If you choose to stay with a private insurance company after you turn 65, you no longer receive social security payments.
That didn't sit right with me so I looked it up and found it equally mind-numbing. You can keep a private insurance while collecting social security, use as supplemental, etc. And you can purchase medi-gap insurance.
What you can't do is refuse Medicare Part A. MEDICARE PART A IS FREE! So, if you refuse to participate in a FREE program, to help taxpayers save money, you can't collect social security. Also, it's not a part of the law. It has something to do with bureaucratic interpretations of rules and regulations. Dick Armey is a plantiff in a lawsuit challenging this rule.
But it's still insane. Refusing a free program, saving taxpayer money, costs you your social security benefits!
WTF???