[Magdalen] health care...

[Ginga Wilder]

Lynn,
When it came time for John and me to sign up for Medicare, trying to figure
out these policies by ourselves left us cross-eyed and crazy. We choose to
talk with an insurance agent, one with a good reputation and that we felt
we trusted.  After our interview,we chose our policy from the several plans
he put before us, based on our needs.  And, also, when we chose our
medicare Part D, our pharmacist researched our meds and suggested three
plans for us to choose from, making sure of the best coverage of our
formulary.  John has a different Part D than I do - he takes very little
medication.

I highly recommend asking the professionals....they aren't going to be
making money off medicare clients.  So the risk of getting ripped off by a
reputable agent working for a reputable company are slim.  At least that is
our experience.

FWIW.
Ginga

On Tue, Oct 20, 2015 at 7:23 PM, Lynn Ronkainen <houstonklr at gmail.com>
wrote:

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