If a disabled person missed the fine print of not maintaining full “creditable coverage” of medical insurance or seperate prescription insurance & do not sign up to pay for Medicare basic insurance and Medicare prescription coverage from day 1 of SSDI awarded, then the government gives them a monthly penalty when they need it later. HUGE penalties to be added to monthly Medicare insurance plan later when you need it, to point of making it unaffordable on an SSDI income. Unless you can prove creditable coverage (if had through spouse for example) for every month in your life since in SSDI. Even if they know and can see in system you’ve had medical and prescription coverage they will make you prove it by you needing to contact every employer spouse had, who knows nothing of what need and makes it impossible to get any proof. Then they’ll add so much extra onto your medicare insurance ( medical and seperate prescription plans) when need it EVERY MONTH, based on how many months you couldn’t prove their “creditable coverage”. AND you cannot just buy prescription coverage to be safe through them as they make it ILLEGAL to pay for their plan and have " creditable coverage" through spouse, which you must take!
For example, Spouse between jobs (had medical with automatic prescription ins through his job), patient pays for basic Medicare since day 1 luckily but couldn’t buy prescription coverage through Medicare day 1 due to rule. Now can’t let ‘no prescription coverage’ lapse more than 30 days or future never ending medicare penalties! So had to scramble and PROVE LOSS of own Rx coverage in order to buy Medicare Rx coverage, as well as PROVE HAD creditable Rx coverage since awarded SSDI many years ago! This is a vicious cycle that many disabled couldn’t navigate leaving them paying more and create unnecessary financial hardship!
Then once spouse gets job and insurance always includes Rx coverage you need to stop the payments or legal issue according to their rules. AND you cannot opt to only do medicare insurance if spouse can take it out through work. So how entrapping this is? It’s not right and needs to end. Stop penalties on medicare insurance and their prescription insurance plans!
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