Some comments on Medicare, as at age 71 it is my primary health insurance.
Medicare Part A is the hospitalization part. It also provides short term care in a rehabilitation or convalescent care facility. There is no additional premium but there is a $1,556 deductible per benefit period. Everyone is supposed to sign up for this at age 65. Again, there is no cost to do so, if you have been paying into the Social Security program.
Medicare Part B is the non-hospital health care part. It has a premium, currently $170.10 per month. It is a traditional $233 deductible / 20% co-pay plan. It is optional but if someone declines to purchase it at age 65, unless they are covered by another medical plan, they may pay a penalty if they want to sign up later. I was still working at age 65 and covered by an employer provided plan (with a premium co-pay). I signed up for Part A but declined Part B after providing proof of other insurance. When I left that job a year later I signed up for Part B, with no penalty.
The original Medicare does not cover any prescription drug costs (I presume that might include cancer chemo-therapy but I don’t know). Today there also are Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage), Part D (prescription drug coverage) and Medigap policies one can buy. These are purchased in the marketplace rather than from Medicare. I purchase a retiree policy through my previous employer that covers some of the things that Medicare Parts A & B don’t, including drugs. I pay nearly $5,000 per year for Part B and my Medicare supplement plan and have never exceeded the deductible, so have never received a benefit (other than for antibiotics following oral surgery once). I am grateful that I am healthy and don’t need medical care or drugs, but I’m going to look at lower cost options when my annual enrollment for the supplement policy occurs in November.
So, even if Mr. Mann has the no premium cost original Medicare Part A, and even if he is paying the premium for Medicare Part B (no drug coverage from either), with a 20% co-pay plus drugs he could still be facing some large costs. It would be helpful if the family could clarify this rather than just saying “no health insurance”.
Another option could be Medicaid, which can provide health care to low income persons. While its funding is partially “part of” the Medicare system Medicaid is administered by each individual state and requirements and services provided vary 50 different ways.