. The combined monthly cost for Part B, Plan G, and Express Scripts is roughly $250/month. When I was hospitalized last May, the ER bill (not counting Dr fees) was a little over $12,000. The in-patient hospitalization total was a little over $72,000. The operating room was around $15,000. And then the various in-hospital Dr consultations, the anesthesiologist, the surgeon's fee were maybe $4000 or so more. So the total came to something right around $103,000.

I didn’t have to pay a thin dime out of pocket. What Parts A&B didn’t cover was covered 100% by Plan G. With only a couple of exceptions, Express Scripts drug prices have been pretty low. Rarely does something cost more than $5.00 ... usually less. There have been a couple of things prescribed that were pretty expensive because they were off-plan, but I was able to consult the pharmacist for a generic alternative that Express Scripts would cover, and he was able to get the Dr to reissue the prescription for that drug.

That’s the good part. Medicare has been a good experience for me....so far.

The bad part is that I’m philosophically opposed to gov’t entitlements, and I struggle with some amount of occasional guilt for betraying that principle. But I came to this way of thinking later in life, and I didn’t spend a large part of my most productive years managing my finances in such a way as to have more independence from healthcare issues in the season of life that I live in now. Since (a) I paid into Medicare all of my working life, and (b) since my retirement income is mostly non-taxable such that my taxable income falls below the minimum threshold to qualify for an ACA subsidy, and (c) since that puts Obamacare outside of my price range, I decided to go ahead and use Medicare as my insurance. I actually DO feel bad about passing that cost on to my grandkids, and I regret that this is also costing YOU guys something, but I don’t have a lot of choice at this point in my life.

But guilt about that aside, Medicare has been much easier for me than I thought it would be. My previously existing providers all accept it, and I’ve had no trouble finding new providers or specialists who take it. My out of pocket remains solely that roughly $250 for the combined plans, and I haven’t had a copayment of any kind to worry about. I’ve gotten excellent care, both from my regular physician, and from the medical facilities and specialists I’ve had to see. And as I was laying in the hospital, white as a ghost and weak as a kitten from all the blood loss, I had the peace of mind of never wondering once, "How am I going to pay for all of this?"

Anygun, PM me if you want to know more about my Plan G and Express Scripts.

Btw, I did get a phone call the other day from someone with a heavy Filipino accent, questioning me about a pain med I have a prescription for, and take maybe once or twice a week. He identified his company, but it didn’t sound like one of mine. It could have been that I didn’t hear him clearly or he mispronounced it, but he started right off asking me about my pain, where it was on my body, and how much it hurt. My answer was, "I’m not going to discuss my personal medical history with some random stranger on the telephone. If you have questions, call my doctor," and I hung up on him.

We'll see where that takes is, if anywhere.