A first-time Medicare user on Reddit compared their new monthly costs with what they had paid under private insurance and said the change was jarring: $938 a month versus $803 with Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Here's what to know
"I'm still in my first month as a Medicare patient, and I'm wondering how long it takes for me to see it as an improvement," the OP said.
Commenters focused on IRMAA, the income-based surcharge that raised the poster's Part B premium to $405.80 from the $202.90 base amount they cited.
One user said someone who had retired might be able to lower that surcharge by filing form SSA-44 and choosing "work stoppage" in the life change event section.
The same user added that the form may need to be submitted "each year for the next two years until your income two years earlier is less than the IRMAA limits."
The OP replied that they were "not retired" and still had investment income, and "I assume investment income counts towards IRMAA."
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Another user replied: "Of course it does — it is taxable income."
More background
Some users said the steep premium was tied in part to the OP's income level, not the coverage.
"It's good to have a high income to cause the high premiums!" one user said.
Another wrote, "FWIW some years I do pay IRMAA, but I consider myself fortunate to have an income so that I don't have to worry about making ends meet."
Someone else suggested Medicare can look more attractive if major medical treatment is involved. They described being a cancer patient who had been "swimming in bills" before switching to Medicare. The user said private insurance had cost them $13,000 out of pocket and still left them paying for PET scans because their "platinum" plan would not cover them.
"Fast-forward to Medicare — crickets," they wrote. "They haven't disallowed anything, they've approved all my scans, and I almost never see any bills whatsoever."
One user asked the OP, "Did you look into Plan G HD? In a lot of states it's a much better deal than just Plan G."
Outside the IRMAA increase, the OP's biggest expense was the $370.50 monthly Plan G premium.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at other Medicare questions.
• For some seniors, a $245 Plan G quote made high-deductible coverage look like the better deal.
• In Florida, a 25% Plan N jump pushed one Medicare enrollee to weigh switching plans.
• At Humana, Basic Part D jumped from $4.40 to $28.30 a month, startling enrollees.
• After Medicare sent a three-month premium bill, one enrollee charged it and looked for easier payment options.
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