Replying to a message of bill swisher to JIM WELLER:

 bs> As a result of reading the article, when it was published
 bs> back in March,  I spent a lot of time examining what my
 bs> options were regarding Medicare.    As a result I've
 bs> decided NOT to participate in most of Medicare.

You don't have an awful lot of choice as to whether or not to participate.
Medicare is not about providing health care to the elderly (those of us over
age 64), it's about *controlling* the providing of health care to the elderly.
Some years back Medicare wanted to jail a physician that it discovered was
treating Medicare eligible patients and *not* billing either Medicare or the
patients; the doctor had decided that dealing with Medicare was too much of
a hassle, so he kept treating his patients but didn't bill Medicare.

In any case, I turned 65 last month, and I was advised that in order to continue
receiving retired military medical care I was *required* to sign up for Medicare
parts A and B.  If I didn't sign up my Tricare-for-Life coverage would cease at
age 65 (never mind that way back when I enlisted in 1963 and continuing up until
I retired in 1983 the military was promising *FREE* medical care to anybody who
stayed on active duty for 20 years or longer, that care hasn't been free for over a
decade now).  Note that the Medicare premium is not quite five times higher than
what I've been paying to Tricare.  I suspect other insurors work the same way.  So
far, I do not have to enrol in Part D, but I'm sure that's coming.

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