When Richard Swerdlow turned sixty-five, he received a Medicare card…and a headache.
Every day in the United States, 10,000 people turn 65 years old. Last year, I was one of them, reaching that milestone age, retiring and enrolling in Medicare.
And after spending hours pondering Medicare Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D, I realized something: I don’t get it. I’m not the only one. In a survey, most Medicare recipients said the program is difficult to understand.
Insurance companies offer thousands of Medicare “advantage” plans, and choosing one was so overwhelming, I picked the first thing I came across. But if I‘d shopped around, I might have saved 25% with a different plan. And I can’t imagine trying to navigate this mountain of red tape if I were actually hospitalized and not at my sharpest.
With one out of five Americans enrolled in Medicare, why is this program so complicated? Medicare enrollment makes filing income taxes look simple by comparison. Most Americans will eventually join Medicare, and my migraine-inducing enrollment experience has shown me this convoluted system should be simplified so the average person can figure it out – all those forms mean a difference of thousands of dollars. Because before and after enrolling in Medicare, I still don’t understand parts A, B, C, and D.
Our collective confusion about Medicare costs more than money. It costs lives. Selecting the right health coverage reduces mortality, and a program intended to help senior citizens stay healthy shouldn’t be so daunting to join. Like its recipients, Medicare, founded nearly 60 years ago, is getting up there and could benefit from a check up.