As my 65th birthday nears I am looking at starting Medicare. I have been with Kaiser in Boulder, CO since I retired in 2012. I like my doctors at Kaiser, I like the online history for myself, and I like the Travel Medical group that we consult when we do an international trip. However, Kaiser only supports Medicare if you sign up for one of their Advantage plans (Medicare Part C). They do have a $0 Advantage plan, but the copays for any service is pretty high. The alternate Medicare plan with Supplement G or N makes sense in the long term, but it also makes the most sense to make that swith from the start of Medicare. I am struggling with how to replace the features and services that I like at Kaiser if I leave Kaiser for the Non-Advantage Medicare options.
So, I am posting to see if anyone else has gone through this, and what are your experiences and advice? Are there doctors in Boulder that are in some kind of network that can provide a majority of one's needs with a good online system to monitor one's medical history and status? Having a resource to evaluate the meds and/or vaccines needed for international travel is also something I want to find. Any thoughts or war stories?
Thanks,
Mark Johnson