If you're on Medicare you don't need (or want) the healthcare exchanges under ACA (commonly called Obamacare), unless you don't have the 40 quarters necessary for free Part A (hospitalization). The FAQ column below wastes too many words explaining the same thing different ways, but basically:
� If you know anyone who is currently paying for Part A, they can get an exchange insurance policy but,
� It will not be as comprehensive as Medicare,
� It will cost more, and
� Nothing has been decided yet about whether those who drop Medicare and go into the exchanges in error, will be charged the usual 10%/per year penalty for the time they were not covered by Medicare
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NY Times October 11, 2013
Q & A: Medicare and the Insurance Exchanges
(Full article at: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/q-a-medicare-and-the-insurance-exchanges/?ref=health&pagewanted=print)
(Excerpt) Shirley Mierzejewski was "very upset" when she found out her Medicare health insurance premiums will nearly double next year. "I cannot afford that, I cannot," said Ms. Mierzejewski, 77, who lives in Euclid, Ohio, and works part time as a receptionist at a local college. She has a private Medicare Advantage policy from Anthem, which provides drug and medical coverage.
"So I started thinking about the marketplaces," she said, referring to the online insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act. "Maybe I could find something cheaper there."
But after attending a Medicare meeting this month at the Euclid Senior Center, she learned that the plans available on the exchanges are not intended for most people with health insurance -- and that includes those with Medicare.
Medicare & the new Exchanges
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