Re: medicare

I think you found the C part Jim! :)

I doubt if there will be any benefits for me when the
time comes, as either it will be dissolved or I won't
live that long... like Kitty I have few years to go
14+....

I did start to research this for my mother and FIL,
who both when I started questioning them about exactly
what type of medical services they are currently
using- was told to butt out. Geesh....

Donna

--- james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net> wrote:

> A search of the Medicare site reveals that there is
> no Part C--unless 
> it stands for Confusion, in which case it s subsumed
> into all other 
> parts.
> 
> On Jan 5, 2006, at 1:12 PM, kmrsy@netzero.net wrote:
> 
> > Jim, really very nice of you to give a concise
> explanation. It's still
> > sort of vague (you don't need to explain, though)
> to me because I've
> > never been involved in Medicare in the first place
> and am not eligible
> > for 12+ more years (emphasis on "+" because
> they'll probably push it up
> > to 70 by the time I get there)
> >
> >
> > Also, for me it has been all or nothing. I had
> insurance coverage from
> > age 16 to 51 and it was always fully funded by
> employers and included
> > prescription coverage, eyes, dental, etc. Now I
> have no insurance, 
> > fully
> > unfunded by me.
> >
> >
> > So when the time does come, you're telling me I'll
> have to deal with
> > parts A through D (did you mention a C?) - and
> probably by then they'll
> > throw in an E and an F.
> >
> >
> > Hmmm.....maybe I should just concentrate on
> keeping healthy.
> >
> > Kitty
> >
> >
> > -- james singer <islandjim1@verizon.net> wrote:
> > Medicare is a mess, mostly because of "free
> enterprise, economic
> > competition" shibboleths--none of which pertain
> the medical
> > marketplace.
> >
> > Basically, there are two kinds of
> Medicare--fee-for-service Medicare,
> > controlled mostly by the rapacious insurance
> industry, and HMO
> > Medicare, controlled by opportunistic third
> parties such as Humana,
> > Universal Health Care, and United Health Care.
> Hospitalization [called
> > Medicare Part A] is not a big deal in either kind
> because the coverage
> > is essentially the same. The Big Deal is Part B,
> euphemistically called
> > "physicians' services."
> >
> > Part B Medicare is supposed to cover physicians'
> services, but doesn't.
> > There is a large financial gap between what most
> geezers need and what
> > Medicare will pay for. Covering this financial gap
> is where the
> > fee-for-service hucksters and the HMO hucksters go
> there separate ways.
> >
> > First, be aware that Medicare [currently] deducts
> $88.50 from your
> > monthly Social Security check to "pay" for Part B.
> If you are a
> > fee-for-service person [that is, that your family
> doc knows at least as
> > much as the average of the rest of the medical
> profession], you will
> > probably have to buy a Medi-Gap insurance policy
> to cover the
> > difference between the pittance Medicare will pay
> him and his monthly
> > Mercedes payment. From ARRP, this kind of
> insurance costs about $135.00
> > and up [bells and whistles stuff] per month. But
> it doesn't cover
> > drugs--so if you've got a bunch of drug
> prescriptions, you may want a
> > Plan D policy. That's the new marketing Hoo-Ha
> with all the confusing
> > jibberish. And since there are a zillion D plans
> [with no requirement
> > that they have the same formulary], the amount one
> saves depends on the
> > discount given by a specific plan for a specific
> drug, which is
> > precisely why it is so confusing and difficult to
> choose the best one
> > plan for any one person.
> >
> > If you decide to be an HMO person, there are two
> or three things worth
> > worrying about. First, of course, is the HMO--an
> HMO is an HMO is an
> > etc. Restrictive panel of providers, utilization
> review, co-payments,
> > and so on. Second is Medicare HMOs have a history
> of cutting and
> > running. They are allowed to market their plans by
> geographic area
> > [usually a county]; and if for some reason, a
> county does not develop
> > enough subscribers or yield enough participating
> providers, the HMO
> > simply goes away, leaving it's "members" to
> scramble for
> > fee-for-service coverage.
> >
> > The upside of HMO membership is, one, Social
> Security pays the
> > membership fee; two, SS does not deduct $88.50
> from your monthly check;
> > and, three, HMO coverage includes drug
> coverage--with co-payments [no
> > deductibles] of $10 per generic and $20 per
> proprietary drug. This
> > benefit effectively cuts the price of most drugs
> by at least 50
> > percent.
> >
> >
> > On Jan 4, 2006, at 2:38 PM, Chapel Ridge Wal Mart
> National Hearing
> > Center wrote:
> >> Locally, Humana has a booth set up in Wal-Mart to
> answer questions.
> >> Then
> >> the man gives talks everyday at lunches provided
> free at Chicago Uno 
> >> or
> >> Golden Coral.  He asked a co-worker and me to
> come, but I'm not old
> >> enough
> >> and Jenny is only 30.  Not sure why we'd be
> there.  But lunch at Uno
> >> would
> >> be nice....  I hear there are as many as 40 or 50
> plans to choose from
> >> in
> >> some states.  What a pain that would be.
> >>
> >> Kitty
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: <Cersgarden@aol.com>
> >> To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
> >> Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 9:51 AM
> >> Subject: Re: [CHAT] medicare was Somebody stop me
> >>
> >>
> >>> In a message dated 1/4/06 12:45:22 AM,
> judylee@lewiston.com writes:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> if your current insurance provides medicine
> coverage,
> >>>> the penalty is waived if you later need to use
> the medicare benefit
> >>>> for
> >>>> medicine.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> That is great to know.   The company sent us a
> letter stating if we
> >>> signed
> >> up
> >>> for coverage under one of the plans we would
> lose all provided
> >>> insurance
> >>> coverage.   As confusing as it is, I hope no one
> would make that
> >>> mistake.
> >>>      Ceres
> >>>
> >>>
>
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> >>
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> >>
> > Island Jim
> > Southwest Florida
> > 27.0 N, 82.4 W
> 
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