Medicare Part B Costs...

January 31, 2026, 07:22 AM

Bassamatic

As far as the Medicare Advantage plan goes, if you live in or near a big city, it just might be the way to go. Simply because of the increased number of doctors and hospitals. However, if you live in a rural area, like we do, it can be a real challenge finding specialized surgeons and clinics that accept that plan.

The couple that own the farm next to ours has an Advantage plan and they have to drive all the way up to Columbia to a surgeon that agreed to repair a smashed up foot he damaged doing some logging work. One of my BIL's had open heart surgery years ago when they had regular Medicare B and a local heart surgeon did the surgery right here at the Lake. His wife decided that Part B and the Supplemental coverage was getting too expensive so she dropped that coverage and went with an Advantage plan that was much less expensive. He recently started having more issues with his heart and that original surgeon told him he does not accept Advantage plans. I guess they pay less that even Medicaid does. Long story short they ended up having to drive all the way up to Kansas University in the city. A six hour drive and back. He was having so many other problems they sold their home down here and now live up in the city.

January 31, 2026, 10:30 AM

ZSMICHAEL

Part of the issue is low fees. The bigger problem is preauthorization by the plan and the delay involved until some pencil necked geek at the insurance company approves it. This is one way MA plans control costs.

January 31, 2026, 10:42 AM

Southern Rebel

quote:
Originally posted by straightshooter01:
quote:
Originally posted by bronicabill:
Well shit... I get bit every time I turn around anymore! No wonder older poor people don't care about themselves or anything else any longer. Screw this...

getting old sucks but the alternative sucks more

How do we know about the alternative until we get there?

(If we get there, if there is an alternative, if...)

January 31, 2026, 11:55 AM

Jupiter

quote:
Originally posted by bronicabill:
I'm getting charged $209.00/mo just for Part B whether I see a doc or not!

It sucks paying 209.00/mo. I have no heath issues to speak of and only go to the Doc. a couple of times a year.

January 31, 2026, 09:19 PM

Bassamatic

Part B is completely voluntarily. No one is forcing you to take it. If you're feeling lucky, insurance wise, roll the dice and drop it.

The wife and I have part B along with a supplemental plan for that remaining 20%. That comes to about $400 a month. We would have been bankrupt years ago without them both. I kid you not.

January 31, 2026, 11:35 PM

Steve in PA

Turning 65 next month. Paid my three month bill. Basically it’s about $202 a month. Signed up to have it deducted monthly.

January 31, 2026, 11:47 PM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by Bassamatic:
Part B is completely voluntarily. No one is forcing you to take it. If you're feeling lucky, insurance wise, roll the dice and drop it.

The wife and I have part B along with a supplemental plan for that remaining 20%. That comes to about $400 a month. We would have been bankrupt years ago without them both. I kid you not.

Saying it’s completely voluntary and “we would have been bankrupt years ago without it” in the same post is contradictory.

It’s almost on the same level as the local neighborhood goon saying, “you do have such a nice place; it’d be a shame if something happens to it.”

If you roll the dice, just one hospital stay exposes you to the high invoice prices that no one actually pays except those without insurance coverage.

February 01, 2026, 04:13 PM

Bassamatic

quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:

Saying it’s completely voluntary and “we would have been bankrupt years ago without it” in the same post is contradictory.

It’s almost on the same level as the local neighborhood goon saying, “you do have such a nice place; it’d be a shame if something happens to it.”

If you roll the dice, just one hospital stay exposes you to the high invoice prices that no one actually pays except those without insurance coverage.

Sorry man, Little of what you said is making any sense, at least to me.

Your first paragraph claims my statement is contradictory. Not true at all. It's a statement of fact. Part B is voluntary, you can enroll or not. In the 15 years I have had Part B I have had well over 6 major surgeries, having to pay the Dr's, hospitals, and various clinic's fees we would have been wiped out without our Supplemental coverage.

Your second paragraph makes no sense whatsoever. Damn, hope I'm not just another neighborhood goon.

I'm not sure if you are actually disagreeing with me in your third paragraph. Of course there are lots of people who can get medical expenses paid for if they have no assets. If you own your own home, have steady income, and have other assets you don't qualify for Medicaid
Anyone in the medical profession knows that if they accept Medicare Part B, they will receive a fraction of what they would like to have. If you have no medical coverage at all but you do have numerous assets, things could get ugly real fast.

Maybe I'm just missing something.

February 01, 2026, 07:41 PM

David Lee

quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:
quote:
Originally posted by bronicabill:
For the past 7 years that I've been on disability with Medicare, I haven't had to pay anything more than $9.00/mo for prescription coverage. Suddenly for 2026 I'm getting charged $209.00/mo just for Part B whether I see a doc or not! I cannot afford that!!! Hell, I just got out of financial trouble over medical costs thanks to you guys help late last year! This will put me right back in financial crisis again!

Is everyone on Medicare getting screwed over like this, or am I seeing some kind of mistake made???

Edit to add: FWIW, I went to the Medicare website to try to make sense of it, but as is typical, just went in endless circles without any solid answers.

It will behoove you to thoroughly understand Medicare if that's what you're on. I learned about Medicare just mostly form the .gov site. At the very top, very first link, there's the tab titled "Basics." Under that, there are two items that I just read line by line. "Get started with Medicare" and "Medicare costs." That's all I read to get a handle on it. I read just a few sections at a time and I read it until I understood it. Medicare, after all, is your money and nobody is going to care more about your money than you.

Your very first sentences conflate two things: "$9.00 / mo for prescription coverage" and "Suddenly for 2026 I'm getting charged $209/mo just for Part B"

Prescription coverage (which is Part D) is separate for Part B coverage.

And the monthly charge is $202.90 per month for Part B, NOT the $209 you said.

Under Medicare Costs, there's three main sections: Learn what Medicare costs, Get help with costs, and Pay Medicare Premiums.

If you go to Costs, it's broken up in different sections: Part A (Hospital Insurance) costs, Part B (Medical Insurance) costs, Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) costs - the alternative to Parts A & B, and Part D (Drug Coverage) costs - this covers prescriptions.

There's a fourth section called Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap) which, as the name says, is supplemental to your Parts A and B coverage.

I want to challenge you to go back and learn from that Medicare website. I'm sorry but when someone says "but as is typical, just went in endless circles without any solid answers," I'm calling bullshit. If you had come in citing some part that you need help understanding, that's one thing. But saying there aren't any solid answers comes across as just being intellectually lazy.

And, maybe I'm triggered because I have the impending premonition that I will inevitably become a drooling idiot at some point, but while I can, I'm staving that date off by exercising my mind while I still can.

That was harsh but you are quite right. Even for my little noggin, it's just short of a bitch to have to learn of all this. Working on it a little at a time. Thanks for the encouragement.

February 01, 2026, 08:48 PM

Rey HRH

quote:
Originally posted by Bassamatic:

Sorry man, Little of what you said is making any sense, at least to me.

Your first paragraph claims my statement is contradictory. Not true at all. It's a statement of fact. Part B is voluntary, you can enroll or not. In the 15 years I have had Part B I have had well over 6 major surgeries, having to pay the Dr's, hospitals, and various clinic's fees we would have been wiped out without our Supplemental coverage.

Your second paragraph makes no sense

My second paragraph was a commentary on the medical insurance system.

Both of what you say is true. Part B is voluntary but without it, people who undergo surgery can go bankrupt. I could have most likely said what I said better.

The possibility of going bankrupt should you opt out of medical insurance, to me, negates the “voluntary” part. Sure, if you’re wealthy enough that you can pay the hospital invoices yourself, then it’s voluntary. But for the average person who don’t have the resources to self-insure for every medical eventuality, logic and simple math forces you to opt in into this “voluntary” system.