Why millions of seniors have suddenly lost health care coverage

[Ms. Toad]

10. They do revert back to unadorned Medicare

But that leaves them with the annual deductible (no big deal), and 20% of the remainder of the allowed amount, with no cap on how big that 20% can be. So if you are hit with a 50,000 hospital bill (not too unrealistic) you will owe $10,000. A 1,000,000 bill - $200,000. Those will get written down some by Medicare, since you are only responsible for the allowed Medicare amount - but you get the idea.

You may not be able to get a Medigap/Supplement plan (the other part of traditional Medicare). There is no guaranteed issue past your 65th birthday for most people (so you may not be able to get one), and if they choose to offer one, you may have to pay a small fortune to get it unless you are in perfect health because they can take your personal health into account.