Millions of Americans are facing a Medicare nightmare with little chance of waking up and finding it wasn’t real.

Most Americans reaching the age of 65, have worked their entire lives. If you’re like me I first started working and drawing a paycheck that had federal deductions for Social Security and Medicare when I was 16. Except for a year and a half when I was in college and a 2-year period after being laid off, I’ve worked my entire life and am still working. I’ve paid into Social Security and Medicare for 45 ½ years.

If you are like me, you somewhat expected Medicare to cover most of your medical expenses once you hit 65 or older, but it doesn’t.

The basic Medicare is just parts A & B. Part A is hospital coverage, which is free and covers up to 80% of COVERED hospital expenses after a deductible. Trust me, it does help and is a lot better than not having any healthcare coverage.

Part B is medical, which covers doctor visits, necessary medical supplies and services and other basic medical items and services. Part B is NOT free. Currently, it costs about $126 per month, so for my wife and me, it costs us $252 a month for Part B coverage. Even though there is a deductible, it still doesn’t cover all general medical costs. I recently went to see our regular physician with an ear problem. Total cost of the visit was $114 and Medicare Part B only paid $45.09, leaving me with $68.91 to pay out of pocket.

Being I’m a type 2 diabetic, my doctor wanted me to see a podiatrist for my feet. The total bill was $200 for my first visit. Medicare paid only $52.03. The doctor’s office made an adjustment of $20.33, leaving me to still pay $127.64, even though one would assume that most of this should have been covered under Part B, which I still pay into every month.

Medicare Part C, known as Medicare Advantage.

“Medicare Advantage plans are available from private insurance companies that contract with Medicare. They’re required to cover everything that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) does, except for hospice care, which Medicare Part A covers when you have a Medicare Advantage plan. Under the Medicare Part C program, you get your Original Medicare coverage through the Medicare Advantage plan instead of directly through Medicare.”

Part C costs more than what you pay for just Part B, but it also provides more coverage.

Medicare Part D is prescription coverage.

“Medicare Part D is the prescription drug coverage, available through Medicare-approved private insurance companies. You can either get this coverage through a stand-alone Medicare Prescription Drug Plan if you’re enrolled in Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug benefits, also known as a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plan.”

Here comes the Medicare nightmare. To get full coverage, it can cost an individual anywhere from $250 to over $500 a month. My wife looked at AARP rates for Medicare coverage and it would most likely cost each of us at least $250 a month for a total cost of $500 a month. Many seniors cannot afford to pay out this kind of money for healthcare coverage that they paid into their entire lives.

With seniors experiencing more health needs than younger people, they are often less able to afford the coverage than healthier younger people. You can’t afford to pay for proper coverage and you can’t afford to not have coverage, placing you in a perpetual Medicare nightmare.