I’m on Medicare, but I still got stuck with a $25k hospital bill
I have Medicare, as I am on disability.<p>I am working on finishing my education, as I only have 1 year left of engineering school, in electrical engineering, before I enter the workforce.<p>I require a blood product in order to survive. If I ONLY had Medicare (I don&#x27;t--I also have employer-based insurance through a family member), I can expect to pay around $50,000&#x2F;year for my care, due to Part D catastrophic coverage levels. I can definitely expect to have to pay $50,000&#x2F;year soon if the Affordable Care Act is abolished. Fortunately, I am a European Union citizen, but it would be tremendously sad to have to leave the United States, my homeland, over this.<p>I really cannot go on a Medicare Advantage plan, which might resolve this issue, as I have a very rare condition that only a few doctors in my area are qualified to treat. Most Medicare Advantage plans are HMOs too. You also cannot switch back to traditional Medicare ever, once you get a Medicare Advantage plan. I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas by population too. It puts me in a strange place where I can almost be guaranteed not to get the care I need. My care is unbelievably complex.<p>It is very common to be admitted to the hospital by Medicare under observational status. I am surprised that the person writing this article was unaware of this, but almost everybody outside the healthcare field is unaware of it. There are also some really, really strange rules with respect to emergency room visits and being admitted under observational status by Medicare. It also takes a lot of time to look them up and understand them.<p>The Medicare Part B premium is typically $135&#x2F;month for most Americans. This covers 80% of your costs for outpatient care, doctors visits, medical supplies, etc., under traditional Medicare (not a Medicare Advantage plan). To cover for the remaining 20% (which you should get coverage for--you are foolish not to) you need to get a Medigap plan. Those can be expensive.<p>I know this is unbelievably complex, and is a huge waste of time to have to go and understand, to prevent yourself from getting in trouble, if you have Medicare. It is ridiculous.<p>However, the author was being penny-wise and dollar foolish. It is very, very common for people to explicitly elect to have Medicare Parts A and B if they have traditional Medicare. Saving $135&#x2F;month over something that could get you in trouble is not smart in the American healthcare system.<p>Yes, his situation should have never happened, in a decent healthcare system. It is sad. But he did make some pretty big mistakes, especially considering he is a doctor. But, he did not deserve this.