Your head is about to explode

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It's the open season of Medicare. And let's face it, no one has any idea what to do.

The other night, I received a call from a friend who works in the world of long-term care advocacy. She will soon turn 65 and face the reality of her Medicare enrollment. She did diligent research and created detailed spreadsheets. And she is disconcerted.

Some choices are good. The competition too. But unnecessary complexity is something else. And we know from the science of behavior that when faced with too many choices, humans often make bad decisions or … do nothing.

Therefore, Medicare – the child to the poster for the overload of choice:

The rules

If you are 65, you must register for Part A, even if you are still working and have employment insurance. If you do not have employer-sponsored health coverage, you must decide whether you want to use Medicare Advantage Managed Care (Part C) or Traditional Medicare Care (Part B), also known as Medicare Original. If you opt for a conventional paid health insurance, you must also choose a Part D drug plan (Basic Medicare does not pay for most drugs) and decide to buy a Medicare Supplemental (Medigap) policy for cover costs t.

If you decide to buy a Medigap font, you must choose between 10 different plan templates (with the letter A through N). Each letter represents a different set of benefits. And, of course, you must remember that Medicare Supplemental plans A, B, C and D are different from Medicare rooms A, B, C and D.

You could simplify your life and sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Since they usually offer comprehensive benefits, including medications, you do not need a Part D plan or Medigap policy. But once you enter the MA world, it's hard to get out. You can go back to traditional health insurance, but you may not be able to buy an affordable Medigap policy if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

More rules

Decide which version of Medicare you want is only the first step. You must always choose specific insurers. Where I live, there are 25 Part D plans, 10 managed care plans and 29 plans offering, for example, Medigap F policies. Different carriers offer other policies for other plans.

And what plan you choose counts a lot. The benefits for each package are the same, regardless of the insurance taken out. But the networks of suppliers can be very different, as well as the premiums. In Maryland, premiums for Part F plans range from $ 151 to $ 344 per month for identical benefits.

And there's more.

If you already have social security benefits, you will automatically benefit from Part A and Part B coverage from the month of your 65th birthday. But if you do not take Social Security yet, you need to sign up for Part A. If you have another insurance, you must also sign up for Part B during your initial registration period, which begins three months. before your turn of 65 years and lasts three months after. If you do not register in this window, you will have to pay penalties when you register. Congress has tried to fix this mess but still has not acted.

More rules

The rules are similar for Part D. If you do not register when you are eligible for the first time, you may need a penalty.

As long as you are still insured by work or another group policy, you will not incur any penalty if you wait to sign up for Medicare Part D. But once you lose your coverage, you have to sign up for Medicare for a period of time. Special membership. you will have to pay a penalty.

The rules are still different if you purchase individual insurance through the Health Exchange of the Affordable Care Act. In this case, you may want to give up your individual coverage and switch to Medicare.

There is more. And if you have health insurance, but want to change plans?

I will not even try to describe these rules. Here's how Medicare explains it:

When you become eligible for Medicare for the first time, you can join during your initial registration period.

• If you receive Part B for the first time during the general registration period, you can also join a Medicare drug plan from April 1 to June 30. Your coverage will begin July 1st.

• You can register, exchange or deposit from October 15th to December 7th of each year. Your changes will take effect on January 1 of the following year.

• If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can enroll, change or delete it during the open Medicare Advantage registration period, from January 1 to March 31 of each year.

• If you qualify for a special registration period. See the next page.

Medicare tries to explain all this in its Medicare & You manual. This year's version has 122 pages.

Or you can try to fix the problem through the Medicare.gov website. Or you can contact a counselor from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in your area. Or, you can simply serve yourself a stiff drink.

Medicare is incredibly and unnecessarily complicated. Different rules and registration periods for different plans, complex and restrictive rules for changing plans and penalties for misguided choices discourage all seniors from taking out the most appropriate coverage. They encourage people like my lawyer friend to pull their hair in frustration. And that's not a way to celebrate your 65^th anniversary.

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It's the open season of Medicare. And let's face it, no one has any idea what to do.

The other night, I received a call from a friend who works in the world of long-term care advocacy. She will soon turn 65 and face the reality of her Medicare enrollment. She did diligent research and created detailed spreadsheets. And she is disconcerted.

Some choices are good. The competition too. But unnecessary complexity is something else. And we know from the science of behavior that when faced with too many choices, humans often make bad decisions or … do nothing.

Therefore, Medicare – the child to the poster for the overload of choice:

The rules

If you are 65, you must register for Part A, even if you are still working and have employment insurance. If you do not have employer-sponsored health coverage, you must decide whether you want to use Medicare Advantage Managed Care (Part C) or Traditional Medicare Care (Part B), also known as Medicare Original. If you opt for a conventional paid health insurance, you must also choose a Part D drug plan (Basic Medicare does not pay for most drugs) and decide to buy a Medicare Supplemental (Medigap) policy for cover costs t.

If you decide to buy a Medigap font, you must choose between 10 different plan templates (with the letter A through N). Each letter represents a different set of benefits. And, of course, you must remember that Medicare Supplemental plans A, B, C and D are different from Medicare rooms A, B, C and D.

You could simplify your life and sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Since they usually offer comprehensive benefits, including medications, you do not need a Part D plan or Medigap policy. But once you enter the MA world, it's hard to get out. You can go back to traditional health insurance, but you may not be able to buy an affordable Medigap policy if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

More rules

Decide which version of Medicare you want is only the first step. You must always choose specific insurers. Where I live, there are 25 Part D plans, 10 managed care plans and 29 plans offering, for example, Medigap F policies. Different carriers offer other policies for other plans.

And what plan you choose counts a lot. The benefits for each package are the same, regardless of the insurance taken out. But the networks of suppliers can be very different, as well as the premiums. In Maryland, premiums for Part F plans range from $ 151 to $ 344 per month for identical benefits.

And there's more.

If you already have social security benefits, you will automatically benefit from Part A and Part B coverage from the month of your 65th birthday. But if you do not take Social Security yet, you need to sign up for Part A. If you have another insurance, you must also sign up for Part B during your initial registration period, which begins three months. before your turn of 65 years and lasts three months after. If you do not register in this window, you will have to pay penalties when you register. Congress has tried to fix this mess but still has not acted.

More rules

The rules are similar for Part D. If you do not register when you are eligible for the first time, you may need a penalty.

As long as you are still insured by work or another group policy, you will not incur any penalty if you wait to sign up for Medicare Part D. But once you lose your coverage, you have to sign up for Medicare for a period of time. Special membership. you will have to pay a penalty.

The rules are still different if you purchase individual insurance through the Health Exchange of the Affordable Care Act. In this case, you may want to give up your individual coverage and switch to Medicare.

There is more. And if you have health insurance, but want to change plans?

I will not even try to describe these rules. Here's how Medicare explains it:

When you become eligible for Medicare for the first time, you can join during your initial registration period.

• If you receive Part B for the first time during the general registration period, you can also join a Medicare drug plan from April 1 to June 30. Your coverage will begin July 1st.

• You can register, exchange or deposit from October 15th to December 7th of each year. Your changes will take effect on January 1 of the following year.

• If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can enroll, change or delete it during the open Medicare Advantage registration period, from January 1 to March 31 of each year.

• If you qualify for a special registration period. See the next page.

Medicare tries to explain all this in its Medicare & You manual. This year's version has 122 pages.

Or you can try to fix the problem through the Medicare.gov website. Or you can contact a counselor from the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) in your area. Or, you can simply serve yourself a stiff drink.

Medicare is incredibly and unnecessarily complicated. Different rules and registration periods for different plans, complex and restrictive rules for changing plans and penalties for misguided choices discourage all seniors from taking out the most appropriate coverage. They encourage people like my lawyer friend to pull their hair in frustration. And that's not a way to celebrate your 65^th anniversary.