Making ends meet after retirement

With all the controversy about the medical insurance legislation that is being worked on it is no wonder that people are confused. When it comes time to collect social security and medicare most people are very confused about their coverage. Medicare is not entirely free to it's recipients. Those who are on it have to pay about $100 a month out of their social security payment to pay for medicare. If you opt for "managed" medicare you will pay an extra $60-80 per month depending on the company you go with. "Managed" medicare will not give you anymore medical coverage but they handle the paperwork for you. Usually under "managed" medicare, doctors visits are a flat fee per visit. This is what Obama plans to cut out, the fact that medicare recipients are paying more money out of their pockets but not getting more coverage.

Another option for medicare recipients is to purchase Medicare supplemental insurance. That coverage will often pay for the percentage of the medical bill that medicare does not cover. The problem with that is the fact that supplemental insurance is costly and some companies have provisions like prior medical conditions. It works out great if you can afford an extra $300 a month for the supplemental insurance but most people on SS can't afford it.

I am hoping that the federal government will make cuts in the medical insurance industry. The money needs to go to actual services and medical supplies and not to line the pockets of medical insurance companies.