This is a review of Medicare For Dummies which was much better than expected. In fact, it was very good but I did have low expectations when I first saw the book.

Many years back my job involved computers and programming. I don’t remember the exact story so this will be a bit vague. For some reason I need to learn quickly about some commonly used program. I figured since I knew nothing about program X, most books or webpages about X would be way over my head.

So I figured I would start with the “Dummies” book and progress after I got the basics. It turn out badly. I didn’t really learn anything useful and felt insulted and frustrated in the process.

This book is much different. So maybe I just picked a bad example or maybe the series has evolved.

Patricia Barry writes the AARP online Ms. Medicare column and is an authority on Medicare. I suppose at least some of the information in her book Medicare For Dummies could be found online for free. But I would guess, it would not be as well organized and perhaps not as complete.

About midway through the book, Ms. Barry mentions politicians who talk about Medicare as being a “one-size-fits-all” system. This is far from accurate and that will be obvious to anyone who even reads part of this book.

Medicare For Dummies is a guide to a complex system. Patricia Barry explains how each choice impact other choices. She gives and pros and cons of each decision and explains how each would work in different situations. The choices are also impacted by any benefits you may have (or not have) as an active or retired employee. And the various situations are both considered and explained.

Perhaps the book should be titled Medicare explained brilliantly but that would not fit well into the “dummies” series. Maybe “Medicare explained brilliantly” could be a subtitle for a revision. Or maybe the title could be Medicare Explained Brilliantly for Dummies.

This a great guide to a complex system. Well-written, both thorough and clear. I’d call it essential or “a must read” but it is really not either. You are free to move through the Medicare maze without guidance but it may cost you. And those potential extra costs are much more than the cost of this book.

I have to start making my Medicare decisions later this year and now feel like I know enough about Medicare to make some educated decisions (and make sense of other Medicare materials).

At any rate, know your options in the complex system called Medicare. Educate yourself. This book seems to be a relatively inexpensive and efficient way to learn about your Medicare options and the best choices given your situation.