Medicare Demystified: A Physician Helps Save You Time, Money, and Frustration. 2017 Edition. 1st Edition

This is an outstanding book. As my wife and I prepared to transition from my company's group health insurance plan to Medicare a few months ago, I was daunted by the complexity of the process and the sense that a wrong decision could cost us significantly for the rest of our lives. I read three separate books on the subject, and this was by far the best one. It is thorough, comprehensive, accurate, and highly readable! Dr. Kahan explains all of the available options and their trade-offs very clearly, and he explains how to avoid the major risks. His description of Medigap pricing methods alone (community-rated versus attained-age-rated versus initial-age-rated) enabled us to choose a policy that will save us money for years to come. Dr. Kahan also provides useful information about how to use Medicare properly, to avoid unnecessary costs.After reading this book, my wife and I were able to select regular Medicare Part B, a good Medigap Plan F policy, and a good Medigap Part D policy with confidence. I highly recommend that you choose this book as your primary guide to setting up your Medicare insurance.

This is the second book on Medicare I've read. The first was the workbook, which is a good decision-making tool, but I wanted more than a workbook.Most books seem totally focused on selecting the right Medicare and supplements - like a buyer's guide. This book, In addition to concisely covering the ins and outs of Medicare, also, the last portion of the book, gives advice about actually using Medicare, once you already have it. A nice addition.Near the end, the author also postulates on future scenarios and possible changes to medicare that may be beneficial. That will get you thinking in the right direction.The author mentioned that if you read this book, when you talk to your SHIP counselor, they will be impressed. This is true. In fact, this book leads you to ask the really important questions, and those stumped the two SHIP counselors I spoke with.1) If F is to be discontinued in 2020, then what about high-deductible F? After all, there is a lot of skin in the game with high-deductible F, so, in theory, it should be preserved.2) What about SELECT plans in California? Where is the information on that?So you will probably know as much or more than the SHIP counselors, but check to be sure. Then you are on your own. At the time of this writing, there were several things (including the above) that were not addressed in any book I know of and not able to find on the web.Tip: If you are the sort of person that will read books on Medicare, you probably will be interested in keeping up with the ever-changing events. So you may want to get on the email list of some Medicare watchdog organizations. Try medicarerights dot org. AARP may be useful, but they seem tied to an insurance company. Check out medicareinteractive dot org, Physicians for a National Health Program, Senior Medicare Patrol. And if you live in California, calhealthadvocates dot org.

I have been getting inundated with mail flyers as I near Medicare age. This is a concise and descriptive book on Medicare and the considerations of making decisions. I use this with my copy of the government book - Medicare and You - to get a good picture of decisions and options.

My company was making major changes to it's retiree medical program. Quite scary when you've had the same coverage in place for decades. How do I know what to choose for medical and drug coverage? Which company is best for me? How can I cost out each choice? And the questions kept coming. When you go onto the Medicare.gov website, it can be difficult to follow. I became aware of Medicare Demystified written my Dr. Ronald Kahan and boy am I glad I did. In the most simplistic terms you are guided through the medical and drug portions to help you secure insurance coverage. Easy to understand and organized to find what you need. After following the book our choices became clear and we were able to secure good coverage at competitive prices. Anyone over 65 needs to have this book in their library. It's a deal at any price. I'm very glad Dr. Kahan wrote this book.John Kammerman

If you're 63 or 64 years old, this book is a MUST READ. I had no idea Medicare was as complex and as complicated as it is, but the explanation of the various plans are told in a conversational style that make it seem less daunting. By reading it before you hit 65, you'll be giving yourself time to do a little research in order to confidently make some crucial decisions about your future healthcare options. I'd heard of Parts A-D but had no clue the alphabet choices go up to Part N! The author's own insights into how Medicare works, its potential pitfalls, and how to avoid penalties that you could end up paying for the rest of your life by missing critical dates, make this a uniquely valuable reference. Lots of food for thought here. I'm into my second reading because I was so bowled over by how much I didn't know the first time around. This pass, I'll be taking my time and making notes! Thank you, Dr. Kahan, for writing this extremely helpful guide.