Senior Living
/Health
Which Medicare plans cover emergency medical care overseas?
I met with you in 2023 for a Toni Says personalized Medicare consultation. I have a quick question regarding travel outside the United States because I’m planning a trip to Italy in September. Which Medicare plans cover emergency medical costs while traveling overseas?
I received Medicare advice from my travel agent that has me very ...Read more
Please simplify Medicare’s enrollment process
Toni:
I need to make the right Medicare decision because I turn 65 in August and have not had a health plan for 2 years. I do not know where to start or what to do. My friends are advising me that if I do not sign up for Medicare when I turn 65, I will be making a major Medicare mistake.
Can you please simplify the Medicare enrollment ...Read more
What’s the difference between in home health care and at-home?
Dear Toni,
I need your help regarding my parents who are in their late 80s. My mother has been disabled with Parkinson’s for the past 3 years and my father has been her caretaker, but due to his recent heart attack, he can no longer assist her.
They do not have a long-term care plan, and discussing having live-in help or living in an ...Read more
Enrolling in Medicare when laid off
Hello Toni:
My husband, Steven, has been laid off from a company he worked with for over 20 years. His employer is downsizing due to changes in the economy and May 31 will be his last day.
Steve is 68, enrolled in Medicare Part A but never enrolled in Medicare B because he had employer benefits. He is stressed, wondering how to apply for ...Read more
Why is Medicare Part D’s IRMAA premium so high?
Dear Toni:
I am turning 65 in June, self-employed, and my income together with my wife’s is over $300,000. Recently I received a letter from Social Security telling me that my monthly Medicare Part B premium of $174.70 would double to $349.40 per month due to 2022 reported income. That was no surprise, but Social Security also said that ...Read more
Enrolling in Medicare with a blocked Social Security account
Hi Toni:
I’m turning 65 in July and not receiving my Social Security check. Last week I tried to open a “My Social Security” account to enroll in Medicare online and discovered that my Social Security account is blocked. Two years ago, someone falsely filed for a tax refund with my Social Security number. Now anything that involves me ...Read more
Explaining ‘lifetime reserve days’ in simple terms
Toni:
Why did a hospital medical claims division employee ask my husband James to sign a form stating that he is aware that he is now in his “lifetime reserve days” while he was waiting for his lung/heart transplant?
He went into the hospital in December of last year for congestive heart failure only to discover that his heart and ...Read more
Leaving employer’s benefits after age 65 is puzzling
Hello, Toni:
My husband, Jay, retired 6 years ago when he turned 65. He enrolled in Medicare Part A only and decided to delay Part B since I put him on my employer’s group health plan. Recently, I read an article about failure to enroll in Medicare Part B when turning 65 and the additional cost for each year that one delays enrollment.
...Read more
Isn’t Medicare Part A free?
Toni,
I need your help because I have made a mistake enrolling in Medicare. This February, my husband Sonny was laid off and lost his employer health insurance, which I was on. He is a veteran and is receiving his health care from the VA, so he did not have to enroll in Medicare.
I have enrolled in Medicare since I am turning 65 in April....Read more
Is there a new plastic Medicare card?
Toni,
I am concerned about a phone call I received yesterday from a representative with Medicare asking all types of personal questions and informing me that there was a new plastic Medicare card with a chip like a credit card. I told the caller what you said during your online Medicare webinar about not giving personal information over the ...Read more
Is at-home recovery after a transplant covered by Medicare?
Dear Readers: This week, I received a text message from a local Toni Says Medicare client that I would like to share with you:
Toni, I need to put together a 24/7 home care recovery plan after a liver transplant. The surgery is over a year out, but I would appreciate tips on how to plan for this medical event. Thanks in advance.
--name ...Read more
I thought Medicare covered long-term care
Dear Toni,
Recently in your Medicare column, you discussed services that are not covered by Original Medicare such as dental, vision, long-term care and other items. I thought Medicare covered long-term care but was wrong, because my mother suffered a severe stroke and her rehab facility notified me that Medicare is not paying for my mother...Read more
How do I enroll in Medicare?
Hello Toni:
I am turning 65 in July and am bombarded with mail and telemarketing calls. I am not receiving Social Security and a friend who just got Medicare is receiving her Social Security check. Do I have to be receiving my Social Security check to get Medicare?
Please explain what I should do because I was waiting to apply for Social ...Read more
Losing employer dental benefits when enrolling in Medicare … what do I do?
Dear Toni,
I will be eligible for Medicare in July and am now receiving cancer treatment. I am currently on my ex-employer’s COBRA and searching for dental care when I go on Medicare in July. The only dental/vision plans I am finding are in Medicare Advantage plans, but my cancer facility has advised me to not go in that direction because...Read more
America’s veterans need to enroll in Medicare the right way
Dear Toni,
My husband, Jason, is a Vietnam veteran and never enrolled in Medicare Part B because he uses the VA for his medical care. He is 77 years old and retired when he turned 65 about 12 years ago.
Because he is having heart issues, he wants to go to a local cardiologist that his best friend uses and must now enroll in Medicare for ...Read more
Son loses mom’s house because of poor Medicare/Medicaid choices
Toni,
I have a client, Joshua, who just received a bill for his mother's long-term care paid by Medicaid in the state of Texas. Her care was provided at her house instead of a nursing home during the last few years of his 80-year-old mother’s life. No one informed him that the state was running a tab of all health care expenses that ...Read more
Why enrolling in Medicare Part D is important
Toni:
I was told to receive a shingles vaccination; I need to be enrolled in a Part D prescription drug plan for the vaccination to have a $0 copay or pay $200. I thought all vaccinations and immunizations are covered at no cost under Medicare Part B.
Can you explain this Medicare rule? Thank you.
--Carl from Lubbock, Texas
Carl:
On ...Read more