Give Yourself the Gift of Healthcare
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: August 19, 2021
Have you finished your holiday shopping? Did you find something special for each person you hold dear? What about for you?
When we focus on giving — of our time and with presents — it’s easy to forget about getting ourselves an important item. We seldom think about our own healthcare coverage during the holidays. This is something Social Security and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aim to change.
Of course, you may be well now, but at one point or another, you’ll need healthcare coverage, if you become ill or have an accident. You may not like to think about it but an illness or disability can happen to you. Being prepared — by having coverage — is a major part of a healthier future. The ACA makes it easy to #GetCovered and to find affordable plans and preventive care.
We serve as a proud ACA education and referral partner. We believe that access to quality healthcare has a positive effect on health outcomes. Some people who apply for Social Security disability benefits may not have access to healthcare, which negatively affects their health and well-being. A good healthcare plan can provide you with the medical care you need, until we make a decision on your disability claim. The good news is you can be considered for healthcare coverage even if you have a pre-existing condition. Please don’t wait! Apply for health coverage now and get the care you need. I encourage you to visit healthcare.gov or call 1-800-318-2596 for more information.
Giving selflessly is part of the holiday season. Don’t forget . . . that includes you, too. If you need coverage, give yourself the gift of quality, affordable, healthcare for the holidays, and beyond. ACA Open enrollment ends January 31.
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Tags: Disability
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Carolyn Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security
Acting Commissioner of Social Security (February 14, 2013 - January 20, 2017)
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Terri
My premium costs went up again this year. I don’t understand why our health care system is dependent on personal income. I spent $6000.00+ on my health care last year after being diagnosed with Lyme. I also I spent $2500 towards my deductible. I got very little help out of my health insurance plan, I even forgot I had an insurance card because I never needed it for my practitioners because they don’t take insurance for Lyme treatment. AND I paid insurance premium each month which was a waste of money since it didn’t cover me getting healthy, it didn’t cover any of my treatments, just other stuff like a physical, big deal since the MD was the one that MISSED the Lyme diagnosis.
I very much dislike this system. I don’t want to call it a health care system because it is a money making machine that is interested in true recovery and health of individuals. I am so sad that money runs this system and not the desire for people to get what they need for medical care when they are in ill.
Brenda
my question for anyone out there in cyber land is: I collect SS and I still work part time. I am a vet so I have limited healthcare through VA and I have employer provided health ins. so…when I turn 65 next year and qualify for medicare will I still have to pay for parts of medicare out of my social security check? still paying medicare out of my paycheck so itsnt that Double-dipping on me?
Retired S.
You do not have to apply for Part B of Medicare as long as you are covered in an emplyer group health plan as an active employee. You will be enrolled automatically in Medicare Part A hospital insurance in the month you turn 65, because you are already enrolled for monthly Retirement benefits, and will not have to make any premium payments for Part A.
When you stop working or are no longer covered under your employer health plan (or your spouse’s if she remains actively employed), you would apply for Medicare Part B, and would have to submit a form completed by your employer to verify that you had continous coverage under their plan from age 65. Without such proof, you will have to wait until the first three months at the beginning of the next calendar year to apply, coverage would not start until July of that year, and you would be charged an additional 10% penalty on all future Medicare premiums for each 12-.month period that you delayed paying for coverage.
Also, the Medicare tax on wages applies whether or not you enroll for coverage. People who work and apply for Part B must also pay the premium for that coverage.
R.F.
Hi Brenda, first of all we thank you for serving our country. Generally, if you are working and have coverage under a group health plan based on that employment, you don’t need Medicare part B until you stop working or drop your health care coverage. Also, if you have coverage under a program from the Department of Defense, your health benefits may change or end when you become eligible for Medicare.
In your case, we recommend that you contact the Department of Defense or a military health benefits advisor for information on whether you need to be enrolled in any part of Medicare. If you continue to work, you should also reach out to your personnel office, health benefits advisor, or health plan representative to see what’s best for you.
To learn more and see how Medicare is funded, please read our publication “Medicare”.
Axl
Wow , very care healthcare , in holiday . Its great , i Hope my country can do that too . so i will not worry to enjoy my holiday
B C.
In reading these posts I see there is a lot of mis information out there. For one thing every member of congress is required to use the ACA as their health insurance. I agree the ACA has a lot of room for improvedment but do we want to get rid of it so we again have a country where only the halves have health insurance and the haves not do not. It takes all of congress to work together to get it done and under the current climate, it’s not going to happen.
Jay
SSA–your field offices are too crowded enough now to waste time to “serve as a proud ACA education and referral partner”.
MJean
My healthcare is definitely Worse! with Medicare! after having employment healthcare all my working life. ;-(
But Christ is the Reason for the Season, so …
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Klimaya
Is there any other information about this subject in other languages?
http://www.klimaya.com
Klimaya
Can I found any details regarding to this subject in other languages?
http://www.klimaya.com
Mart M.
I’ll take any health insurance policy that Congress dishes out, as long as Congress takes it to. A separate policy for the policy makers? How is this fair?
Christy
Because of chronic diseases I use my healthcare insurance, I could not be without it when I was laid off some years back. Working temp,. I was paying nearly $900 a month (and about 5,000 a year out of pocket on things not covered.) I had also had a nearly 50% reduction in pay and was having a very hard time. When the ACA came along it was a huge help!! My plan was better than any commercial insurance I had previously had through an employer (at least since 1990 or so.) Once I was re-employed (and making a marginally better salary) the unsubsidized cost of the ACA plan would have been more than that available through my employer. The reason that people are now penalized for not carrying insurance is that, when the unemployed person has a catastrophic healthcare cost, the rest of us pay for it. This is plain and simple; why do people not understand this? we are not a society that chooses to put uninsured people who have cancer, heart surgery, accidents, on the curb with the trash (although it seems many individuals might favor that, as a whole Americans do not). We shoulder the cost (through Medicaid and other programs). This is what it means to be a responsible society. Hospitals write off up to 25% of their billing because of uncollectable debt. If this is reduced, hospital costs SHOULD go down… but that will need to be enforced, and the republican party, by and large, has not wanted to hold organizations or businesses accountable. Then they blame the democratic party when other means have to be found to cover those costs.
tom
finally a sane person…I worked the past 40 years being forced to use whatever plan my employers picked. Every year my rates went up and certain conditions were not covered.Obamacare cut my costs by 70% and was better in every way.Of course, I made less than $40,000 a year. I really don,t care that people making 3 times as much as I do have to pay more.