No Medicare and on hospice

[Vegasborn]

my friends husband is on home hospice with advanced PC. He does not have Medicare and my friend cannot afford hospice. I’m guessing she makes too much for him to get Medicare? She had no family to help and is the sole care taker and she’s all alone. It’s a heartbreaking situation and I was wondering if anyone of you had any suggestions on how she might be able to get him on Medicare asap or any other suggestions? She is the main breadwinner now and she will not be able to continue the level of care and a full time job before something collapses under the weight. Thank you for reading.

[mrscruffy]

Not all Hospice is charged for, shop around for a better alternative. If he is 65+ he should qualify but need to do it now. If he is on disability the wait time is about 18 months. We have a local society that helps cancer patients with this sort of thing. Check around in his home town for assistance

[Vegasborn in reply to mrscruffy]

any idea of how I would shop around other than reaching out to the local hospices?

[mrscruffy in reply to Vegasborn]

Google free hospice providers in your area and you should get many choices. We did this with my dad and found a great, no cost provider that gave excellent care. After he passed we donated 5k to them as they are a non profit

[Tall_Allen]

there is no income limit for Medicare. There’s no reason why it would not be covered.

[Hidden]

Hospice should be free to all . There isn’t much mercy in the system for those with ample income ? He should be on ssdi and Medicaid . I don’t know ? . You’re a loyal friend . Stick with her! I pray for mercy and financial help too! 💔🙏

[tango65]

If he is 65 or older he can get Medicare. He has to get Medicare part A, part B and part D. This is the basic coverage. The cost is related to the adjusted income the year before.

Then he could enroll in a medigap plan to cover what medicare does not pay. There are many plans depending on the County where he lives.

[Justcallmeamy]

Could you tell me where they live?

[Vegasborn in reply to Justcallmeamy]

Bergen County NJ

[maggiedrum]

Medicare Part B adds doctor/treatment care coverage to Part A which is for hospital/inpatient care. If your friend is not already in Medicare Part B I believe there are some steep penalties for starting it later. The other "Parts" available, either as Med Supplemental or Med Advantage are provided by commercial companies and they can either deny coverage for the PC care or add a substantial penalty or delay in coverage. I am not an expert on this and it can be very complicated. There are private brokers/agents available that are supposed to be fiduciary, meaning they don't work or benefit from steering you to a company for which they get commissions. I believe they must get compensated by Medicare somehow or just do it so you might want to get some other products from them. We did that and it worked out fine. That person would be a good start and it was free to us. No obligation to buy anything. Also, the Medicare help line is very good in our experience, and they actually answer the phone or will call you back the same day. Good luck.

[Vangogh1961]

If he's eligible and enrolled in Medicare any hospice should take him, they become his insurance provider once enrolled.

[jfoesq]

Sad situation indeed. But- why did the get Medicare? Wife’s income should not have impacted that. I will be applying in a few months and my wife earns a substantial income.

[Vegasborn]

I asked my friend why he isn’t on Medicare and this was her answer “So Medicare is if you’re 65 or older. You can get it if you qualify disabled but then it’s only after 2 year of disability. The kicker is that you also have to use your assets before you get benefits so it’s literally no use.”

Any thoughts about this? I’m afraid she’s going to have a nervous breakdown caring for her husband at this stage all on her own.

Tall_Allen

[EdBacon in reply to Vegasborn]

You don't have to use your assets to get SSDI, you only have to if you are trying to get SSI. SSDI provides medicare coverage and full retirement-age social security benefits, although there is a waiting period. Many here including me have successfully applied for SSDI. I was approved at age 59.

[CRPCMan]

Just go for Medicaid and you will get it.

[Battle_on]

A terminal diagnosis automatically qualifies you for Social Security. My brother was only 52 when he got it. They know you won’t live to collect your retirement benefits. Go with your friend to the nearest Social Security office with his medical records.