Hospice

[judy]

Does she have a social worker working on her case? Maybe the hospice staff can explain it to you in depth.

It is hard to take in all of this information! Don't feel dumb. These are things very few people know until they need to know. I'll be on Medicare next year, and have no idea what it involves.

[Janet]

I tell ya....it's so confusing and there is soooo much information to take in. Just when I think I have appts. and meds under control...there is always something else. My poor brain is going to give out I think...LOLOL

[lynne b]

I know exactly how you feel Janet, we usually get one thing figured out with my mom and seems like there is some kind of a reaction with something else, mostly her sugar. so aggravating sometimes

[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.

[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.

[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.