Medicare Question

It might be difficult to switch back. I’m sure you can get Medicare parts A ( hospital), B ( doctors, and non hospital expenses), and D( prescription). You might not be able to get a supplement to cover the hospital and other deductibles and co-pays. Yes. Medicare has deductibles and co-pays(20%). Supplements are written by private insurers and they will ask questions about her and either charge her more or deny her altogether. Our state has one supplement written by Blue Cross Blue Shield called guaranteed acceptance that takes all applicants regardless of health conditions. Some states don’t have any. I suggest you ask friends if they went through an insurance agent that answered all their questions. If you can get a supplement, Part G ones are the best to get

@NadiaSookar

Hi and welcome. I am sorry for your reason to be here but pleased you found this place.

This is a great question. SDianeL is correct in that neither type of plan covers residential/custodial care.

It's really hard to make general comparisons to Traditional Medicare and MAPs because there are so many different plans within each category. Many folks feel TM is preferable, but my mom's MAP provided as part of her retirement package has been excellent but doesn't include "extras" like transportation to appointments from which I might benefit.

That said, there is a new program being rolled out by Medicare for PWD and their families called GUIDE. It's not widely available at this point and it does seem to vary by state but does include some in-home help in some places. At this time, GUIDE is limited to those folks who have Traditional Medicare.

The other piece you will want to be looking at is whether your mom has enough assets to fund a MCF should one be needed down the road. If she doesn't, she may need institutional Medicaid to be her safety net. There is a 5-Year-Lookback associated with qualifying for that program and you'll want to make sure nothing is done to prevent her becoming eligible. An elder law attorney can assist with this important piece.

HB

I've found our local Counsel on Aging very helpful in providing advice and/or referrals to local experts who are familiar with local services and your particular State's laws.