Kevin, I have Medicare parts A & B, & also Blue Cross/Blue Shield. My Medicare pays 1st & BC/BS pays 2nd. Between these two insurance coverages, we have never had any out of pocket expences & BC/BS waves our copayment also. Our BC/BS also covers our prescriptions with a copay. My understanding is that Medicare part A is free & you only you have to pay for part B (that is how it works for us). The Medicare handbook states if you are retired, Medicare pays 1st ; but if you have insurance based or your or a family members current employment, then there can be different rules as to which insurance pays first.This information is in the 2010 Medicare & You handbook (page 73). I don't understand why BC/BS would pay first unless you are still working or covered by someone else who is working? My Husband & I only carry part B because it is required to keep our Tricare (military insurance) & if the BC/BS increases much next year we will probably suspend it. I think the Medicare part B is increasing in cost next year too. I hope this helps or makes sense. Linda E. - Texas
________________________________ ________________________________ From: Kevin Wolfthal <wolft...@optonline.net> To: tmic-list@eskimo.com Sent: Fri, August 27, 2010 10:27:37 AM Subject: [TMIC] ot: medicare question Dear Friends, I am looking for ways to cut my expenses so I can continue to live where I am. I have never used Medicare, but have been paying about $100 a month for it for about 10 years out of my SSDI. Blue Cross is my primary insurance. I am thinking of dropping Medicare for now to save money. I was told I could always reapply for it later, that it takes about 3 months to get it back. I would like opinions on whether there could be negative repercussions to dropping it for now. As I mentioned, I've never used it in 10 years. Kevin
