You Are Married To Medicare!
Many Americans associate Medicare with seniors. However, no matter your age, if you are employed in the United States of America, you are Married to Medicare! The fact is, many of us will have a relationship with Medicare from the time we are about 16-years-old until the day we die. Although I have had the privilege of meeting many couples who have put in decades with their marriage, it is rare that I see a relationship that can match the duration that I have just described with Medicare.
With that said, how much do you know about Medicare? It is weird to see people who will likely have a 60 plus year relationship not really know each other. What I mean is, most people know that you get Medicare when you retire, but what else do you really know about Medicare? I would argue that this lack of understanding goes both ways, as in many cases, Medicare shows a poor understanding of you as well. Not many days pass by during which I do not hear a senior talk about needing something from Medicare that Medicare simply will not give. The question is, does Medicare lack understanding for what seniors need OR does Medicare not care what seniors need? Like many things, my answer lies somewhere in the middle.
I believe our relationship with Medicare is similar to the relationships we have with other people. I learned about the concept of being “Interesting” or “Interested” a long time ago during a business consulting program. In most successful business interactions, there will be a person or group who is “interested,” while the other person or group will be “interesting.” I believe this relationship extends to most communication and relationships. Unfortunately, when it comes to our relationship with Medicare, there tends to be two sides that are “interesting,” while neither seems to be “interested.”
Are you really interested in all of the different types of Medicare and what they offer? Do you really want to know what your Medicare plan covers if your life takes a turn for the worse? If your answer is yes to either of those questions, what are you doing to improve your understanding?
Does Medicare really show interest in you when they allow private insurers to manage and make changes to your Original Medicare plan? Is Medicare really interested in the fact that about half of us will die with a chronic condition or disease, although most Medicare plans clearly do not go the distance with covering these chronic conditions?
In the end, the responsibility is more on us to be interested. We have more to lose in this relationship, considering that we are the breadwinners. That’s right….Medicare is like the house-wife or house-husband who does not earn income, but makes all the decisions. This would be a great setup if the house-spouse is making good decisions for you and the relationship. However, what if the house-spouse will not make the money you earned available when you need it? What if that house-spouse is out shopping frivolously with your earnings so that when you need to pay an important bill, there is no money left? In essence, this is how we should view Medicare!
The remark that always gets under my skin is: “If Medicare will pay for it….” I have heard so many patients make crucial decisions based on whether “Medicare will pay for it.” I have seen too many seniors excuse poor service because “Medicare paid for it…I didn’t pay anything.” Frequently hearing these types of remarks is why I am writing this post…these people have missed the point….IT IS YOUR MONEY!!! That would be like me agreeing to eat an overpriced meal, only if my wife agreed to pay for it…as if I did not have to work for that money too.
No matter what Medicare does, it must get on your back to do it. Your pay-stub proves this. If you no longer get a pay stub, just remember back to those deductions that came out of every check. Medicare is using the money you worked very hard for, but in many cases, you don’t know how your money is being used. Furthermore, many will relinquish their control over that money by forgetting who earned it.
My advice is to get to know your life long partner-Medicare. Understand what Medicare is, its different forms, and how to make it work best for you. If Medicare is not working for you, remember, it is your money, it is your marriage, and you have the right to be heard.
To get a few more facts and an even better understanding of the many variables that come with Medicare, pick up your Deluxe Edition SIGNED copy of “65” at SixtyFiveBook.com TODAY. Chapter 12 is titled “MEDICARE” and it serves as a great launching point with helping you improve a relationship that can literally change your life.
