Exactly. He made a big mistake. I suspect that he did not elect to have Medicare Part B, as he likely had private, employer-based insurance, which did not requi

Exactly. He made a big mistake. I suspect that he did not elect to have Medicare Part B, as he likely had private, employer-based insurance, which did not require him to. Usually the Medicare Part B premium is around $135/month. He was being penny-wise and dollar foolish, as Medicare Part B covers 80% of doctor's visits, outpatient care, medical supplies, etc. He probably would not need a Medigap plan, which covers the remaining 20% of Part B expenses, if he had employer-based insurance as creditable coverage. He really should have known that Medicare is relegating certain hospitalizations to Part B. This is very common and not new news. However, the rules involved with it, from the ER to the actual floor, are really strange and take a lot of time to understand. Yeah, you have to know and understand a ton of ridiculous rules prior to going on to Medicare. It is an unbelievable waste of time. Then, once you are on Medicare, you have to continue to keep a look-out of what is going on, including investigating certain rules, as things frequently change. He has my sympathies as this sort of situation should never exist in a developed, civilized country, like the United States. But, he made a series of mistakes, passively mostly, which got him in to this situation.