Road trips

Happy Spring! I am ready for a road trip..... are you?

   

Here's what I have planned:

I turn 65 years old this summer, and the adventure of signing up for Medicare is already looming in the road ahead.  For those of you who might not already know, you have to do it within the seven months between three months before and three months after your 65^th birthday, or you will face permanent penalties.   And that seems to be the only aspect of the process that is pretty clear.  Oh, and that it's going to cost me $104 a month, at least for 2014.  What made me think it was free?!  Well, I guess nothing is truly free these days, is it?!

Currently, I do not have health insurance at all.  This is because my employer of the past 8 years does not offer it to me, but also because it would have cost me as an individual about $600/month because of what insurance companies like to call "pre-existing conditions"...... one of which is my age and gender, another seasonal allergies, and, oh yes, minor aches in my joints!  I definitely could not afford that premium on my salary.  If I were not becoming eligible for Medicare, the Affordable Care Act would have allowed me to purchase health insurance at a really affordable rate.  In fact, with the subsidy that would have been available to me at my income level, it would have been almost exactly what I will be paying for Medicare.  

It is too bad that, here in Texas, my minimum-wage earning son cannot get that same subsidy because his income is within the poverty level that qualifies him for Medicaid, but Texas does not choose to expand Medicaid and allow its working yet impoverished citizens to have health care like the rest of us.  It is a crying shame, really.

The GOOD NEWS is that I will have insurance by July 1st this year and can catch up on my wellness visits, mammograms, blood work, glaucoma and bone density tests, and a colonoscopy, which have all fallen by the wayside in the past few years due to lack of funds and insurance on my part.  I will also be able to go to a dermatologist and have all of those questionable moles and spots checked out before they turn into something dangerous.  Hip-hip-hooray!  I am so excited that I have already made my appointments for late July and August, including the colonoscopy!

Having health insurance really is a great feeling!  You should count yourselves very lucky if you have never had to go for years without it.

If you do not have health insurance, you worry about "what ifs."  But if you are like me, you also learn to take good care of your health so that, hopefully, (keep your fingers and toes crossed) those "what ifs" don't show up knocking on your uninsured door. The worry can be very stressful, which doesn't help your overall health. For me, I learned to handle that stress using deep breathing, relaxation and meditation with aromatherapy.  I have reminded myself daily that the stress itself was not healthy and that I was the only one who could control the amount of stress I experienced.  This is what I call responsible health action.

In addition to lessening my stress, I researched what foods could help lower my blood pressure and keep my cholesterol where it should be, promote a good blood sugar level and healthy eyesight, and were full of fiber and antioxidants.  I have become a pseudo-vegetarian of sorts, substituting eggs and nuts and beans for my protein intake as meat on a regular basis got beyond my budget a while back.  I have been blessed with a "good constitution," as the old folks used to say, and very rarely, if ever, come down with those "bugs" that circulate each year to the masses.  I count my blessings daily!  

So, here I am at the point on my Road of Life where I need to sign up for Medicare, and I was a bit overwhelmed with the choices that are involved.  I decided that, since I would need to be very practical with my choices, I needed to do my research.  I recommend that you do the same when this time comes into your life, and each year after that.  I bought myself a great book that explains, step by step, how to walk the Medicare minefield... the Medicare Book for Dummies by Patricia Berry.  I am so very glad that I did.  She explains every step and she is on your side through it all.  I plan to get the book for dummies on social security next, but I have another year or two before I need that one.

Now, do you know the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage?  How about MediGap, HMO, PPO, and PFFS?  Yeah, that is exactly what I am saying here....it's a minefield and you really need to know where to step!  

There are Parts A, B, C & D.  Parts A & B go together, but C can be in place of A & B, and D can be an addition to A & B.  Additionally, you can choose A & B & D if you want to do so....and some Part B plans have Part D in them, but some don't.  That may be true for Part C, also.... not sure.... need to reread that Part. If you want, you can just stick with A & B and not worry about the other two Parts.

Now, Part C is the really complicated Part. Within this Part there are numerous Sub-Parts you choose from if you want Part C.  I don't think I want Part C.  At least not now.  Maybe when I have had more experience with the other Parts.

Once you "understand" the different Parts and are ready to make a decision, there are up to 25 different companies available in your area vying for your business on some Parts, and up to 10 on the other Parts. Just check your mailbox...they know where to find you.  They start wishing you Happy 65th Birthday long before you are ready to celebrate, believe me!  And then they start calling you.  Beware of scams because there is an abundance of those, too, in your mailbox and your inbox as well as on your phone.

Looks like this will be the only road trip for me until I get officially signed up for Medicare this month..... but I will take some time to have fun planting my vegetable garden, shearing my llamas, and continuing my spinning projects.

If you have already walked this Medicare minefield and have any tips for me and my journey this month, please feel free to share in the comment section below.   I can use all the help I can get!

Next time I promise pretty photos!

There's never a dull moment here at HeartSong Farm!