10 Costly Medicare Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make

This book really helped me to understand how this system works and pitfalls to avoid. Highly recommend reading the book.

You can tell these folks have been helping lots of Medicare beneficiaries for a long time. The lessons learned are real and they synthesized their knowledge into a compact and pithy guidebook. No doubt their resources and tools they make available to their clients are highly useful and valuable. It is notable that they have done their research beyond their home state of Texas, citing differing Medigap regulations and product designs in the exception states. I highly recommend this book to beneficiaries or soon to be beneficiaries and their families. It will be time well spent going through from cover to cover.

Written in plain talk helps understanding. I was unaware of the volume of choices and potential snares. Now I have the confidence that I will be able to make solid decisions and not get tied up in the snares. A must read for retirement planning.

A informative book with numerous useful resources for those who, like me, have to make Medicare decisions without much pre knowledge.

My spouse's Medicare sign-up window was well underway when I realized how little we knew about the process and the enduring ramifications. I got this book based on the reviews and also with the newfound knowledge that I could indeed make some enduring, expensive mistakes. I was initially wary because I knew the author had a website, but the book was not at all pushy about that. In terms of ROI, this book could be my best investment ever. I just sent a copy to a friend. A complex system is explained in a logical, easy-to-access format. I could skip over what I didn't need and go straight to what I had to know. Having narrowly avoided several costly mistakes when my spouse enrolled, I decided to use the recommended Boomer Benefits (no cost!) for my own enrollment because I wanted the option of having ongoing guidance if I had any future problems. That was a good move-- in less than six months I already had a billing problem I would not have known how to straighten out. They are handling it! Use their Boomer Benefits or don't, as you see fit. The book is invaluable on its own.

This book is well worth the cost. I learned everything I needed to know to decide which plan is right for me. Most important was the information on medigap plans and advantage plans. Also, the importance of getting a drug plan right away to avoid a penalty that you pay every month for the rest of your life. Important!!! I called the company mentioned in the book, Boomer Benifits, and obtained a policy through them. When I received the policy I found the agent had made a HUGE mistake and I immediately cancelled the policy so I could fix it. Its a good thing I read this book! Too bad the agent didnt. I know it's nice to say "everyone makes mistakes"...no, not when it comes to something as comllicated as Medicare, especially when the whole purpose of an agent is to ensure mistakes AREN'T made. So I give the book 5 stars. But I have lost confidence in the company behind it. The mistake: The agent said that I was NOT enrolling during the guaranteed issue period (I was). By saying no, I would have to answer health questions with no guarantee that I could get a policy, and even if I got a policy it would cost a LOT more. According to the book this is the biggest mistake you can make when getting a medigap plan...and the agent made it! But, as, I said, as a result of reading this book I found the mistake in time.

I really wish I could give this book a ten star review. I am still a year and a half away from being eligible for Medicare but thought I'd start to educate myself on the ends and outs of Medicare, and boy I'm glad I did and very glad I bought this book. First, don't let the title of the book put you off. I first thought it focused just on mistakes and while it does organize its chapters that way, it really is a "Medicare 101" type of book too. In other words, if you know next to nothing about how Medicare works (which was my situation) this book will educate you from the ground up. Key takeaways: 1. Medicare is NOT free. Get that out of your head now. While Part A (hospitalization) is free for most people, Part B has a premium of $164.90 (as of this review in 2023). 2. For most people you get a ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE to enroll in Medicare without the worry of underwriting. Yes, that's right! If you're not careful, you can and will be subject to medical underwriting if you don't enroll during your "Golden Ticket" time which is the 3 months before your birthday, the month of your birthday, or within the 3 months after your birthday. Exception: Medicare Advantage programs don't require underwriting, but original Medicare can if you're not careful. 3. Medicare Advantage. Not to say they are all bad plans, but I do kind of conclude the author of this book is a bit biased towards sticking with Original Medicare and choosing a Medicare Supplement such as Plan G or Plan N. Another pitfall is if you start with Medicare Advantage and later want to enroll back into Original Medicare with a supplement, you may face medical underwriting. Further, the author says to be very careful about those Medicare Advantage TV commercials promising free gym memberships, 0 premiums, and grocery allowances. Oh yeah? Okay, but what if I have to stay in the hospital? How much do I still have to pay per day out of pocket for a hospital stay? What!!!??? 500.00 per day?? You mean to tell me if I had just done my research and chose Plan G instead, I would have paid a total of 226.00 out of pocket for the entire year and my hospital bill would've been nothing? What??!! This is just an example. That free grocery money or gym membership may not seem so great then. Another thing the author points out is if you really want a Medicare Advantage plan, be sure to carefully study its network. Is your current doctor in its network? Which hospital(s) are in the network? And so on. Finally, for me at least, the more research I do, the more inclined I am to stick with Original Medicare and not enrolling into an Advantage Plan. 4. Plan D. This is your Pharmacy insurance. You may think to yourself, okay but I don't take any medications so why should I even enroll in any Plan D insurance. The author strongly recommends in this case to at least enroll in the cheapest Plan D you can find. Why? For every month you're not enrolled, you face a permanent penalty FOR LIFE if you later find yourself needing medications and thus wanting a Plan D prescription plan. This is because Medicare will impose lifetime premium penalties and they really add up for delaying enrolling in Plan D. By the way, this goes for Plan B too. Some of the cheapest Plan D's can cost just a few dollars a month (and thus protect you a few years later from a huge penalty in case you develop a serious illness and need expensive meds). I knew next to nothing about Medicare before I read this book other than something about a "Part A or Part B." In addition to this book, I'm reading another and listening to free podcast. I'm finding by saturating my brain with Medicare education from different sources, its really starting to fall into place for me so I'll avoid the dangers and pitfalls when I'm ready and eligible to enroll. I strongly urge you to get this book, I know for me, its one of the best (roughly ten bucks) I've ever invested. If you're a year away, and more so if you're 6 months away from enrolling in Medicare, do yourself a favor and get this book, listen to podcast, and educate yourself. Enrolling in Medicare is one of the most important life decisions you'll make and you want to do it right. For me, after all the research I've done, I'm pretty sure I'm going to take Medicare Part A, Part B, Plan G (this is one of the most popular supplements now) and a Plan D drug coverage.