Tuesday, February 6, 2007

I'M READY TO TEAR OUT MY HAIR

I've been going thru the piles of printed material I've received from the various insurance companies the last few months.  I'm covered by the insurance provided by the health system thru the end of February but after that the Medicare will kick in and I have to have a Medicare supplement and a drug plan in place by March 1st.  It's all so confusing and so very expensive.   It really ticks me off, I don't know how our senior citizens have dealt with all this confusing paperwork. I am looking at anywhere from $250 to $500 a month for premiums and co-pays.  How do people pay for this ? Especially when their retirement pay is low.  I can see that I may have to find a part time job just to pay for the insurance and co-pays.  Plus they tax your retirement pay...so there goes some more money. 

What a nightmare !!!!!  

I feel so bad for the people in the mid west and on the east coast.  Temperatures down in the single digits.  Here in western Washington we've been running in the middle to high 40's with a little sun and a little rain.  With foggy conditions in the morning. 

Last Saturday Barbara and I went to see a movie (Notes on a Scandal).  I love Judi Dench but I thought the movie was very bizarre. 

Monday I met a former co-worker at the Olive garden for lunch.  Carolyn and I shared an office for a couple years at the clinic where I worked before transferring into the call center in May of 2000. She is the sweetest lady and is not going to be able to come to the retirement party on Feb 23rd, so took me to lunch instead and gave me a Regal theater gift card.  She's off work now after having a medical procedure done last week...so I brought her a big bunch of beautiful pink tulips.  She was so surprised.

Today I went to a couple used book stores.  I have book 1 of a series of 3, so am looking for books 2 & 3 before I start reading book 1.  No luck....the books are out of print and so I may never find them at a reasonable price.  I found them on line for anywhere between $25 and $100 a piece but I'm not paying those kind of prices for a book of any kind. 

Well...that's all for now.  I hope everyone is well and keeping warm.  Only 16 more days until Robin's birthday !!   YA HOO !

 

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is horrible about the cost!  I feel awful that you will have to work a part time job just so you can afford it!   Good luck sorting it all out...Jae

Anonymous said...

9 more days until Barbara's birthday.....xox Barbara

Anonymous said...

It just doesn't seem fair that you may have to work to afford insurance. It's so expensive isn't it, we're so lucky over here that our tax and insurance pay for our medical care throughout our lives. Senior citizens get free meds too. It's the time of your life when you probably need more meds too! Hope you can sort it out! Good luck with hunting down the books, maybe you'll be lucky and find it at a goodwill shop! Jeannette xx  http://journals.aol.co.uk/jlocorriere05/Welcometomytravels/  

Anonymous said...

How awful for you to have that cost as Jeannette explained ,ours is covered by the payments we made whilst working ,You found the film terms of indearment bizare I suspected it might be , Judi Dench is so talented though ,what are the books you are looking for ? ...love Jan x

Anonymous said...

It does not seem right that you may have to take a part time job just so you can afford insurance ~ Glad you and Carolyn enjoyed each others company over lunch ~ interested to know what the books are you want to get it is a shame they are out of print and now so expensive ~ Ally x

Anonymous said...

Linda, couple of things that may help.
Try the libary for the books you are looking for.
Watch out or re look at that drug plan. I do not have drug coverage. Too expensive for me. I only take two drugs and renewed my prescriptions yesterday. Prinivil and Zocor, both for heart or blood problems. The generic of Prinivil cost me only $10 for 100 pills (new deal on certain generic drugs) and the generic Zocor $27 for 90. Got them at Cosco's. Walmart also has good prices. The drug coverage with Blue Cross 65 Special would cost me about $450 a year with a lot of co pays. Also watch the "donut hole" in drug coverage. There is a big gap on some of them that you have to pay full cost.
If your medications are costing you less than the premium I would reconsider not getting the coverage.
BTW you need to update your blurb on the left of your journal. Remember you are now retired from the hospital. Good Luck Bill

Anonymous said...

Hello Linda, It think it`s awful that you may have to work just to pay for medical insurance, as you`ve probably read in the other comments, we pay through our working lives and don`t have to work after retirement. However, retired people do struggle financially here too, not for medical insurance but with other things that still have to paid on a low incomhttp://journals.aol.com/labdancer51/SandrasScribbles/e. Its very unfair I think.

Love Sandra xxxx

Anonymous said...

Gosh, I am sorry about all the insurance hassles you are going through right now--I am not looking forward to going through it myself in a few years.  We have already figured out that health care will probably eat up any retirement that we get.  They don't make it easy--even having worked in the medical and ins. field, it is hard to figure out.  Good luck!

Anonymous said...

i can understand your frustration with the insurance dilemma.  working in a dialysis clinic, i see a lot of this, but thankfully, the social worker helps our patients muddle through.  it would be absolutely baffling to tackle on your own.  you have my sympathy...i hope you find something that works for you that isn't so expensive.
gina