Health Insurance Maze

Insurance in general is always a mystery.  Who for example has read their entire (word for word) coverage for home, auto, and umbrella insurance?  Likewise have you read word for word your Health Insurance coverage - unlikely.  Reading it is one thing - understanding the language is another.  So if you are elderly (lets call that 86 and above since I'm approaching 60), what hope do you have in understanding your policy and/or monitoring the claims process?

That is exactly what Mom and Dad face now and that I have been digging into lately.  Luckily, I have a personal friend M.I. who is an executive at Anthem to help me at a moment's notice (I called him last night to clear up part one (or as they say Part A, B, C, D, etc. of Medicare) of my confusion.

The interaction of Medicare with Private supplemental Insurance (Medigap, or Medicare Advantage) creates another set of players to add to the confusion.  Add to that four different doctors/specialists, a Skilled Nursing Facility with their staff, and outsourced therapists and you create an almost infinite set of opportunities for human error. 

Last time I visited Dad, he handed me the Medicare Booklet that the government sends to all Medicare Part A beneficiaries.  I've forgotten the number of pages but it approached the size of a Metro phone book.  Who has read that?

So -  I have entered the land (or should I say abyss) of Health Care Insurance. 

I think this is like having children - nothing prepares you for this, and it becomes "learning on the job".