Critical Decisions Await Patient, Family Members When Medicare Deadline Looms

Bruce Osterweil is a lucky man to live just a short walk from where San Francisco’s Golden Gate meets the cold, rough waters of the Pacific Ocean. He is also a lucky man to have married his wife, Patricia Furlong, who has long provided the family’s health insurance through her job at a small financial consulting firm.

But last month, Osterweil’s wife turned 65 and decided to retire, and although she may walk away with a crystal bowl or a golden watch for all those years of service, she will also walk away from her company’s generous health insurance benefits. That means Osterweil, who is 59 and a self-employed benefits consultant, is shopping for his own health insurance.

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Source: Kaiser Health News (in collaboration with NPR)