Senior Healthcare

Health Insurance after age 65 ……

Whether you are retired or still working, health care insurance will become more and more important as you age. Today, you may be currently covered by a employer group plan offered by your (or your spouse’s) employer or an individual policy, or maybe a employer retiree health plan. But for most, sometime in the future, Medicare will likely become part of your life after you turn 65. In the United States today, most health plans pay secondary to Medicare.

The only people who are exempt from enrolling in Medicare at 65 are workers and spouses who are covered by an employer group plan that covers 20 or more employees. ……Their time will come later !

What does this mean for you? Sometime before your 65^th birthday you will need to find out two things:

1) Will you be able to maintain your current insurance coverage after you turn 65? 

2) If so, how does that coverage work with Medicare?  If you are still working, or if you are retired and covered by a retiree plan, your employer or benefits administrator may be able to answer these questions.

Here are some possible situations:                                                         

·         Your current coverage will terminate when you become eligible for Medicare at 65. In this case you will enroll in Medicare and find supplemental coverage to fill the gaps that Medicare does not cover.

·         Your current coverage will continue, but you will still be advised to enroll in Medicare. This is because many health plans work with Medicare. After Medicare pays the amount it is required to pay, the health plan picks up some or all of the costs Medicare does not cover.

·         Your current coverage may continue, but at a high cost to you. In this case you may decide to opt out of your current plan, enroll in Medicare, and find less expensive supplemental coverage to fill the gaps.

·         Your (or your spouse’s) current employer offers excellent group coverage to 20 or more employees. In this case you may continue with the plan after you turn 65. However, once you retire you will need to enroll in Medicare.

Transitioning into Medicare   ……  

Medicare  is a national health insurance program for people over 65 and also people who are receiving Social Security disability benefits. Participation is essentially mandatory if you want to have health insurance in this country. While you can – and probably should - have additional private insurance, you must enroll in Medicare in order for supplemental insurance to take effect. When you turn 65, Medicare becomes the primary payor. Under original Medicare, any private insurance you may have is secondary and will not pay until Medicare has paid its share. So if you or your spouse is still working and covered by an employer group plan that covers 20 or more employees, you don’t have to sign up for Medicare when you turn 65. Otherwise you do !!!!

Is Coverage Free?   Do I have Options?      Get More information at  Medicare.gov

What is Long Term Care ?……

Long Term Care is sometimes considered as a wide range of care and support systems you may need to meet your everyday needs as you age. It may be as simple as helping you get up and down from a sitting position or maybe managing money or caring for pets ... OR .... It may be a situation that requires 24 hours assistance with everything you do!  Most people relate the topic of “Long Term Care” with age and the elderly. This may be true with many cases, but please remember, there are other cases where younger people to, are being cared for. Most people would look at a forty year old and say: .....They are on disability or on workers compensation: .... But ..... If that same person was age 85 and needed the same assistance, you might say that they need long term care.

Is Long Term Care Covered under my medical insurance?

Most long term care is not medical care, but rather assistance with the basic personal tasks of everyday life, sometimes called the Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s). We usually think of 6 - 7 different areas when this is mentioned. Those areas are: eating, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring (to or from bed or chair), incontinence (bladder & bowel control) and cognitive issues (Alzheimer’s).

Contact us via email for more information or call our office at 704.542.0447 and speak with a professional agent.


This material is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the U.S. government or any governmental agency. It is not intended to provide any tax, legal or investment advice or provide the basis for any financial decisions. Please consult a qualified professional before making decisions about your financial situation..The Insurance Advisors of Next Phase Financial are not Licensed or Practicing Physicians and are not qualified to give medical advice