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Q. I'm on Medicare. Do I have to buy additional insurance to comply with Obamacare?
A. Nope. Pretty much any kind of decent health insurance will comply with the Affordable Care Act's mandate for everybody to have health insurance. Medicare definitely qualifies, as does Medicaid for lower-income Americans, CHIP for kids, employer group plans, private insurance purchased on your own, VA and Tricare for active military and veterans, and the Indian Health Service. Americans living abroad are exempt from the mandate.
However, for your own protection, you should consider buying supplemental coverage (Medigap) even though it's not required. Medicare does not pay 100 percent of your medical expenses. There's a deductible for every hospital stay ($1,184 in 2013), and for outpatient expenses you're liable for 20 percent of the tab, which can add up frighteningly fast if you need expensive treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
For more information, see our Health Insurance Buying Guide as well as rankings of health insurance plans.
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