Exclusions and waiting periods for pre-existing conditions also have drastic impacts on coverage under the Medicare Backup plans.
I know someone that was covered by a backup plan for a couple years but then had a heart attack. He said he then found it virtually impossible to switch to a more favorable backup plan due to prohibitive costs or outright exclusions of coverage. He was stuck with his original plan (selected when he had no heart
problems) which didn't cover very much.
Navigating Medicare, the backup plans and the Part D drug plans is so difficult that I'd guess 80-90% of the adult population can't do it effectively. You really can't predict the coverages and benefits until you actually have a specific injury and claim. Not many of us are Medicare experts.
