Hospice

[lynne b]

Originally Posted by gja1000

Janet, it's confusing to me too sometimes, and I pretty much know what I am doing. There IS so much to take in - it's mind boggeling.

Judy - FOR SURE keep your retirement insurance as your secondary insurance. Medicare only pays 80% for most things, so you really need that secondary insurance to pay that other 20%. If you have a $100,000.00 hospitalization which is not uncommon, then you are left to pay $20,000.00. Not pretty.

Gayle, I am not into politics at all, in fact i have never voted, i am ashamed to say, but isn't the president trying to cut some of the funding for madicare users? I thought i read it somewhere. or was it the medicade users, i know they want to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. Not trying to start a political post here, just asking.

[gja1000]

Almost every president (if not all) have cut Medicare so you are right. The part that the patient pays won't change, but the reimbursment to the doctors will change. The hard part is that some doctors will drop patients with Medicare because they don't want to accept less fees. And it is the republicans who want to completely reform Medicare and make it a private entity. I don't know who is right and who is wrong, but i do know that we need to control ALL health care costs, because they are out of sight!

[judy]

Thank you Gayle! So, my GHI will pay the balance Medicare doesn't cover?

Lynne, the Republicans want to cut Medicare. That doesn't mean they will cut it.
A lot of hooey is said when elections are coming up! If you do decide to vote, you should make sure you know what your candidate is planning to do. Then, it's a crap shoot whether or not they really will do what they said.

I think it is best to try to figure out their agenda, and go with that.

[paula1961]

How are things going with your Mom Janet? I don't know much about hospice but I do know that my Dad was in the hospital for two straight months and medicare never refused to pay. I hope she's doing better. Hugs to you my friend.

[DianaB]

I imagine that it's all confusing......Hugs to you!!!! I'm here if you need me!!!

[JJJ]

Oh my goodness, I was hoping to hear your mom was doing much better. But I agree with all the ladies I think hospice is the way to go.

Sending you lots of XOXO

[Janet]

Thank you all. The reps from Hospice will be here tomorrow morning around 9 or 9:30. I'm really scared and anxious at the same time. I hope Mom is more accepting than she was with the visiting nurse and physical therapist. We'll see.

Mom is not eating well...says her teeth are not as sharp...duh...they are the only pair she's had since she was in her 50's. She also is real bad at pocketing her food in her right cheek, the side that is affected by the stroke. Also, she is now having trouble with lifting her right leg. She continues to go downhill in one way or another. It's starting to get to me more because she cries a lot. She gave me some money tonight and said if she was some place else, she would have to pay and then started to cry a little bit. I know it's not going to be easy for awhile.

[gja1000]

Originally Posted by judy

Thank you Gayle! So, my GHI will pay the balance Medicare doesn't cover?

Yes! before Gary got on Medicare (you have to be disabled 2 years before you get on Medicare), we paid several thousand dollars out of pocket, even with good insurance. Now that he is on Medicare, we don't pay a penny out of pocket as Blue Cross and Blue Shield picks up everything that Medicare doesn't pay for.

[Janet]

The meeting with the hospice rep did not go well as hoped for. The rep was a very nice young man, but...he couldn't have been more than 26 years old if that. It doesn't look like Mom is qualified for hospice. She can't be on dialysis with hospice and she's not ready to roll over and die yet which is what would happen if she went off dialysis. Looks like for now, things are not going to change.

I'm so disappointed...I wanted and need the help for Mom and for myself.

[gja1000]

So sorry! I can't imagine she can't be on dialysis - yes I understand it is a lifesaving measure, but still it is also for comfort since she would be miserable without it. I thought Hospice was all about comfort. I guess though, they have rules that must be followed.

[Janet]

Yes...there are always rules and I try to remember that so it benefits as many as possible. He also said she had to have less than 6 months to live....how can one tell??? Last tome she was in the hospital they told us she probably wouldn't make it and here she is. Such a strong constitution!

[judy]

I'm so sorry, Janet. I know this would have been such a big help to you, and great for Mom. Hang in there, who knows why things happen as they do.

I think that was very inappropriate of this 26 year old to tell you how long Mom will live, by the way! My mother was like yours. She outlived all expectations.

God will take her home at the right time.

[Lindsey]

I agree that was VERY rude! I think that how long someone has left to live is up to that person and how much fight they have left in them. Janet, I've never met your mom, but your stories show she has much more fight than most people

By the way, my uncle and godfather was told 19 years ago that he had maybe a year to live. He's still living. In my opinion, they are rarely right.

[Janet]

I think I worded that wrong. The man said that for Hospice to accept her she had to have less than 6 months to live. I was just a little upset that they sent a 26 - 28 year old man to talk about end of life with an 88 year old woman. Just didn't make sense to me.

[Lindsey]

Originally Posted by Janet

I think I worded that wrong. The man said that for Hospice to accept her she had to have less than 6 months to live. I was just a little upset that they sent a 26 - 28 year old man to talk about end of life with an 88 year old woman. Just didn't make sense to me.

Ohhh, sorry I misunderstood!