[Magdalen] health care...

[Jay Weigel]

When you do get it, don't fall for the "fake" Medicare. Just a warning.

On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 6:55 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I'm not Medicare eligible yet... just mused after reading something in the
> NYTimes this morning on how those who will be retiring and collecting
> Social Security at their target age (mine is 66, in 3 more years), will
> find that by then SS will be bearing a greater burden on paying the portion
> of the Medicare payment that comes out of SS than it does currently. This
> is not retroactive to people on SS/Medicare now, it is going to happen down
> the road.
> L
>
> website: www.ichthysdesigns.com
>
> When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not
> a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me."
> attributed to Erma Bombeck
> "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk
> by Richard Rohr
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Jay Weigel" <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 5:50 PM
> To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>
> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] health care...
>
> Do you have Medigap or one of those other policies which is basically
>> "instead of" REAL Medicare?
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 6:46 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks for your info Eleanor. I continue to confuse the two different
>>> Medis.... it is Medicare.
>>>
>>> I got my first letter for the next insurance season from my health
>>> carrier: United Health / Golden Rule.
>>>
>>> After a bit of difficulty I looked up what they are calling my summary of
>>> benefits but they are for this year, not next. All 'research is
>>> untouchable
>>> online (and I presume through agents) until Nov 1 and then I can't wait
>>> for
>>> the online chaos to ensue! LOL.... I waited over an hour on the phone
>>> several months ago to ask a question and thankfully did get the answer to
>>> one of 2. The second question was: "what will my 2016 premium be?", and
>>> they told me to watch the mail. Today's letter was not that info, and
>>> where
>>> it led me online was absolutely nowhere in regard to *my* coverage in the
>>> future, or to my cost for the same coverage again next year. I did note a
>>> *new* section addressing the very issue I wrote about earlier.. testing
>>> for
>>> issues that are not preventative. I wonder if there is a fine line when a
>>> medical issue runs in the family - is testing for that preventative or
>>> diagnostic? Or does it depend on when/what the test results show?
>>>
>>>  I am hoping the letter with the premium price does arrive and I can deal
>>> with the anticipated increase and not have to enter 'the arena' again...
>>> it's like walking into the lion's den.  In just a few short years (maybe
>>> 5?) how could insurance have become so difficult, so much more costly and
>>> so confusing?
>>>
>>> Lynn
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> website: www.ichthysdesigns.com
>>>
>>> When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have
>>> not
>>> a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave
>>> me."
>>> attributed to Erma Bombeck
>>> "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk
>>> by Richard Rohr
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------
>>> From: "Eleanor Braun" <eleanor.braun at gmail.com>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 2:48 PM
>>> To: "Magdalen" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Magdalen] health care...
>>>
>>> Note - you will be applying for Medicare, not Medicaid.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'm on Medicare with a Medigap policy from my last employer - the
>>>> Federal
>>>> Government.  Everything has been easy as pie as I've gone through
>>>> surgery,
>>>> chemotherapy and followup exams.  I haven't had to pay a dime, and don't
>>>> have to worry about anything.  I get EOBs (explanation of benefits) from
>>>> Blue Cross/Blue Shield, my Medigap coverage, when I have appointments,
>>>> but
>>>> those are just for my information.  Medicare gives me an annual
>>>> statement
>>>> about what was spent.  This is only one step away from single payer,
>>>> and I
>>>> would hope that we can get there sometime.
>>>>
>>>> On cancer treatment, there was a fascinating series on PBS, called
>>>> "Cancer:
>>>> the Emperor of all Maladies
>>>> <http://video.pbs.org/program/story-cancer-emperor-all-maladies/>."  It
>>>> tracks how scientists have gradually learned more about the disease(s),
>>>> and
>>>> how each step forward was seen as the magic bullet, until they found out
>>>> that it wasn't.  Now scientists are moving into immunotherapy, the
>>>> newest
>>>> magic bullet.  What I came away thinking is that great progress has been
>>>> made against cancer, there is still a great deal to be learned, and we
>>>> have
>>>> to just keep working toward the assortment of treatments to make it less
>>>> fatal and extend the quality of life.
>>>>
>>>> Eleanor
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 1:03 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> just another turbulent topic in the news... Health Care..
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> What do you folks think about all the recent (several years now)
>>>>> information that decades of cancer treatments have been ineffective in
>>>>> far
>>>>> broader ways than the general public was aware, 'discoveries' about the
>>>>> need for less mammograms/pap smears, , etc, etc, etc... For me this has
>>>>> translated into what my insurance company will allow based on US
>>>>> Government
>>>>> *guidelines*... and I am beginning to become a bit cynical about how
>>>>> much
>>>>> more the government is going to 'discover'  that will affect insurance
>>>>> coverage.
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm already waiting for my annual exam to see how it is 'billed'. A
>>>>> friend
>>>>> told me that her one annual exam this year (a few months ago) was
>>>>> billed
>>>>> as
>>>>> two (one covered by insurance, one not covered but shifted to her
>>>>> pay-to-reach-deductable category). Her regular exam, considered
>>>>> 'preventative' (a big huge tenant of the National Health Program
>>>>> Umbrella),
>>>>> turned into a second visit as well when the doctor ordered several
>>>>> diagnostic blood tests along with the 'preventative blood work'.  She
>>>>> was
>>>>> billed  for a partial payment on her preventative visit and billed the
>>>>> whole shebang on the diagnostic 'visit'.... Doctor's office stood by
>>>>> the
>>>>> way the insurance company looked at it and she had a $150. doctor  bill
>>>>> for
>>>>> the ordering of one blood test.
>>>>>
>>>>> Makes me wonder if one could just find out from the doctor ahead of
>>>>> time
>>>>> that this blood work would be 'needed', take care of it on ones own at
>>>>> a
>>>>> local lab and then provide the doctor with the results... AND if that
>>>>> would
>>>>> save the additional visit bill for diagnostic, what are we saying about
>>>>> continuality of care in this whole mess?  As we muck about dissing
>>>>> 'socialized medicine' we're creating something less stable and more
>>>>> unwieldy, and still the principles are making $$$ up the wazoo, or
>>>>> maybe
>>>>> it's just the insurance companies making any *real* money these days.
>>>>>
>>>>> Am I becoming paranoid here?  Will the government start deciding
>>>>> who/what
>>>>> can get the kind of treatment a doctor would have heretofore have
>>>>> recommended?  Were all these 'steps', some of which have had phase-in
>>>>> plans
>>>>> from the start, intended to cause profit only?    And don't get me
>>>>> started
>>>>> about the Medicaid info I read the other day (which I'm counting the 2
>>>>> years + less than a month till I qualify)  which sounded like if I
>>>>> collect
>>>>> SS at 66 I might have to pay $350. a month for Medicaid?? (and it
>>>>> didn't
>>>>> sound like a supplement would defray *this* part of the cost).
>>>>>
>>>>> Lynn
>>>>>
>>>>> website: www.ichthysdesigns.com
>>>>>
>>>>> When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have
>>>>> not
>>>>> a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave
>>>>> me."
>>>>> attributed to Erma Bombeck
>>>>> "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a
>>>>> talk
>>>>> by Richard Rohr
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>