Expat Exchange Community
1 month ago
Medicare
1 month ago
What are all you expatriates - by definition, living "overseas" - doing about your Social Security signup requirements upon your 65th birthday?
I have been living in Europe since my 40's, and throughout that period I was enrolled in local/national health programs or bought into local private insurance. In either case, very affordable and my healthcare needs managed locally. Now that I am about to turn 65, I read about all the mandatory PART B signups, optional PART D signups, and other (Medicare Advantage) choices that are offered to US citizens who - like myself - have contributed into to the social security and medicare system. I am thinking about signing up to "keep my options open", in case, I decide to repatriate in some distant future.
A) Did you register with Medicare on your 65th birthday? And if so, for WHAT exactly, and WHY?
B) Did you not register on your 65th birthday, but later decided to join in? Is there a breakeven point, where after X years of being absent, it is worth paying the "late penalty"?
Sweating it out, trying to read through pages of "Medicare & You 2024" .... Thanks, Jim
I have been living in Europe since my 40's, and throughout that period I was enrolled in local/national health programs or bought into local private insurance. In either case, very affordable and my healthcare needs managed locally. Now that I am about to turn 65, I read about all the mandatory PART B signups, optional PART D signups, and other (Medicare Advantage) choices that are offered to US citizens who - like myself - have contributed into to the social security and medicare system. I am thinking about signing up to "keep my options open", in case, I decide to repatriate in some distant future.
A) Did you register with Medicare on your 65th birthday? And if so, for WHAT exactly, and WHY?
B) Did you not register on your 65th birthday, but later decided to join in? Is there a breakeven point, where after X years of being absent, it is worth paying the "late penalty"?
Sweating it out, trying to read through pages of "Medicare & You 2024" .... Thanks, Jim
