Medicare Part D

[skcin]

Anyone else trying to help a family member figure this out? AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! My mom turns 65 this year.

It's beyond confusing, and I have a medical background so I can imagine how it's been for the elderly who have nobody to help them. What I've determined so far:

*More choices is not always a good thing. Too confusing.

*After working your ass off all your life, you STILL have to pay almost $100 every month for Medicare - and this does NOT include prescription drugs. You have to pay extra for that.

*You must ask permission to go anywhere, see anybody, take your medicine or have any tests done. Soon, people will have to request approval to be sick.

*If you do get a prescription drug plan, they will help you pay for your meds until the total hits $2400 for the year. If this total is reached in, say, October? Sorry, you're on your own. Pay out of pocket for the rest of the year.

I am trying...to be strong. But this really sucks.

[DavidMn]

It really seems that this whole part D thing has caused more problems than its solved.

[ontheEdgeof17]

I find the whole insurance/Medicare/Medicaid/retirement thing so difficult to understand. I don't understand all the rules. Who's to say what's better than the other plan? I have no idea. I had a full semester on HealthCare Insurance and I'm still in the dark over this matter.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

I find the whole insurance/Medicare/Medicaid/retirement thing so difficult to understand. I don't understand all the rules. Who's to say what's better than the other plan? I have no idea. I had a full semester on HealthCare Insurance and I'm still in the dark over this matter.

Right there. If someone like you doesnt get it, that says alot.

[Rickypt]

Part D stands for Part Disaster. My organization has been working on this for a long time, as many people with AIDS depend on the "benefit". We also fought against it before it became law. It is too complicated, the government can't negotiate lower prices with drug companies, and too many out of pocket expenses. But it is here to stay so the best we can do is try to improve it.

Paula, my colleague is an expert on the benefit. I will PM you with her contact info as I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Just don't tell her that I'm on the Ledge all day or anything.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by Rickypt

Part D stands for Part Disaster. My organization has been working on this for a long time, as many people with AIDS depend on the "benefit". We also fought against it before it became law. It is too complicated, the government can't negotiate lower prices with drug companies, and too many out of pocket expenses. But it is here to stay so the best we can do is try to improve it.

Paula, my colleague is an expert on the benefit. I will PM you with her contact info as I'm sure she'd be happy to help. Just don't tell her that I'm on the Ledge all day or anything.

Yes, please do.

[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by ontheEdgeof17

I find the whole insurance/Medicare/Medicaid/retirement thing so difficult to understand. I don't understand all the rules. Who's to say what's better than the other plan? I have no idea. I had a full semester on HealthCare Insurance and I'm still in the dark over this matter.

It's insane. And basically each plan tries to tell you that theirs is better and it's almost impossible to get objective information.

The group that is the most screwed in the Part D thing are those who get Medicaid and Medicare, meaning they are among the sickest and poorest in the country. They lost their comprehensive drug coverage through Medicaid and have been forced into the complicated and less comprehensive Part D program. It's all part of the rightwing's desire to privatize Medicaid and Medicare.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by skcin

*After working your ass off all your life, you STILL have to pay almost $100 every month for Medicare - and this does NOT include prescription drugs. You have to pay extra for that.

This **** is nuts. Note to self: squirrel away more money.

[rbs3676]

Originally Posted by sparky

This **** is nuts. Note to self: squirrel away more money.

Amen. Or move to Canada or Iceland...

rbs

[sparky]

Originally Posted by rbs3676

Amen. Or move to Canada or Iceland...

rbs

Actually Australia is the most likely.

[GiniLeaE]

Originally Posted by skcin

Anyone else trying to help a family member figure this out? AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! My mom turns 65 this year.

It's beyond confusing, and I have a medical background so I can imagine how it's been for the elderly who have nobody to help them.

I am trying...to be strong. But this really sucks.

I've tried to help my grandparents as much as I can, because they are 73 and the "donut hole" (as they call it) that the plans work on was very confusing. My cousin is a pharmicist and counsels everyone in my hometown on the plans, so I can ask her.

This just shows me that we are so in need of medical reform in our country. I think we can develop and implement a better national health care plan (like Hillary Rodham-Clinton worked on before!) than others...those against it say it is horrid in Canada and the UK, so it will be catastrophic here!

I'm lucky with my HMO...my genetic immune disease requires weekly infusions at around 10k a month and it can get rather expensive! My copay is reasonable...for now, but the rates/premiums are going up every year (probably because of diseased people like me! Thanks Natural Selection! )

[DrummerDeanna]

^^

I think rates are going up more because of people like my mom who is a complete hypochondriac. It pisses me off..she's always at the doctor -always getting needless tests done - and they do them...probably to shut her up by this point

She is ALWAYS "sick" and it's annoying as hell....because I think it's people like her driving up the cost of things....of course I don't know a whole lot about how that all works.

The Medicare thing? Totally confuses me...I have no clue what my grandparents ended up doing