Some thoughts on Medicare

The last few years I have gotten a notice from Social Security, stating what I am eligible to receive. This year I could get minimum benefits, more at 66 years old and maximum at 70. The notice also stated that I am required to sign up for Medicare benefits at 65. The way it read, it seemed mandatory, although I am not sure.

While I was on dialysis, I had signed up for Medicare, because I wasn't sure my union health plan would cover completely the dialysis treatment without a copay. I could not afford to pay even $10.00 per treatment at that time. My cost for Medicare was quite a bit lower per month than the copay. After my kidney transplant, Medicare became my primary insurance and my coverage was not as complete as my employee plan. I wound up having to pay a deductible and other unexpected cost. My employee plan not taking up the difference from Medicare; having Medicare then, sucked. Fortunately for me it ended three years after my transplant.

With my retirement plan, I will be able to keep my employee health plan for five years after I retire. I don't want to sign up for Medicare until the health plan is over, because the coordination of benefits between my health plan and Medicare is certain to screw me. The prescription plan, Part D of Medicare, is certain to be more costly, because my prescriptions run about $10,000 a year. I have to buy supplemental insurance to fill the gap, between $2000 and $5000. I don't know if the prescription plan I have when I retire, would even work with Part D. Not any of this was explained in the booklet the government distributed.

What I don't get, is that I keep hearing there will be a crisis in Medicare, more so than Social Security in a few years when the first wave of Baby Boomers retire. If there is a crisis, why is it then mandatory that you sign up for Medicare, if not at 65, certainly when you sign up for Social Security? Having had experience with Medicare, I wish I were financially able to opt out completely. This is one reason I get a little edgy about a national health care plan. I don't think it would save me any more money and I can see congressmen that don't want it to work creating a compromise that will make it more complicated and and more costly which would eventually doom it to fail. Then there is also a mindset about the people who will benefit, it may be seen as welfare, in which it will be designed to keep one ill, rather than healthy: as the welfare system was designed to keep the poor, poor; because to really give them enough benefits to help them out of poverty, would do so without them deserving it.

There isn't a particular idea in the post. I was listening this morning about the economic outlook for this country and as always Medicare and Social Security came up. I had some thoughts about my own experience, I wanted to share. There is another question that I would like to ask the blogosphere, but unfortunately most of my traffic comes from folks who find my blog from two images, one of polycystic kidneys and the other showing women Iranian soldiers wearing a hijab. Anyway the question is: would those who are well off and bitch about Social Security and Medicare not being the government's responsibility, opt out? I was thinking if they did, would there be a crisis?

Contrapuntal harmonies of life.

The disease, then the cure or is it just maintenance. A life lived or a life made poor from the cure. I have been rescued from death by modern technology. Had I live earlier in the 20th century, I would be dead. The question is; how do I live a full life when the cost of what I want to do is sucked up by medical bills. I am not the volunteering type, I don’t get thrills from long walks in the park and there aren’t that many things free that interest me. In managing the cure there are many co-pays for visits and ever changing medication. It pains me when I have to throw out medication, some time hundreds of dollars worth. That is only the co-pays. If I had to pay retail for my yearly medication it would come close to ten thousands dollars. As it is I have to pay around 20 percent. Maybe to some that would not be much money, but it is to me. That is more money I could save and use for a few extra things I would like to do.

What gets me; is that when life saving measures are offered, you are not told the true cost. Only that you can refuse treatment. Are you going to turn down treatment? You may not be in a physical condition to be able to make that decision and so you are saved. Later you may have to make a choice between medication and eating. You can live a very long time on maintenance, what happens when you run out of resources. Anybody telling you that the government will take up the slack is wrong. You lifestyle will have to diminish. It could diminish to the point of have no life at all; cheapest rental, light meals, wearing too many clothes in winter and possibly suffering heat stroke in summer. Most income going to the maintenance of the cure. Tell anyone to “go to hell,” if they suggest you should have planed better.

In the earlier stage of my illness, I realized that no matter what, I still had to work. I had just recently bought a house and I didn’t want to give that up. I kept hearing from people, why don’t you go out on disability. The healthcare system supports that too. I am thinking how does anyone pay their bills like that, I can’t? I am too young to be staring at concrete block walls that they have in a lot of subsidize apartments. I had to continually fight Medicare (since I had end stage renal disease I was eligible) and my employee insurance about whose going to pay what. Another irony, since I was working I was still paying for Medicare with a payroll deduction and writing them a check too. I could not slack off because I would have paid more. Now one of my activities is to deal with health care. There is a struggle for it not to become your life. In the meantime, while those of us that have been saved or have health issues that are being managed; we are not considered in the healthcare debate. Healthcare has now become a debate over political philosophy rather than about the sickness and wellness. While others debate, we continue to study cope with the opposing changes in harmonies of our lives.