Publisher's Synopsis
WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT THE MAXIMIZE YOUR MEDICARE
- "...the Medicare bible as far as I am concerned...."
- "...in plain-spoken English that everyone can understand."
- "the only book that describes a strategy that works now, and in the future..."
Medicare Rules Are Complicated
The reason that people misunderstand Medicare is that while the language looks the same as other health insurance, but it actually works differently, in important ways.
- Enrollment eligibility
- Late enrollment penalties
- Separate health and prescription drug components
- Financial assistance at federal and state levels
- Special enrollment exceptions
Maximize Your Medicare is written so that consumers understand the wide variety of choices they have, and when they should choose. Maximize Your Medicare also points out the pitfalls that one can avoid, if and only if the consumer understands the rules correctly. While intimidating and confusing to many, Medicare rules largely favor the consumer, as long as the consumer fully understands those rules.
Selection is Complicated
There are a wide variety of choices available, and some of those choices change every year. Maximize Your Medicare clarifies the key differences among the choices. The elegance of Medicare is that it does not discriminate: every person has the exact same rights and options when first turning 65 years old.
That does not mean that every person will choose the same path. The number of combinations that can influence "what is best for you" is too large to count. Among these factors are:
- Financial resources
- Personal / family health history
- Prescriptions required
- Healthcare provider access
Maximize Your Medicare provides real-life examples, called "This Happens," which have occurred and are occurring everyday, now. These examples describe the mistakes that people have made in the past, and the excellent outcomes when the consumer considers his/her situation thoroughly.
The Rules Are Not Enough
There are 57 million Medicare beneficiaries, and approximately 10,000 turn 65 every day, something that will continue for the next two decades. While it may be convenient for others to claim that they can "fix" or "improve" Medicare, the demographic and fiscal reality is that this single issue will be on the top of the national agenda.
Maximize Your Medicare is written so that the consumer (and those around him/her) can deal with Medicare in a practical, well-reasoned way. Maximize Your Medicare is written with the idea that every stakeholder (the Medicare consumer, physician, hospital, pharmaceutical, attorney, etc) is acting rationally, within the rules that they must follow. Maximize Your Medicare is a guide to help consumers, within those same set of complex rules.
