Get What's Yours for Medicare: Maximize Your Coverage, Minimize Your Costs (The Get What's Yours Series)

Very well written and easy to read. The subject is boring by its very nature, but the author kept it interesting with some humorous candor and personal observations (the author was 70 when he wrote it, so he's one of "us"). Before I continue, I would like to address the negative comments about the quality of the binding, etc. Yeah, it's not the best and some pages are a little crooked (very few), but this isn't a collector edition it's informational text. In other words, the binding work is of no consequence to me. The contents are nicely organized with chapters that are properly sequenced and, again, well written. There are numerous footnotes that provide context, contact information, and links. The back of the book if filled with indices and definitions of terms. Most important to me was that I came away with a vastly improved understanding of how to approach Medicare, and now armed with the explanations and contacts feel confident in getting this process under way. I compare it to a lifting fog. Highly recommend it.

Great book--it gradually introduces one to what Medicare booklets state. Throughout this book, there are informational cues starting with "NOBODY TOLD ME" that pointedly help grasp the fact that retirees on fixed incomes and small budgets or, their representatives such as adult children, continually must ask questions of anyone involved with their health care prior to any visit or procedure to ensure Medicare will cover the expense and if not who is responsible to pay. It has terrific info on when a beneficiary can take advantage of programs, handouts and negotiating these systems for the most cost-effective appropriate procedures and health maintenance. Get What's Yours for Medicate has the benefit of many links and clarification of the meaning of acronyms and context of insurance coverage. It presents common errors and especially assumptions which are penalized unforgivingly by Medicare with extra costs and/or no coverage for the beneficiary for the remainder of their life. Its helpful news yet disquieting Medicare's appeal process so slow, many beneficiaries die before their case is reviewed, let alone processed. A pleasant read and confidence boosting relating to the selection process of the coverage, especially when it MUST begin to avoid penalties. One can feel reasonably well informed yet baffled regarding this maze of rules and procedures that no one can understand yet must try to comply with or pay the price of ignorance.

This is a good guide but must be used in conjunction with the Medicare.gov website to be truly effective. Since there are some many different situations, start here and then explore the website to reduce the clutter that gets in the way of a good decision. The charts are probably the most useful feature, for example, do you know what the difference is between Medigap Schedule F and Schedule G? There is a chart for this. In my situation, I started with this guide and then confirmed my understanding with the Medicare.gov website. You will have to do the same, The medicare website lets you drill down to your specific situation. I recommend cutting and pasting the clauses that apply to you and printing them as one document. For example, you may apply for initial benefits in the three months before...... etc. In this way, you can assemble all the rules that apply to you. The weakest point of the book is that is describes what is possible but doesn't place enough emphasis that by choosing some options you are falling into Special Enrollment Periods and that each SEP has its own enrollment windows. It really comes down to using the Medicare.gov website like a flowchart and drilling down. The .gov website is very well written, sometimes better than this guide. Again, this is worth the money and time to read it if you make the right decision. More information never hurts. Good luck to all!

I have been studying Medicare for about four years as part of my job in the insurance industry. As you can imagine, there is no shortage of information out there about Medicare, and the author aptly points out many of these references in his book. However, Philip Moeller is a master at organizing this highly complex and continually changing body of knowledge and presenting the material in a consumable way. Also much appreciated is his always-present sense of humor. Let's face it, this topic has all the potential to be a big snoozer for most people, but I had no problem tearing through the pages. I also think the potential audience for this material is very wide, not just people about to enter or already in retirement. It's important for those of us who have parents who are seniors, because our parents sometimes need our advice and assistance. I have read countless references in four years, and if I had to start all over, I would have read this book first and then re-read it a couple more times.

Some of the interesting information that this book has is as following: Medicare isn’t required at age 65 as a long as a person is still working and has Group Health Insurance Coverage from a current employer. Meeting enrollment deadlines for Medicare are very important in order to avoid late enrollment fees. It is a person’s right to enroll in Medicare at age 65 and drop an employer plan. Each interaction between a consumer and their insurance company is a problem or potential problem waiting to happen. Customers don’t want to feel that they’re being shortchanged. Medicare does not cover Long-Term Care in nursing homes. If a person is 65, loses their job and gets COBRA Health Insurance, the person may face penalties if the person doesn’t get Medicare as soon as possible. Medicare doesn’t cover ambulance services if the person dies before the ambulance arrives. It is sad that medical expenses are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.

Lots of good information about Medicare. And I would recommend for this reason alone. But: The author writes one anecdotal story after another when I would rather just have the information in a well organized manner. Lots of fear factor about getting it wrong and examples of those who really made serious mistakes due to ignorance of the many little known Medicare rules. But how about a concise list of the rules rather than learn from these stories of mistakes. Then there is the preachy never ending discussion of the need for government to do more. But little discussion on how or who would pay for this benefit. Maybe the author should reflect on the fact that medicare is a very difficult and convoluted mess for retirees brought to us by government and maybe just having government do more is not a good solution. Of course then he would not be profiting off the mess by writing a book and even more mess might require another book.

I have sent this book to two people and helped them both. Not too complicated and has nice examples of various scenarios. Would buy again. It really did help me personally. I was able to make, I think in my case, the best decisions.

I think that this is a good book on a very difficult topic to explain. I have read parts of this book several times. My belief is that the author has a very good understanding of the field of medical insurance, however, the laws are not very clear and the political situation is about to change. Mr. Moeller will probably have to write a new edition within the year. His information did enable me to make a decision for Medicare in 2017. He does recommend that you contact Medicare or the state authorities at SHIP or HIICAP. The problem is twofold. The Congress passes an unclear law and the administrative staff of the appropriate department attempts to interpret the law. The insurance companies make decisions even more difficult with their patchwork of policies for different areas. All this being said the book has an excellent reference section and does make some good recommendations on a very difficult topic.