Forum Members with COVID-19

Other discussions not related to the Permanent Portfolio

Moderator: Global Moderator

User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Thu Feb 11, 2021 5:23 pm

I had to make the decision five years ago - 2016.

I twice read the Medicare for Dummies book and I twice read the government provided Medicare and You booklet. I also did lot of other research.

I did all my book reading in the prior year (2015) which was a good thing because it educated me on how your income levels can affect your Medicare premiums. Having that knowledge led me to start managing my income starting 2015 (and which I have continued to do since). So far I've successfully kept my income below where I'd get charged the Medicare surcharges.

I only talked to Blue Cross and Blue Shield. After learning about my (good) health and low medical needs the person I was talking to said that an Advantage plan would be most appropriate for me since I had no ongoing issues and that would be the lowest premiums. He stated that the Medigap plan would be a waste of money for someone like me.

I responded that I'd lived my entire life to that point so that paying for the much more expensive Medigap plan would not be an issue and knowing myself quite well when it came down to any future medical issues I wanted my decision to be strictly based upon the medical issues without also having to think about financial issues. I knew that if money was involved then I might be more inclined to chose the less expensive choice to the detriment of solving the medical issue.

He understood all that and we signed me up for the Medigap plan which I have continued to be on. In the last few years I've also added the eye option which pays some for eye doctor visits and the cost of contact lens / glasses and which is incredibly cheap - about $4 a month.

In retrospect I've been quite happy with my decision.

I've been on my own to pay my own health insurance costs since 1994.

When I switched to Medicare with Medigap my premium costs went in half, I went from a $1,000 deductible to $0, and I went to a lot NOT being covered (e.g., any preventive testing) to everything being covered.

Finally, there was also a tax angle involved in my decision. The tax laws regarding health insurance are extremely biased towards the employed. They get to pay all their health insurance premiums on a pre-tax basis. I'm self-employed so I have been able to deduct the premiums on page one of the 1040 (or at least the old version). But it does not shield me from Social Security / Medicare taxes as they do for the employed.

Medical expenses go to Schedule A and you only get to deduct them if a. you are itemizing AND b. only the excess of medical expenses beyond a certain percentage of your adjusted gross income.

Therefore, going the more expensive Medigap choice did result in having some of my taxes getting reduced by the excess cost of those Medigap premiums over Advantage premiums.

Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Thu Feb 11, 2021 5:59 pm

Since we are pretty healthy it did not pay to get a full F plan .we got the high deductible one ....a full plan is 330 each a month here ..I pay 90 each for the high deductible and since they have silver sneakers we get our gym free which was 45 a month .

We pocketed thousands over the years with the high deductible F plan
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:06 pm

For those who want to know the difference between having a for profit insurer as your gate keeper vs not for profit govt Medicare I will give you an example.

A friend had an advantage plan ..she bragged all the time about how little she was paying .

Well she got pituitary gland cancer ....one side was cancerous,the other side not great shape ..her doctors wanted both haves removed ...her insurer denied both halves ...they only approved one side and she had to wait for the other side to possibly turn cancerous and spread .

Her doctors appealed and argued Medicare always pays to remove the entire gland ..

The insurer told them they can’t say what Medicare would have done in this cases, their patient does not have Medicare ....

So the insurer administering your plan has total say because you can’t say what govt Medicare would have done , you don’t have government Medicare..with an advantage plan you have a for profit insurer deciding your course of treatment...
Last edited by mathjak107 on Fri Feb 12, 2021 6:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
flyingpylon
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:04 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by flyingpylon » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:26 pm

I’ve got 10 years to figure all of this Medicare crap out and right now it doesn’t feel like enough!

How should pre-Medicare people budget for this stuff?
User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:45 pm

mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 5:59 pm

Since we are pretty healthy it did not pay to get a full F plan .we got the high deductible one ....a full plan is 330 each a month here ..I pay 90 each for the high deductible and since they have silver sneakers we get our gym free which was 45 a month .

We pocketed thousands over the years with the high deductible F plan


For me it's about $215 a month.

Health-wise I'm in the same condition as you and I also could have saved a lot choosing the higher deductible plan. In every other financial decision that is what I do. In this case I decided I'd reached a point in my life where the extra savings were not going to make any difference in my life but making a less than optimal medical decision because of the financial factor was not something I wanted to do.

Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
User avatar
Mountaineer
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4959
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by Mountaineer » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:46 pm

flyingpylon wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:26 pm
I’ve got 10 years to figure all of this Medicare crap out and right now it doesn’t feel like enough!

How should pre-Medicare people budget for this stuff?
I have Medicare and a Medi-gap plan F (not high deductible) through AARP (United Health Care) but I don't think that plan is available any longer. Medical coverage so far has been great with no questions asked, no medical claims denied (wife 2 knee replacements, no other major health issues/expenses) but insurance prices have gone up significantly since we enrolled almost 10 years ago to almost $500/month for both of us. I have always told myself and my wife - don't depend on Medicare, Insurance, Social Security, Pension, or anyone else to take care of our needs. If they continute to deliver, if they don't cancel, great. However, if they don't, better be prepared to self-fund. Yes, I know, it's a big deal.

Good luck!
DNA has its own language (code), and language requires intelligence. There is no known mechanism by which matter can give birth to information, let alone language. It is unreasonable to believe the world could have happened by chance.
User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:04 pm

Mountaineer wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:46 pm

flyingpylon wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:26 pm

I’ve got 10 years to figure all of this Medicare crap out and right now it doesn’t feel like enough!

How should pre-Medicare people budget for this stuff?


I have Medicare and a Medi-gap plan F (not high deductible) through AARP (United Health Care) but I don't think that plan is available any longer. Medical coverage so far has been great with no questions asked, no medical claims denied (wife 2 knee replacements, no other major health issues/expenses) but insurance prices have gone up significantly since we enrolled almost 10 years ago to almost $500/month for both of us. I have always told myself and my wife - don't depend on Medicare, Insurance, Social Security, Pension, or anyone else to take care of our needs. If they continute to deliver, if they don't cancel, great. However, if they don't, better be prepared to self-fund. Yes, I know, it's a big deal.

Good luck!


I am not clear when you say "almost $500/month for both of us" that is the total cost for the two of you or for each of you? I suspect the latter?

Five years ago I was paying $600 a month, with a $1,000 deductible, and a lot (like any preventative tests) not covered.

Between Medicare and the Medigap policy I think I might be still less than $450 a month with vastly better coverage and no other costs.

Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
User avatar
Mark Leavy
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1950
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:20 pm
Location: US Citizen, Permanent Traveler

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by Mark Leavy » Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:15 pm

mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:54 pm
As far as advantage plan or Medicare and medigap
...
snip
...

So, choose carefully, because there may not be a do-over if you decide later you prefer a Medigap.
Thanks for this Mathjak. I have no interest in any of this stuff but someone I know does, and I respect your opinion in this area.
Mark
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Fri Feb 12, 2021 4:55 am

It is always good to know because when you reach Medicare age it can be very confusing.

There are all kinds of commercials and ads to sway the unsuspecting over to advantage plans .

Not all are problems , some like kaiser have pretty good ones but they are not in all states .

There is a lot of money in it for insurers since govt Medicare divorces themselves from you and pays the insurer about 10-12k a year to handle you ...most have very little in expenses each year so the insurance company pockets that dough.

Up until covid of course . But they still may be making good money with these plans since most are not hospitalized
Last edited by mathjak107 on Fri Feb 12, 2021 5:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Fri Feb 12, 2021 5:00 am

flyingpylon wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:26 pm
I’ve got 10 years to figure all of this Medicare crap out and right now it doesn’t feel like enough!

How should pre-Medicare people budget for this stuff?
It depends on income level ...Medicare costs are tied to your income ..be careful...they go back two years to set your rate each year ...you don’t want to wait to sell an asset that will bump you up.

We made that mistake ....I didn’t have control over when to sell but we had a big gain two years prior to Medicare ...

That sale would have added and extra 700 a month to our Medicare costs for both of us. So it is serious dough.

I appealed it since we had just retired and income dropped by 70% from that tax year with the gain when we were still working and I won the appeal.

Medicare actually costs about 10-12k a year ...the lower incomes pay about 25% and the govt pays 75% ...

At the highest levels you pay 80% or so and the govt 20% .

The lowest level is up to 88k magi for a single and 176k for a couple that is the standard 148.00 a month per person .

Keep in mind too , if you are collecting ss , the increase in Medicare can never be more than the cola that year ....if you delay ss you have no such protection.that is called the hold harmless provision
User avatar
Mountaineer
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4959
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by Mountaineer » Fri Feb 12, 2021 6:20 am

vnatale wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:04 pm
Mountaineer wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:46 pm
flyingpylon wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:26 pm
I’ve got 10 years to figure all of this Medicare crap out and right now it doesn’t feel like enough!

How should pre-Medicare people budget for this stuff?
I have Medicare and a Medi-gap plan F (not high deductible) through AARP (United Health Care) but I don't think that plan is available any longer. Medical coverage so far has been great with no questions asked, no medical claims denied (wife 2 knee replacements, no other major health issues/expenses) but insurance prices have gone up significantly since we enrolled almost 10 years ago to almost $500/month for both of us. I have always told myself and my wife - don't depend on Medicare, Insurance, Social Security, Pension, or anyone else to take care of our needs. If they continute to deliver, if they don't cancel, great. However, if they don't, better be prepared to self-fund. Yes, I know, it's a big deal.

Good luck!
I am not clear when you say "almost $500/month for both of us" that is the total cost for the two of you or for each of you? I suspect the latter?

Five years ago I was paying $600 a month, with a $1,000 deductible, and a lot (like any preventative tests) not covered.

Between Medicare and the Medigap policy I think I might be still less than $450 a month with vastly better coverage and no other costs.
For both of us as you quoted, not each of us. $250 x 2 = $500/month. Sorry for the confusion. :)
DNA has its own language (code), and language requires intelligence. There is no known mechanism by which matter can give birth to information, let alone language. It is unreasonable to believe the world could have happened by chance.
User avatar
dualstow
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 14225
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:18 am
Location: synagogue of Satan
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by dualstow » Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:09 am

mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:06 pm
For those who want to know the difference between having a for profit insurer as your gate keeper vs not for profit govt Medicare I will give you an example.

A friend had an advantage plan ..she bragged all the time about how little she was paying .

Well she got pituitary gland cancer ....one side was cancerous,the other side not great shape ..her doctors wanted both haves removed ...her insurer denied both halves ...they only approved one side and she had to wait for the other side to possibly turn cancerous and spread .

...
We should have a thread on insurance. I buy my own and have no idea what I'm doing. Too young for medicare.
RIP Marcello Gandini
User avatar
I Shrugged
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 2062
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 6:35 pm

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by I Shrugged » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:25 pm

We did a Roth conversion for 150K, and it cost a lot in increased medicare premiums. Ouch. Sometimes you beat the system and sometimes it beats you.
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:29 pm

dualstow wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:09 am
mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:06 pm
For those who want to know the difference between having a for profit insurer as your gate keeper vs not for profit govt Medicare I will give you an example.

A friend had an advantage plan ..she bragged all the time about how little she was paying .

Well she got pituitary gland cancer ....one side was cancerous,the other side not great shape ..her doctors wanted both haves removed ...her insurer denied both halves ...they only approved one side and she had to wait for the other side to possibly turn cancerous and spread .

...
We should have a thread on insurance. I buy my own and have no idea what I'm doing. Too young for medicare.
Medicare I can help you navigate but I no longer know much about regular insurance
User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:56 pm

I Shrugged wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:25 pm

We did a Roth conversion for 150K, and it cost a lot in increased medicare premiums. Ouch. Sometimes you beat the system and sometimes it beats you.


To manage my income for Medicare purposes I will sometimes do a partial traditional individual 401(k) contribution rather than my preferred it being an all Roth individual 401(k) contribution. I am definitely going to have to go that route for 2020, part traditional and part Roth.

Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:56 pm

mathjak107 wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:29 pm

dualstow wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 11:09 am

mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:06 pm

For those who want to know the difference between having a for profit insurer as your gate keeper vs not for profit govt Medicare I will give you an example.

A friend had an advantage plan ..she bragged all the time about how little she was paying .

Well she got pituitary gland cancer ....one side was cancerous,the other side not great shape ..her doctors wanted both haves removed ...her insurer denied both halves ...they only approved one side and she had to wait for the other side to possibly turn cancerous and spread .

...


We should have a thread on insurance. I buy my own and have no idea what I'm doing. Too young for medicare.

Medicare I can help you navigate but I no longer know much about regular insurance


Same here. Medicare much more clear cut. Regular insurance is far more complex with each state having different rules.

Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
User avatar
dualstow
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 14225
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:18 am
Location: synagogue of Satan
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by dualstow » Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:27 pm

Darn.
RIP Marcello Gandini
User avatar
Tortoise
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 2751
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 2:35 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by Tortoise » Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:54 am

Day 32 update:

Smell and taste are coming back very slowly.

Different smells and tastes are coming back at different rates, and they vary throughout the day. I can consistently smell and taste lemon, mint, chocolate, and vanilla surprisingly well, but most everything else is either intermittent or absent.

The other day my wife cooked beef stew, and when I walked into the kitchen I was thrilled that I could actually kind of smell it. But when I ate a bowl of it, I couldn't taste a thing.

With some foods, I'll be able to taste the first one or two bites, but after that the taste quickly disappears.

Really weird stuff. At least it's very slowly improving. Best guess, it'll take another couple of months to recover my smell and taste fully.
User avatar
dualstow
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 14225
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:18 am
Location: synagogue of Satan
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by dualstow » Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:37 am

Tortoise wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:54 am
...
Smell and taste are coming back very slowly.

Different smells and tastes are coming back at different rates, and they vary throughout the day. I can consistently smell and taste lemon, mint, chocolate, and vanilla surprisingly well, but most everything else is either intermittent or absent.
...
That is so fascinating. I wonder what’s going on on, on a microscopic level. Is it messing with your tongue or your brain? Remember when they used to tell us that sweetness was perceived on the tip of the tongue, bitterness in the back, etc?
http://cst.ufl.edu/that-neat-and-tidy-m ... wrong.html

There are going to be some helpful studies coming out of this.

When I have a cold or if i want to really taste expensive tea, i put some in my mouth and smell it at the same time. Does that help?
RIP Marcello Gandini
User avatar
Tortoise
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 2751
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 2:35 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by Tortoise » Fri Feb 26, 2021 11:30 am

dualstow wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:37 am
That is so fascinating. I wonder what’s going on on, on a microscopic level. Is it messing with your tongue or your brain?
Based on what I've read, such as this article, probably neither. The working theory seems to be that the virus kills certain cells in the nasal cavity that support the olfactory receptor nerves. So the nerves themselves aren't killed, but because some of their supporting cells are, the nerves temporarily fail to function until the body has time to replace the lost cells.

That theory seems to agree with the fact that I can taste tongue-based sensations like sweet, salty, etc. just fine -- it's the flavors that I can't taste.

I agree, it's fascinating. One could definitely "science the crap out of this", as Zdogg likes to say. :)
dualstow wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:37 am
Remember when they used to tell us that sweetness was perceived on the tip of the tongue, bitterness in the back, etc?
http://cst.ufl.edu/that-neat-and-tidy-m ... wrong.html
I do remember being told that as a kid. But I could taste sweet, salty, etc. all over my own tongue -- not just in certain spots -- so I always figured it was either a dumb theory or I was some kind of mutant.
dualstow wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:37 am
When I have a cold or if i want to really taste expensive tea, i put some in my mouth and smell it at the same time. Does that help?
I tried it just now on the coffee I'm drinking, but alas, it seems not to work.
User avatar
dualstow
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 14225
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 10:18 am
Location: synagogue of Satan
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by dualstow » Fri Feb 26, 2021 12:07 pm

Great article ^
...the most common targets of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting a vulnerability to infection.

These included sustentacular cells, which wrap around sensory neurons and are thought to provide structural and metabolic support, and basal cells, which act as stem cells that regenerate the olfactory epithelium after damage. The presence of proteins encoded by both genes in these cells was confirmed by immunostaining.
I would love to hear Jeff Spicoli say “sustentacular.”
RIP Marcello Gandini
glennds
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1265
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:24 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by glennds » Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:03 pm

mathjak107 wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:06 pm
For those who want to know the difference between having a for profit insurer as your gate keeper vs not for profit govt Medicare I will give you an example.

A friend had an advantage plan ..she bragged all the time about how little she was paying .

Well she got pituitary gland cancer ....one side was cancerous,the other side not great shape ..her doctors wanted both haves removed ...her insurer denied both halves ...they only approved one side and she had to wait for the other side to possibly turn cancerous and spread .

Her doctors appealed and argued Medicare always pays to remove the entire gland ..

The insurer told them they can’t say what Medicare would have done in this cases, their patient does not have Medicare ....

So the insurer administering your plan has total say because you can’t say what govt Medicare would have done , you don’t have government Medicare..with an advantage plan you have a for profit insurer deciding your course of treatment...
I absolutely believe this story. From a hospital administration perspective, I can tell you with certainty, healthcare is one place where the invisible hand of everyone acting in their own best interests will magically work out. The interests of the for-profit insurance company and the insured (and even the provider) are adversarial. Unfortunately the individual patient has the least amount of leverage of anyone.
The model for Medicare Advantage plans is pretty simple. Collect 92% of what Medicare would have otherwise paid on average per insured per month. Then ration/deny benefits as much as possible, and the best trick, compose a network of only the very cheapest providers in the market and penalize the insured for going out of network. There are also some claims adjudication and slow payment tricks, and these directly affect the providers more than the patients. In a nutshell, that's about it.

There is a mechanism for a third party Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) in every market who handles appeals and tries to keep the MA plan honest, but they play the averages that only a small % of patients will exercise those rights.

The only parties that do well with the for-profit health insurers, both commercial and MA, are the hospital systems that basically have a monopoly in their market where the insurer simply cannot have a complete network without that particular hospital system. If their network is not complete, they cannot compete with the commercial insurance in the large employer market. So they have to pay the piper, and in turn raise insurance rates on the commercial side on the smaller employers (this is why you hear about insurance rates going up 20, 30, 50% at renewal), and cram down other providers to try and make up the margin on the MA side. The crammed down providers try to make it up in volume (doctors who see 50+ patients/day, inpatient providers who shorten length of stay and run a revolving door model).

Most of healthcare in the US works off monopolistic practice and market leverage, whether we're talking pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, insurers, dialysis providers, large lab providers. I know the government sucks in every respect, but the alternative, which in the US is the private for-profit healthcare system, is a complete blood sport.
flyingpylon
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 1102
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 9:04 am

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by flyingpylon » Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:40 pm

glennds wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:03 pm
Most of healthcare in the US works off monopolistic practice and market leverage, whether we're talking pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, insurers, dialysis providers, large lab providers. I know the government sucks in every respect, but the alternative, which in the US is the private for-profit healthcare system, is a complete blood sport.
Isn't it the government that contributes to it being that way?
User avatar
mathjak107
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 4456
Joined: Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:54 am
Location: bayside queens ny
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by mathjak107 » Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:15 pm

Govt medicare is pretty liberal in individual specific cases which have grey areas ....advantage plans which are for profit as a gate keeper can be a big issue if they disagree with your doctors course of action
User avatar
vnatale
Executive Member
Executive Member
Posts: 9422
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2019 8:56 pm
Location: Massachusetts
Contact:

Re: Forum Members with COVID-19

Post by vnatale » Fri Feb 26, 2021 4:10 pm

mathjak107 wrote:
Fri Feb 26, 2021 3:15 pm

Govt medicare is pretty liberal in individual specific cases which have grey areas ....advantage plans which are for profit as a gate keeper can be a big issue if they disagree with your doctors course of action


I had no idea of any idea of any of this when I chose Medigap over Advantage but, now in retrospect, it underscores that I fortunately made the right choice.
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
Post Reply