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Reasons to have MEDICARE if you live in Panama

Reasons to have Medicare If You Live in Panama?

 

You may be a U.S. citizen and 65 years old,  living in Panama and thinking you do not need to have Medicare.  Hey, no problem. But here are some things to consider:

       1. Someday you may return to the U.S. and you will need health coverage.  But the cost for Medicare will be much higher than if you had Medicare all along. We all know people who thought they’d live in Boquete for the rest of their life but are now living in the U.S.

       2. If you get cancer, treatment in Panama may be very limited compared to the U.S. and you might have to foot the bill on your own.

       3. The hospitals in David do not perform every kind of surgery (not even every kind of stent) and you may HAVE TO go to Panama for treatment or the U.S.

       4. With the hospitals in David you do not know what treatment is going to cost you. Many Americans have had treatment and their expenses were much higher than what they were told prior to treatment/surgery.

       5. Not all illnesses are emergencies.  You may be told you need heart bypass surgery or a hip replacement but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be done immediately. In most cases you will have time to go to Houston or Miami or elsewhere to have the surgery done.

       6. Not all drugs are sold in Panama. I’ve talked to many people who cannot get the drugs they need here in Panama and have to buy it in the U.S. and have it shipped.

       7. Once you are under Medicare you can have all your prescription drugs shipped to you and this may save you a bundle of money if some of your drugs are very expensive.

 

There are many other reason to have Medicare even if you are living here.  But just the ones above are sufficient reason to consider it seriously.

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Replies

  • That's an eye opener.  It's worth reading the comments too.  The problem is, if you just walk into a hospital with your basic Medicare card and you're not part of a plan, they might not take you as a patient.  Many doctors don't want Medicare patients because they lose money on them.  They aren't required by law to take you, except in the emergency room.  Supplemental insurance tends to cost more than Medicare.  You can't get Medicare Advantage with 0 premiums unless you actually live in the U.S. at least 6 months/year, unless you can get someone to lie for you and say you live at their house.  Expats are screwed twice, first because we can't use Medicare at all unless we go to the U.S. (they can administer TriCare, why not Medicare outside the U.S.?).  Second because we can't sign up for Medicare Advantage plans with 0 premiums except if some lies for you as I said.

  • I don't claim to be an expert in this, but I did quite a bit of research  and spoke with people at Social Security in person in the US.  We all (over 65) have Medicare.  We do have to enroll.  If we live outside the US, we are not required to have part B---just like not having to have Obamacare.  If you are a legal, permanent resident of a foreign country and do decide to move back to the US, you will not have to pay the 10%/year penalty of not having had part B or some other plan with a monthly fee.  You do not pay for basic Medicare---you already did that.  Part B is insurance that covers what Medicare does not....depending on a plan that you would purchase, whether from a private insurer or the government plan.  I just couldn't justify paying even $100/month for extra insurance in the US that I may never need.  And I was told that actually, as I do not live in the US,  I am not eligible for anything else.

  • Could you please tell me how I can us my drug part of  medicate after I leave the U.S. You would have to have a doctor that would write you drug scrip's and mail them to you each time. I don't understand.

  • HERE IS THE LINK TO "Q1 MEDICARE.COM"

    It is a fantastic site for picking your Medicare Advantage Plan.

    Start by entering your ZIP CODE and then 

    Fill in "Type of Health Coverage" - - - I'd personally recommend "Local and Regional PPOs"

    Fill in "Prescription Drug Coverage" - - - most will pick "WITH DRUG COVERAGE"

    Then at the bottom of the big box, click on "CLICK TO FIND PLANS"

    How much simpler could it be?

    http://www.q1medicare.com/PartD-SearchMA-MedicarePartDPlanFinder.php

    Home Page
    Looking for Medicare plans or ways to save money on Medicare? Get free information and comparison tools, plus live help from Medicare.com.
  • Penny,

    I inputted the entire link but when I posted it to Ning, it did not include the entire link.

    I don't know why.....I even edited my initial post and tried entering the entire link and it did not enter.

    Will try again.

  • IF YOU WANT TO SIMPLIFY CHOOSING A MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN

    Start here:  http://www.q1medicare.com/PartD-SearchMA-MedicarePartDPlanFinder.ph...

    Step 1:  Fill in your desired Zip Code where your Address of Record is.

    Step 2:  In the box at the top of the page, you can narrow down the options by choosing: Only plans WITH drug coverage

    Step 3:  You can also narrow down the options by choosing:  only HMO plans  or  only Local & Regional PPOs.

    Step 4:  This normally narrows you down to 4-6 plans. Now look at these 2 columns: Monthly Premium and Maximum Out of Pocket Expense.

    By following these steps you can make your choice in about 5 minutes or less.  Now read up on the specific plan you have chosen.  Be sure to check the PROVIDER LIST and be sure there are plenty of doctors and hospitals to choose from.  You should also check to see the STAR RATING.  A pretty good plan will get 3 stars.  An excellent plan will get 4, 4.5 or 5 Stars.

    The plan I chose happened to have a 4.5 Star Rating.  All to the good.

    Now you do not have to be intimidated by this decision.  It is really pretty simple.

                             

    • HERE IS THE LINK TO "Q1 MEDICARE.COM"

      It is a fantastic site for picking your Medicare Advantage Plan.

      Start by entering your ZIP CODE and then 

      Fill in "Type of Health Coverage" - - - I'd personally recommend "Local and Regional PPOs"

      Fill in "Prescription Drug Coverage" - - - most will pick "WITH DRUG COVERAGE"

      Then at the bottom of the big box, click on "CLICK TO FIND PLANS"

      How much simpler could it be?

      http://www.q1medicare.com/PartD-SearchMA-MedicarePartDPlanFinder.php

      Home Page
      Looking for Medicare plans or ways to save money on Medicare? Get free information and comparison tools, plus live help from Medicare.com.
    • Jeff, How old you have to be to use one of these plans?

      • You qualify on the first day of the month you turn age 65.

        e.g. if you will be 65 years old on May 18th, then you are eligible on May 1st.

        I believe that you can apply for Medicare up to 90 days prior to your eligibility date.

        You can apply online to most plans.  Or you may have to download and print their application, fill it out and fax it to the FAX # they give you.   

        Once you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can change plans once a year during the "Open Enrollment Period" late in the year.  There are also many Special Circumstances that would trigger a Special Enrollment Period of 60 days.  e.g. if you change the county you live in,  if you have been out of the country for an extended period of time and return to the U.S. - - - Which is why Ellie and I will be able to enroll in a different Medicare Advantage Plan even before we return to the U.S. - - - All we do is contact our present plan and ask them to terminate our coverage due to the fact we are moving to a different state (our current plan is in Florida).  Then we wait one week and FAX in our application for the new plan we want.

  • But the point is - "Don't Burn Bridges". Yes, maybe circumstances will dictate that you can't use it. But imagine the frustration if you could/did need it. And if your situation deteriorates to the point you have to return to the U.S. and you are "un-insured" there?

This reply was deleted.

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