Turning 65 and Finally have insurance - Medicare

I met yesterday with a woman who is an artist here in Tucson. She is turning 65 soon and when her Medicare kicks in she will have health insurance for the first time in 15 years. She had health insurance back when Arizona had an insurance program for small business owners that was subsidized by the state. But when the subsidy ended and premiums skyrocketed, she decided to take her chances and go without. She couldn't afford to pay $400 or more per month for a high deductible plan and she was healthy so she dropped her insurance.

Now she is looking forward to getting a checkup and not worrying about getting a health problem that could bankrupt her. We talked about her options for her Medicare coverage and she said her mother is on a Medicare Advantage plan. But she wants to stay with Medicare and get a Medicare Supplement because she figures she can afford the $90/month premium for a Plan F with United of Omaha. (Arizona has very good rates for certain supplement plans.)

The one thing she did not want was the Part D drug plan. She doesn't take drugs and doesn't plan to, so she can't see why she should pay $15 per month (for a Standard plan) for something she won't use. I told her she would be penalized if she finds she needs drug coverage in the future, but she said she'd take her chances.

I guess, having been self-employed for many years, she is a risk taker and knows what it means to deal with "taking chances".