Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

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floridacatlover
Posts: 8057
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

alliesmama4 wrote: Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:51 am Where do I begin. I am trying to stay positive and focus on what I have but things are sliding down hill. I have lost Medicaid as a co-payer on my medical bills after medicare. Found out that we will be getting a cost of living raise in January for Social Security 2.8%.. woo hoo. Then found out medicare is increasing Medicare B payments to $135.50.. I have done the math and I will be loosing money even with the increase in SS due to having to pay for my Medicare B. I will be short $85.00 per month compared to my current income plus pay for medical needs beyond what Medicare pays. Also with the increase I will most likely lose the medicare extra help for Medicare D plus getting very close to being cut off from Department on Aging assistance for my in home care aide. Need to call my nurse to see about that. I could sit in a corner and whimper but that does not help except to make me more unhappy. So get up and dust myself off and get in to a more frugal mode if that is possible. At least with the money saved from my home insurance premium ($6.74) a month I can divert that to buying something or putting it towards my Medicare D payments. I really need to revamp my budget and try to work the cuts and the increases in to some kind of manageable budget.
Janet Alliesmama
Janet, I know that you have looked at Medicare Supplement plans which said they would not cover you because of ALS. But have you talked with any Medicare Advantage Plans? Are you familiar with them? They replace Medicare and the Supplement and often the drug coverage.

I looked on Medicare.gov for the area where I think you live. Not sure and I know you are rural but I think you should check them out. I believe that they are a lot more lenient about pre-existing conditions. There are also Special Needs plans which I know do cover someone who has serious illnesses.

My mom was on a Medicare Advantage plan through AARP. She was mostly healthy so the pre-existing conditions issue was not a favor. But her plan had $0 premium and low co-pays ($5 for primary and $45 for specialist as I recall) plus it included drug coverage. Just an idea.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 9:58 am
alliesmama4 wrote: Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:51 am Where do I begin. I am trying to stay positive and focus on what I have but things are sliding down hill. I have lost Medicaid as a co-payer on my medical bills after medicare. Found out that we will be getting a cost of living raise in January for Social Security 2.8%.. woo hoo. Then found out medicare is increasing Medicare B payments to $135.50.. I have done the math and I will be loosing money even with the increase in SS due to having to pay for my Medicare B. I will be short $85.00 per month compared to my current income plus pay for medical needs beyond what Medicare pays. Also with the increase I will most likely lose the medicare extra help for Medicare D plus getting very close to being cut off from Department on Aging assistance for my in home care aide. Need to call my nurse to see about that. I could sit in a corner and whimper but that does not help except to make me more unhappy. So get up and dust myself off and get in to a more frugal mode if that is possible. At least with the money saved from my home insurance premium ($6.74) a month I can divert that to buying something or putting it towards my Medicare D payments. I really need to revamp my budget and try to work the cuts and the increases in to some kind of manageable budget.
Janet Alliesmama
Janet, I know that you have looked at Medicare Supplement plans which said they would not cover you because of ALS. But have you talked with any Medicare Advantage Plans? Are you familiar with them? They replace Medicare and the Supplement and often the drug coverage.

I looked on Medicare.gov for the area where I think you live. Not sure and I know you are rural but I think you should check them out. I believe that they are a lot more lenient about pre-existing conditions. There are also Special Needs plans which I know do cover someone who has serious illnesses.

My mom was on a Medicare Advantage plan through AARP. She was mostly healthy so the pre-existing conditions issue was not a favor. But her plan had $0 premium and low co-pays ($5 for primary and $45 for specialist as I recall) plus it included drug coverage. Just an idea.
Checked with AARP. do not qualify due to needing both my left shoulder and right ankle replaced. The special needs plans are for people who are newly diagnosised with ALS and under 65. I have checked just about all of the plans and I fall between the cracks.. I do believe I will have to suck it up and pay for medicare B and D out of pocket. Even if I did qualify for AARP supplement it is out of my reach financially due to my age. My aide has United Heath care which is AARP and she says she has to pay $40.00 or $45.00 each time she goes to her DR. With medicare I may have to pay between $8.00 or $16.00 after medicare pays and maybe my Nurse Practitioners office will write that off. Medicare stated that some DRs accept assignment I will just have to wait and see. Medicare has sent me statements after what they paid and they stated they would send the balance to Medicaid however they break it down in to how much I can be charged if Medicaid does not pay or if I am billed. It has not been more than 16.00 for my medical nurse practitioner and 24.00 for my pulmonary DR.. It is just a shock and I need to try to figure out where to go from here.. I will call my rehab nurse on Monday and talk to her to see if she has any ideas as well as to inform me if I am at the cut off level income for in home care.. I have a number in my head from when I first went on the program but that was years ago and it may have changed by now. I do appreciate the time you spent looking in to things and in writing to me to help. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
floridacatlover
Posts: 8057
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

OK. I knew that you had checked with Medicare Supplements but didn’t realize you had already checked with Medicare Advantage plans, too.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Sun Oct 14, 2018 3:01 pm OK. I knew that you had checked with Medicare Supplements but didn’t realize you had already checked with Medicare Advantage plans, too.
Thats ok.. I am thankful that you were kind enough to even check in to something to help me. I am one to act quickly on things rather than sit around and stew about it or speculate. I try to face things head on right away. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

Thought of you yesterday as I was peeling the meat off the chicken bones of a roast chicken. You do such a great job of making a chicken last.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Dgflorida wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:05 am Thought of you yesterday as I was peeling the meat off the chicken bones of a roast chicken. You do such a great job of making a chicken last.
Thank you for thinking of me.. My aide said the way I utilize a chicken has given her inspiration to try to do more at home with her meals. My oldest niece is coming to visit next month and I am trying to come up with ideas on how to feed her well but frugally. One thing will be a rotisserie chicken and with the survey money I have saved it will either be free or as close to free as I can get...lol. I will use part of it to make Thai yellow curry.. Not sure yet what else but that is one dish I know she will love. She flies to Asia on a regular schedule and loves Asian foods. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
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