[Magdalen] health care...

Tue Oct 20 23:23:01 UTC 2015

got that covered... my mom seemed to do that annually falling prey to 
various TV shills. She is actually part of a medical clinic system here that 
created its own Medicare plan that after age 65 you had to embrace or they 
would not keep you as a patient. It has worked out well for her but got 
confusing when she would call those phone ads...
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: "Jay Weigel" <jay.weigel at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 20, 2015 6:20 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] health care...

> 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
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> 