Medicare for Dummies (For Dummies (Health & Fitness))

Essential reading if you are nearing 65, don't have coverage at work past that age, and are determined not to become a victim of an intentionally complex system. In a country where health care is a for-profit industry, the purpose of the health care insurance providers is not to protect your health, but instead to return the largest possible profit to their shareholders. Keep that in mind when you read their marketing materials. To get Medicare passed in the mid-1960s, President Johnson was forced to include private insurers as middlemen between the health care providers -- hospitals, doctors, pharmacies -- and the payer, which for the big expenses is the government. Your post-65 health care costs will vary by your income and which state you live in. If you're in a state like California, which embraced Obamacare from the outset, your options for Medicare Advantage plans are clearly delineated because the state has required the private insurers to live up to higher standards of commitment and clarity. And if your income is low, Medi-Cal is there to help. But if you're from a state whose government thinks taxpayer funding of health care for the elderly and poor to be morally wrong, your journey is going to be more difficult. Whichever side of the equation you're on, you must first be aware of Medicare's history and its structure, so you can get the lay of the land when it comes time to make choices. Medicare has evolved greatly since it was introduced, but its fundamental components, Parts A to D, remain in place. You need to know what makes up each Part and how it is funded. Three months before your 65th birthday, you need to decide which elements of Medicare you want to sign up for. Many factors come into play. Making the wrong choice could give you the illusion of being covered, but when the bills come in, you could be told by the insurer that for such-and-such an obscure reason, they are not responsible for the medical bills and you are. In a market economy, buyer beware! Medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in this country, and this book's noble purpose is to make you aware of your situation and your options, and help you select coverage that give you the best quality coverage at a price within your means. The author, Patricia Barry, takes her commitment to heart and provides the details as required. Her skill as a communicator has resulted in a structure for the book that places the details in the context of the reader's situation. She uses the first two parts of the book to give the reader a foundation, then devotes the third part to helping the reader "make smart choices," starting with an overview of what the choices are and their consequences. At no time is the reader faced with a wall of information that seems to have jumped out of nowhere. Getting the most out of this book requires a careful, linear read. Start at the beginning and read the first three parts. (I made notes.) Then you'll know what you need to pick and choose from over the rest of the book, the "action" parts, where you determine how you will use your Medicare privileges, with or without the involvement of the private health insurance industry. There's nothing here the average person cannot understand, but there is a lot of content. The author's clear presentation and "Plain American English" writing style makes this big subject understandable to anyone with a little patience and determination. Armed with knowledge, this book's reader will ignore the fear mongers and snake-oil peddlers and be ready to make informed decisions about one of the most important elements of the "golden" stage of life: health care.

I really like the For Dummies books because they make everything so easy to understand. I have a family member who is getting ready to enroll in Medicare and was feeling overwhelmed with all of the information being pushed their way. This book explains what Medicare is and how it works. It explains the different parts of Medicare and what they cover. Also the amount you have to pay for this coverage .It discusses how to compare the many options and figure out what is right for you. There are lots of references to online websites where you can get further information. And there is a handy Appendix and Glossary at the back so you can double check what page to look for something or where to find more information. My family member has read the book from cover to cover and so have I. We feel we have a better idea of how to make the right choices to provide the best coverage for him after reading this book.

Turning 65 later this year, started getting bombarded with mailers about medicare options and plans and seminars. Figured I better learn this stuff so I don't get screwed. Wow, there is so much to learn, so many twists and turns, angles... over 60 plans. Mindboggling. I've been going to several seminars given by different people for different perspectives and am finally getting the hang of it. Strongly suggest you go plus find one-on-one independent insurance agents to answer your questions, and there will be many. Seminars have so many people that it's hard to get all your questions answered, plus the more you study the medicare.gov website the more questions you have. your local hospital should have a medicare expert on staff with whom you can make an appointment to learn more, ask questions. Those are usually free. Now onto the book. Ran into a lady at one of the seminars who swore by it... said it's fantastic, answers all your questions. So I bought it and she was so right. I read a chapter every night, highlight stuff important to me, postit pages I want to return to... it is explained so well and in laymen's terms. I recommend this book to all on the path to 65 and having to learn about Medicare coverage. If you don't learn it, you could get screwed as they will assign a plan to you if you don't pick one. The one they choose for you may not fit your medical needs. So it's super important to learn. Start learning early so it's not so overwhelming. There are also many ways to cut your costs for medicare such as monthly premiums, prescriptions, deductibles and co-pays. If saving money is a concern, this book helps you figure the ins and outs of the system with discounts, how you quality, getting free assistance, etc. I am so so happy I bought this. Still working on it but won't have to make a decision until June. Well worth the investment now and for the next few years.

IMHO this is the best book for someone who is approaching Medicare age. It clearly explains the different parts of the program without just reprinting the (sometimes) confusing text that can be found on the official Medicare website and that is reproduced in many other sources. Many decisions you have to make when you initially sign up for Medicare cannot be undone. Some decisions will end up costing you more money. Medicare for Dummies will help you make the decisions that are best for you. I recommend it to anyone who asks me for info about starting Medicare. One caveat: The edition I have did not provide a lot of help with understanding the dreaded IRMAA. I hope this has been fixed in later editions. If not, you have been warned. In any event, always consult the latest edition.

This is an up-to-date summary of Medicare and generally helpful. It includes information on almost every scenario that might apply to individuals. However, there was not breakthrough information, some conflicting facts, and the way the book is organized is a bit confusing. It will be a good general reference, if I need it, otherwise it will sit on my bookshelf. I expected more from this book, based on its description and the way it was advertised.

I'm a physician and bought this for my parents who are shopping for Medicare plans. They resented the implication that they're dummies, but in the end begrudgingly had to admit this turned out to be a very useful book. It far surpassed any online resource we could find, most of which were either far too simple or far too dense. In contrast, this book actually walked my parents through every step of the process, skillfully anticipating points of confusion that might arise along the way and ultimately leaving no question unanswered. The author is very good at simplifying confusing aspects of the medicare system without dumbing them down (despite the title!). I learned a lot from this book myself - as a physician I have a general sense of how medicare works but when my parents started asking very specific questions I realized I didn't know nearly as much as I should. Definitely recommended!

This book is typical of "Dummies" guides - clear, well-organized, and readable. No jargon, but it sure helps you understand the jargon; in fact, when it came time to pick my Advantage Plan this winter, there were times I think I was understanding a lot of the ins and outs of the system better than the people I was dealing with. Twice they were giving me bad information which I never would have caught except that I'd read the Guide. I'm still not sure I've picked the absolutely best plan, but I've picked a far better one than I would have if I had not read this book before I had to plunge into all that madness. I've a feeling I'm going to be buying updates of this book as Medicare changes over the years.

This book presents a number of ideas. I recommend that you have a note pad to make it easier to reference back to sections. It is truly worth reading as you get closer to enrolling in Medicare. It certainly presents important information. It is easy to read. You do not want to make a mistake when enrolling in Medicare. The book covers a lot of information.