questions & answers

Question: when i turned 65 disability ssd changed to ssa. on ssd i received ahcccs but today make too much money on ssa to qualify for ahcccs. my disabilities neither of which are ever going away. i cannot afford medicare advantage plans or private insurance. what can i do????

Answer:

At age 65, the vast majority of U.S. residents enroll in Medicare Part B medical and D prescription coverage (Part A-hospitalization, is free).  Social Security will automatically deduct the monthly Part B premium from benefits payments.  Although the premium is generally quite low, if a person qualifies as “low income“, he or she will be eligible for financial assistance with the premium payment. https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/10126.pdf  For assistance, you can call a Medicare representative at 1-800-MEDICARE

Keep in mind that, for each year a person delays enrolling in Medicare, the cost to enroll increase.  Also, the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), which technically provides alternatives to Medicare, is generally much more expensive for someone who is eligible but declines to enroll for Medicare.  Finally, the ACA penalizes individuals who choose to remain 100% uninsured, although the penalty is imposed against annual taxes filed with the IRS.