Yes, your father is automatically covered under Medicare. However, the coverage under Medicare is limited and does not pay for many health care needs, such as prescription drugs or preventive health care. Depending on your father’s health care needs, the $200 per month for the supplemental coverage could very well be a necessity. For eample, if this Blue Cross Supplemental plan covers prescription drugs, and your father has $500 a month worth of prescriptions, this sounds like a fair trade. In addition, his health care epenses are likely to increase as he gets older, and having etra coverage will become increasingly more important. - Monday, October 19, 2009 @ 3:28pm