Part B Medicare

Launia Tate Sullivan wrote:

We did not enroll in B
Regret it
I had an mergency to the hospital while being a few days in the US.
Then i realized that part A alone is nothing
A lot to think of:
A) are you going to travel back to the USA for holidays
B) depending on your age, it might be difficult to find an insurance in Mexico

The penalty will be added

I'm surprised.  I was in the hospital several years ago for a week for a cardiac bypass.  Just about all of the $20,000 plus charges was covered under Part A.  Yes, there's the deductible and 20% coinsurance.  A separate private Medicare Supplement (Medigap)  plan would cover that.

Part B also has a deductible, copays and coinsurance.  No part of Medicare covers 100%.

rubytue60 wrote:

What about Part D ?   Can anyone speak to that?

If you can register for part B, use the same address for Part D.
You can only buy prescription meds from a US pharmacy.
You may be able to get a mail order pharmacy to ship to Mexico but the shipping charges will be quite high.  Take into account that the last I heard Mexico prohibits individuals from importing prescription meds.  Tourists are allowed to bring in a quantity in their name to last the duration of their stay.

My US address is in McAllen, TX.  There is a mail service that will forward the meds with the Mexican company Estafeta.  I order 11 meds from a mail order pharmacy and usually pick it up in McAllen.  A couple of times I couldn't get up there before I ran out.  They charged me $65 or so for 2-3 day service.

rubytue60 wrote:

Thanks.   Yes,  will be in Mexico for 4-5 months only so I will be sure to bring what I need.   I guess if I run out I will have to pay the high mail order rate.

Most everything is available down here without a prescription, except antibiotics, opiates, and psychiatric drugs.  With a little research,m you can find the Spanish names.  There are several national drugstore chains that carry almost all generics.  There are other pharmacies that carry Brand name drugs still under patent.  Locals, wherever you are will know which ones to use.

Am moving to Mexico end of year, will turn 65 next year.  My wife is Mexican, most all her (my) family are there.  Very tempting to decline part B, especially since we will not have a USA address, IMSS is affordable, we are both in good health with no bad habits, and can use money saved to buy private health insurance should anything major happen at 75+.  Disappointed in our country (USA) and the penalties imposed for leaving, but understand the risk pool reason for putting the fear of God into you.  But as Churchill said, the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.  When I am there in Mexico, in a walkable neighborhood, my heart recovery rate improves, my stress and blood pressure lowers, and do I really want to continue financially supporting medicare when I am only able to use it on trips back to the USA to visit a decreasing amount of family I will have left there in coming years?  Medicare would be wise to open up the risk pool to include expats living outside the USA, especially as the baby boomers are leaving the country.  Until that time, it appears to me unwise to throw part B premiums out the window while retired in Mexico.

Unfortunately, if you decline part B, and go uninsured, you will have a huge premium to pay later if you should want it at a later time.  You would have a part, B penalty and a part D penalty.

You might, and I say might, be able to buy insurance in Mexico that will qualify as comparable and acceptable insurance, so that you might not have to pay part B, but you’d have to check on this first.

Either way you should still get part A now.

Yes, thank you, aware of penalties/lack of acceptable coverage to waive them in Mexico should I wish to return to the USA, am going to be automatically enrolled in part A.  Have quotes for catastrophic health care insurance at about$500 USD per month to cover my wife and I here in Mexico for major illnesses.  Makes me want to consider $ 400 per couple for Medicare part B, but once you add transportation/lodging to get back to USA for care, see why most opt to pay out of pocket for routine care in Mexico and rely on IMSS for the rest.  As all her family are in Mexico, it seems unlikely we will return to USA, especially since they are forcing me to decide whether or not to stay in such a broken health care system.  Thank you very much for your kind reply

@jeff2026

You won't use Part B, you will simply lose money every month for nothing, and that is a substantial amount of money in Mexico. Have Part A, refuse B, get IMSS, pay for little stuff out of pocket, and you'll be way ahead. You can always get part B in the future , although our wonderful gov't will punish you for saving money by adding 10 % to your premiums . This is what we did, and it worked out very well. Best to you, Kate

Gracias mil, @famouskate100!  I admire your honesty and will follow in your footsteps!  If they are penalizing us for leaving, it must be for leaving to something better, eh?  Saludos!

I did not find this to be true @gudgrief, perhaps have a look online?  Medicare will not cover you in Mexico, but you CAN enroll in Medicare with a Mexican address if you are a USA citizen and wish to return to the USA for healthcare.  You will need to pay for airfare and lodging, and you DO need to report a USA address, but only for official mail from medicare.  This mailing address can be a relative or friend’s address, social security asks for your actual physical address in the country you will reside in retirement at the time you move. 

@jeff2026

MUCH BETTER , no doubt!