# Share your experiences with Medicare here **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 29, 2017, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386 "2017-07-29T12:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/21 "2017-07-29T23:55:20Z")
Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? Seriously. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/22 "2017-07-30T00:04:31Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > One thing Medicare did, that perplexes me, is, they encouraged me to get a flu shot, which was free. (To me; somebody paid for it.) Once I had gotten my flu shot, they gave me a $25 Starbucks card. So that flu shot was worth something to somebody, but I can’t figure out who. The insurance company has run the numbers and figured out that on average, they will spend less money on treating flu and its complications among their members than they will spend by paying for flu shots and Starbucks gift cards for their members. One person hospitalized with pneumonia pays for an awful lot of Starbucks gift cards. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/23 "2017-07-30T00:34:47Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? > > Seriously. > mmm Compared to regular medical insurance Medicare is a great deal. Even the worst plan offers better coverage than 90% of available plans to people under 65 and costs are generally pretty low. On the best plan you essentially have no medical bill other than your premiums and prescriptions. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/24 "2017-07-30T01:44:13Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? > > Seriously. > mmm Careful Financial Planning. Start this when you are young. The younger the better. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/25 "2017-07-30T11:12:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? > > Seriously. > mmm > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Careful Financial Planning. Start this when you are young. The younger the better. Agreed. But I think the majority of folks who are retirement age now did not do that, so my question stands. mmm ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/26 "2017-07-30T11:34:02Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? > > Seriously. Live in a country with comprehensive, universal and free (at the point of delivery) healthcare. Along with everyone else in the UK, I paid for the NHS through taxation. (As I recall, I paid 6% of my salary and my employer paid 9%.) I retired at 55. I get free consultations with doctors (though I do pay something for prescriptions.) I also pay very little for optician and dentist appointments. When I had suspected bowel cancer, all the extensive tests and hospital visits were free (just what you want in times of stress - and I’m cancer-free! 🆒) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/27 "2017-07-30T13:28:49Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Live in a country with comprehensive, universal and free (at the point of delivery) healthcare. > > Along with everyone else in the UK, I paid for the NHS through taxation. (As I recall, I paid 6% of my salary and my employer paid 9%.) > > I retired at 55. Great idea. We’ll be over shortly. Please make room for 300,000,000 of us. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/28 "2017-07-30T13:58:16Z")
Oh, John Mace, you should know. California has the birthday rule which is fairly unique and beneficial to you. Every year on your birthday month you have a free pass to change your Med Sup with no medical underwriting. So you are not as locked in as people who live in other states. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386/29 "2017-07-30T16:49:13Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Here is my main question: How the hell can anyone afford to retire? > > Seriously. Have a frugal lifestyle. The people who say “When I retire I am going to travel the country/world” are the type of people who have financial issues. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/share-your-experiences-with-medicare-here/792386.md?page=1)