Underpaid 83-Year-Old Professor Died Trying to Make Ends Meet by Working Night Shift at Eat an' Save

[Divernan]

137. You are SO wrong about social security! I'll repeat what I've posted elsewhere in this thread.

Last year, the average soc. sec. check was $1200. That's AVERAGE. There's no reason to believe this elderly woman, with a degree in French, whose prime working years were in the days when women were traditionally and severely underpaid, made the kind of money made by those receiving the average social security Factor in the retired professionals 20 years younger than this woman who are collecting $2500 or more,( plus their stay-at-home, never worked spouses are entitled to another 50%, so the household is getting $3,750 a month). I have worked with elderly widows of firemen and policemen - women the age of Margaret Mary, and they were struggling on $400 to $500 a month. As to Medicare, are you not aware that you have to enroll in medicare and Part B alone requires premiums of $104 per month, plus deductibles and co-pays and does not cover eyeglasses, dental care or hearing aids?

"Non-profits" such as Duquesne and other Catholic grade schools, high schools and colleges, did not participate in social security until 1975. She entered the work force just at the end of WW II, when hundreds of thousands of vets returned home and women were tossed out of the high-paying factory jobs and relegated to typewriters. Good bye Rosie the Riveter, hello the world of Mad Men and Lilly Ledbetter.


(FROM MY EARLIER POST ON THIS THREAD)
The average social security right now is a little over $1200 a month, minus about $104 a month for Medicare Part B. THAT'S the AVERAGE. For every retired professional engineer/business exec taking home $2500 a month in Soc. Sec., there are others, especially older recipients receiving just a few hundred a month. I had occasion to work with widows of police and firemen (some of whom had died in the line of duty) who were in their 70's & 80's, and they were trying to survive on under $500 a month. They only got by through the charity of family members.

Medicare only pays 80 percent of medical bills (and NOT hearing aids, eyeglasses, dental work). This women had recently suffered a RECURRENCE of cancer. I think we all know that fees for cancer treatments easily run into a hundred thousand dollars or more.


Medicare Part A

Part A is your hospital coverage.

Premium costs. If you or your spouse worked for at least 10 years and paid Medicare taxes, you won't pay any monthly fee, called a premium, for Part A. Most people don’t pay a premium.

If you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for less than 10 years total, you will have to pay a monthly fee for Part A coverage. In 2013, the cost was as much as $441 a month.

Deductible costs. If you stay overnight in the hospital or use other Part A services, you'll pay a deductible. The deductible is the amount you must pay before Medicare pays anything for your care.

For 2013, the deductible for a hospital stay is $1,184.

Copay costs. You also pay copays for Part A. It's a set amount you pay for specific types of care. If you're in the hospital for more than 60 days, your copay is $296 a day for days 61 to 90. After that, your copay is $592 a day.

Medicare Part B

Part B is for your doctor visits, tests, and other services.

Premium costs: Each month you pay a premium of $104.90. If your income is higher than $85,000, you have to pay a higher premium. How much you make determines how much you pay, ranging from $146.90 to $335.70.

Deductible costs: You also pay a $147 deductible each year. After you pay it, you pay coinsurance, which is 20% of your medical costs.

Penalties: If you don't sign up for Part B when you first become eligible, you may have to pay a penalty if you did not have health insurance through an employer or union.

Medicare Part D

Part D is your prescription drug coverage.

Premium costs. The monthly fee you pay varies by the plan you choose. The average premium for the last 3 years has been $30, and in 2014, it's predicted the average will be $31. If you have a higher income, you may pay more each month. In 2013, households with income of more than $170,000 or individuals with income greater than $85,000 will pay between $11.60 and $66.60 more per month.

Deductible costs: Each year you pay a deductible before Medicare starts sharing the cost for your medicines. Although the deductible may vary from plan to plan, no plan may charge more than $325 in 2013. In 2014, the maximum will be $310.