NOT FREE, of course, we all pay for us, as we should.

Sorry I can't help with your VA question, but Medicare is my PRIMARY insurer, and Retired Federal Employee Plan is my supplement, which covers my prescriptions (and whatever Medicare doesn't cover.)

Happy New Year!

supplemental policy. I’d hesitate to give up the Medicare coverage. Please seek good advice before giving up anything. Perhaps there is someone at the VA, SS or a senior center who could advise you.

Cleared up!❤

He tells me he’s required to have Medicare parts A and B. I didn’t check this myself, but he seems sure. He loves the VA. So glad it worked out well for you.

will have Medicare in a few years.

I would keep it all. I too have a thyroid condition and get my pills in the mail every 3 months. No cost, I have no idea why.

I’m happy you went in and got checked. We’re luckier then lots of people.

Happy New Year, take care.

not to have needed your health benefits, but great that they are there for you now.

https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-qa-tool/does-medicare-work-with-veterans-coverage/

The VA itself strongly recommends that all veterans with VA health care also enroll in Medicare Parts A and B as soon as they become eligible (unless they have group insurance from a current employer). Here’s why:

VA health coverage isn’t set in stone and isn’t the same for everyone. The VA assigns enrollees to different priority levels according to various factors, such as income and whether they have any medical condition that derives from their military service. If federal funding drops or doesn't keep pace with costs, some vets in the lower priority levels may lose VA coverage entirely.

Having both Medicare and VA benefits greatly widens your coverage. If you need to go a non-VA hospital or doctor, you’re automatically covered under Part A and/or Part B — whereas with VA coverage alone, you’d very likely end up having to pay the full cost yourself, even in emergencies. This is an important point to consider if you live some distance from the nearest VA facility.

You may be subject to penalties in the future. If someday, when you’re well past 65, you happen to lose VA coverage or otherwise decide that you need Medicare and are not already signed up for Part B (or have insurance from a current employer), you would likely have to wait a while for coverage and you’d be liable for late penalties that are permanently added to your Part B premiums.

Your VA prescription drug coverage is much better and less expensive than Medicare’s, so you don’t need to join a Part D drug plan, and you won’t be hit with Part D late enrollment penalties if you lose VA coverage in the future, provided that you sign up with a Part D drug plan within two months of that coverage ending. If you have both VA and Part D drug coverage, you have the flexibility of using one or the other. This would allow you to get prescriptions from non-VA doctors and fill them at local retail pharmacies; obtain medications that the VA doesn’t cover; and apply for low-cost drug coverage under Part D’s Extra Help program if your income is under a certain level.

The Medicare and VA systems are entirely separate, with no coordination of benefits between them. You would use your VA identity card at VA facilities and your Medicare ID card anywhere else; then the bills would go either to the VA or to Medicare for payment.

I followed pwnmom's link and decided to keep both.

My bff and I often wish each other, "Happy New You", which applies to each moment of every day.

So...Happy New You du'ers.
Y'all brighten my days.

I could go to the local hospital for almost things and the VA covers what Medicare doesn't. Medicare would be my primary insurance with the VA being my secondary.

in until age 65.

But it's about time you actually took advantage of it.

Take care of yourself, hear? Get well. Really, I mean it.

I personally have more income than SS, but that doesn't mean I don't get your limitations. When you ask, "Do I keep Medicare?" what is the both you then refer to? If you're talking about parts A and B, YES YOU KEEP BOTH OF THEM. Sorry for shouting, but you need to understand that without both you'd have been screwed. Unless you're talking about the VA, and I can't begin to answer that question. Contact the VA and see what they tell you.

Oh, and it's means it is. Its means belonging to it. Please notice the difference.

It is.
It is.
It is.
It is.

--> I needed to upgrade my system --> https://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

btw, I felt clear about referencing Parts A and B as one entity's cost against the VA's system. (notice apostrophes)
My apologies for any confusion.

Have a happy and prosperous new year.
Friends?

I'm on Medicare, have no connection to the VA system so I know almost nothing about it.

And OF COURSE we are friends.



Plus, of course, a very Happy New Year to you. Wish I could post some fireworks here, but I don't know how.

You can contact them

https://www.medicare.gov/ or 800-633-4227

and I suspect that it will be that you are best served by keeping them all. I would also suggest that you keep in touch in the Health Group.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1142

Lots of smart and helpful DUers there. ❤

Nah, there's text.
I used to call my sister that when we were kids.

just in case.

The nearest VA hospital is a two hour drive one way and the nearest VA clinic is 45 miles away and for my monthly blood work, I go to the local hospital 12 miles away and that's covered by Medicare. The results of the blood work are forwarded to the VA who call me and adjust my warfarin dosage when needed and the VA supplies my warfarin for which I pay a $10 co-pay. For my annual physical, I go to a VA clinic and for colonoscopies, annual cancer screening and such, I go to the VA hospital.

I'd keep both if I was you as there may be instances where you can't get to a VA hospital or clinic and I also suspect you are in a group that could potentially lose coverage in the future. I'm in group 2 so it's highly unlikely I'll ever lose coverage but it is sometimes easier for me to go to the local hospital where I am covered by Medicare.

1978-1981 and because he has health insurance through his company that we pay for as he is an annuitant, the VA refused to give him even a card.

"Eligibility for VA health care

At least one of these must be true. You:

Receive financial compensation (payments) from VA for a service-connected disability
Were discharged for a disability resulting from something that happened to you in the line of duty
Were discharged for a disability that got worse in the line of duty
Are a recently discharged combat Veteran
Get a VA pension
Are a former prisoner of war (POW)
Have received a Purple Heart
Have received a Medal of Honor
Get (or qualify for) Medicaid benefits
Served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975
Served in Southwest Asia during the Gulf War between August 2, 1990, and November 11, 1998
Served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987
If none of the above apply to you, you may still qualify for care based on your income. Learn more about how the amount of money your family makes can affect whether you qualify for VA benefits."

https://www.va.gov/health-care/eligibility/

by holding on to your Medicare.

Use the VA if you prefer and if you should ever need it, Medicare is there for you too.

Good luck with your health, all the best for 2020!