General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The cost of single payer .... the math at my house. [View all]StarzGuy
(254 posts)...so I just have to wait for the sales on eye glasses (which I need to wear all the time) and pay for the eye exam out of my pocket. I tried one or another eye care policies but what I learned is that the cost of the premiums and co-pays far exceeds the cost of just out of pocket for the same service. It's like paying extra for no extra service so I dropped the policy.
I suppose the same can be true for dental. I set up an appointment and they wanted $100 just to check my mouth, which I could not afford so I didn't keep the appointment.
Single payer would go a long way for me so long as it included both dental and eye care. As they say, Medicare does not cover everything and even though I paid for it while working 40 years (then becoming disabled) and I still have to pay Medicare premiums every month out of my SSDI benefit.
Every month I have to collect free food boxes from St Mary's Food Bank to help make it to the end of the month. I often put off refilling my numerous prescriptions because even with a small pension along with my retirement benefit I can't make it through the month before going broke.
I'm already living like a hermit. I don't have any extra money to do much of anything. I suppose I could disconnect my DTV, my internet connection and my smarty (haha) phone, then I would be stuck at home even more (if that is even possible) tied to my basic land line phone being afraid to go anywhere.
I suspect that others would say to me, just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and cancel all those "luxuries" and live a bland life.
I also suspect that there are a multitude others who find themselves in the same position as I and that's not right. We shouldn't be forced to live like this. It's no wonder there are so many suicides in the US these days. And, yes I also attempted suicide 5 years ago but didn't take enough sleeping pills to do the job. I got help from my doctors and psychiatrist who were instrumental in enabling me to qualify for SSDI. Without it, I would simply not be here today.
I am a Sanders supporter.