Medicare is sold based upon the zip code of your permanent address.  I assume this is the domicile address?  We purchased a Supplemental Plan that allows us to go to doctors anywhere.  I recently received a letter from Medicare stating... Medicare understands that you may need to live away from your home for part of the year, however you may live somewhere else for up to 12 months in a row.  In other words, the assumption is that you must return to your permanent home after that.  This doesn't exactly fit with the Full Time RVing lifestyle.  Has Escapees addressed this?  How do other full-timers on Medicare deal with this?

We’ve never had a letter like that. We spend several months in AZ each winter, so have our physicians there now and have never had it questioned.   And how would Medicare know where we are at any given time.  We have never used a physician in Livingston.  Previous physicians were in Tyler, TX.   Are you talking about your supplemental plan because Medicare itself isn’t sold.

We have never had that in 3 years. Do you always use your Escapees address?

I suspect that letter was initiated by your supplement provider, even if it came from medicare.  In my 6 yrs on medicare and a supplement based on my SD address, I've never used a doc or medical facility in SD. I get a checkup & labs twice a year, always out of state and never had any flack from anyone.

Edited February 21 by JRP

We are also Medicare users who have never had that sort of problem. We did have a primary doctor in Ft. Worth, TX while using the Livingston Escapee address and later changed to a primary doctor in Wylie, TX while still using the Livingston address. 

  On 2/21/2019 at 2:00 AM, DebiMac said:

We purchased a Supplemental Plan that allows us to go to doctors anywhere.  I recently received a letter from Medicare stating... Medicare understands that you may need to live away from your home for part of the year, however you may live somewhere else for up to 12 months in a row.

I am puzzled by this letter. Could you share more specifics of it with use like quoting it perhaps and what it is telling you that you should do? Exactly who is it from? 

Who is the letter signed by?  That isn't from Medicare.  We've used ours all over the country for 15 years.

DebiMac,

My name is Shawn Loring. I'm the CEO and the attorney for Escapees. I handle all advocacy matters for the club. Kirk kindly forwarded your post to me. (Thank you, Kirk.) I'm interested in knowing more about your issue. If you are comfortable sharing the details of your issue with me, please email me at sloring@escapees.com.

  On 2/21/2019 at 9:52 AM, shawnloring said:

If you are comfortable sharing the details of your issue with me, please email me at sloring@escapees.com.

Please share with all of us.

Thank you, everyone!  Your comments have given my much peace. I have sent the details to Shawn Loring.  If he responds with anything different, I'll pass that along.

  On 2/21/2019 at 2:57 AM, JRP said:

I suspect that letter was initiated by your supplement provider, even if it came from medicare.  In my 6 yrs on medicare and a supplement based on my SD address, I've never used a doc or medical facility in SD. I get a checkup & labs twice a year, always out of state and never had any flack from anyone.

Sorry, folks...new to using this network and not sure I'm doing it all correctly!

Jim...JRP... would you be willing to share your agent's name and number in SD?  I know that when we sell our house and establish our new domicile, I will need to get the insurance there.

  On 2/21/2019 at 11:50 PM, DebiMac said:

Sorry, folks...new to using this network and not sure I'm doing it all correctly!

Jim...JRP... would you be willing to share your agent's name and number in SD?  I know that when we sell our house and establish our new domicile, I will need to get the insurance there.

I would be happy to share, but I didn't need or use an agent. I signed up for Medicare and my Supplement using www.medicare.gov website. It gives you everything you need, a link to sign up online for medicare itself, which is the same for all regardless of your home state. Then for supplements you enter your new domicile zip code and it will list the supplement options available.

  On 2/21/2019 at 11:57 PM, JRP said:

I would be happy to share, but I didn't need or use an agent. I signed up for Medicare and my Supplement using www.medicare.gov website. It gives you everything you need, a link to sign up online for medicare itself, which is the same for all regardless of your home state. Then for supplements you enter your new domicile zip code and it will list the supplement options available.

Thank you!

  On 2/21/2019 at 11:57 PM, JRP said:

I would be happy to share, but I didn't need or use an agent. I signed up for Medicare and my Supplement using www.medicare.gov website. It gives you everything you need, a link to sign up online for medicare itself, which is the same for all regardless of your home state. Then for supplements you enter your new domicile zip code and it will list the supplement options available.

Did you also purchase an RX plan?

I didn't initially since I wasn't on any prescriptions. But when they added a penalty for not having a Part D Rx plan, I went back and added one of those. I simply chose the cheapest one available in SD since I wasn't on any Rx and was only paying for that policy to avoid the penalty.

Edited February 22 by JRP

It is really important that everyone realize that just because you aren't taking medications you don't need to sign up for Medicare Part D.  If you delay there is a penalty that grows every year.   Most of the major pharmacy chains have Part D programs, as well as several other insurance companies.  If you have specific medications, look at the formulary of any program you are considering to make sure it is covered before signing up.