About a Wonderful Federal Program I just applied for ..over the phone...

[Stuart G]

I just applied for Medicare parts A and B over the phone.
I will receive a letter confirming the application within 5 to 7 days.
A card will be sent in 3 to 4 weeks.
The people who handled my call were kind, and although the call was cut off due to my
weak battery, I called back and the info was easily retrieved.
I felt I was treated as
kind if not kinder than any of the calls that one makes to phone trees, with a live person at the end of the phone tree.
The real people I talked to were efficient and courteous and and the information taken was easy to understand.
Anyone could have done this. And I could tell that someone took some real effort to make the process easy
and relatively quick and simple.

Yes, the initial screening process was boring done by a computer phone system, (which set you into the correct line to get live help) but you did get to a real person after a relatively short wait, about 10 minutes. then, the process moved smoothly.

I am proud that a federal program works efficiently and smoothly to help out people who cannot or will not be able to get to a Social Security Office. While undermanned, Social Security and Medicare are wonderful programs.
To those who think that the federal government does not belong in these areas...I can only say..
"Go to Hell"..
The great majority of us in the United States appreciate and need these programs and are thankful for them
Thank you for reading this..

[benddem]

1. it is a wonderful program

and it has lower administrative costs than any health insurance company.

[Stuart G]

3. And I recall when the Democrats were trying to pass it in Congress.

It was said (by Republicans) in the mid sixties that it would cost too much, would be totally inefficient, and worst of all
doctors would go broke helping seniors. In reality, it costs less, is far more efficient than the private sector, and
the doctors have done fine..., they have not gone broke. (as far as I can tell

[Recursion]

8. Depends

and the doctors have done fine..., they have not gone broke. (as far as I can tell

See this thread for another view.

[villager]

2. and thanks for posting. The great tragedy of our government is that each missile,

each bomb (we won't even get in to the bombers, ships and other graft) we buy steals from programs like this. Expanding them, or even putting the word to people that they exist.

Programs that actually help people.

[RKP5637]

4. It all works incredibly well. It's a damn shame we have those in this

country that want to destroy the last vestiges of what does work well.

[whoopingcrone]

32. May be better not to say that out loud

While your Medicare bills are paid for by the govt, your claims are ADMINISTERED by private contractors.
and they always have been.
"Since the beginning of the Medicare program, CMS has contracted with private companies to operate as intermediaries
between the government and medical providers.
These contractors are commonly already in the insurance or health care area.
Contracted processes include claims and payment processing, call center services,
clinician enrollment, and fraud investigation." Wikipedia

[AC_Mem]

5. Question for Stuart

I'm sorry to be uninformed about this but was wondering if you could give me a little more informaiton.

What qualifies you for Medicare parts A&B?

My mom is elderly and ill and receives some benefits but I would like to know if she might be eligible for more than what she gets, as she has to go out of pocket every month for her medical needs and has an extremely limited income.

Thanks so much!
Annette

[Tracer]

6. Go to www.Medicare.gov and you'll find answers to your questions.

NT

[grasswire]

9. more specifics

someone here may be able to help inform you.

How old is she?
Does she already have Medicare?

If she has Medicare, does she have supplemental insurance to pay what Medicare doesn't? Supplemental insurance is privately operated by insurance carriers such as Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Kaiser, etc. Various plans are available, at varied cost.

Until the end of this week there is an open enrollment period for Medicare supplementals.

Avoid plans called "advantage" plans. They are heavily marketed by insurance companies but provide little real dollars.

If she is impoverished, she could qualify for Medicaid from her state to pay her Medicare premium and cover additional costs. There is real help available for very low income folks.

[AC_Mem]

25. My Mom

Sorry for the delay, I have been digging around in the websites today and getting info from my mom. She is 70 years old and is on Medicare A&B with state rx Humana. I'm looking at the open enrollment and also the extra assistance for her medications. It looks like right off the bat she can save 40 a month that she has been paying for her oxygen effective 1/1/11 and i'm applying through some of the drug companies to see if she qualifies for help.

I appreciate the help from this site, I believe I will be able to help my mom, who has severe emphysema and copd (it is probably close to end stage as much as I hate to say that) and is on oxygen 24/7.

Annette

[PatSeg]

43. Your mom at 70 shouldn't be paying

for hardly any of her medical expenses. Part of the problem may be her provider(s). They should be billing Medicare first and then charging your mom for any expenses Medicare doesn't cover and the deductible. At the Medicare website, you can access your mom's information and recent claims. It is a great site - very efficient and informative.

She should qualify for one of the better prescription drug programs too.

[AC_Mem]

48. Thanks, I'm on the site now

It's very involved, but I'm working through finding her better options. Gosh, I wish I knew she didn't have this under control even a week ago! I only have until tomorrow to try to figure all this out....

wish me luck!

Annette

[PatSeg]

52. Good luck!

I was there last night about the same time as you, finishing up my renewed application for additional help with prescription drugs. Medicare has been very good to me. I am new to its benefits and until Medicare kicked in last February, I couldn't afford the medications I needed to function. It was a whole different world than what I'd been used to.

Annette is my daughter's name - she's a good daughter too!

[tavalon]

30. I wish we could have

See my other post. Lately, around here, it's been hard to find doctors who take Medicare, probably because they take a loss when they do.

[trud]

34. Yes, stay away from Medicare Advantage.

You can get the same benefits with regular Medicare plus a Medigap plan. Medicare Advance has fat built in excess profits for BigInsurance.

[AC_Mem]

50. Just checked - they have her signed up with

Medicare Advantage. I can't even access her recent claims. Thanks for the heads up on this!
Annette

[Hello_Kitty]

14. If she's low income she may be eligible for Medicaid.

I've run into so many seniors scraping by on $1000 a month or so in SS and trying to pay their Medicare premiums and for doctors visits and medication out of that.

[Divernan]

21. Medicare is age related; Medicaid has means testing

I never learned the difference between Medicare and Medicaid until I became responsible for my elderly mother's health care. I suggest you educate yourself about the basics of each program (on the web) and then contact the federal and state agencies involved.

I also STRONGLY suggest you contact your mother's local Hospice program. Hospice does not limit its programs to people who are literally at death's door. When my Mom was in her 90's, her age & general frailty alone were enough to get her hospice care - in her case hospice nurses and other support people came to her nursing home. Once she was in the Hospice program, Hospice paid for some of her medications as well. An excellent nurse checked her several times each week, and gave her a more thorough physical than any doctor I ever took her to. And the nurse kept the nursing home personnel on their toes, because they knew she would immediately report to the state agency any lack of care for my Mom. Even if your mother does not currently qualify for Hospice, you are well off to understand all the services they provide, because at some point they can help you and your Mom. I could have gotten my Mom on their program several years earlier, had I known about them.

Hope you have a full medical power of attorney. If not, you can do a google search & find download one from the web, specific to the state in which your Mother resides. Without one, you will have great difficulty in getting information from medical care providers, and have no authority to make decisions in her behalf. It is also good to have a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate Order) if your mother does not want extreme measures taken. Another thing you can research and find on the web.

I wish you well in handling your responsibilities. My Mom died at age 94, and I was the only family member directly involved in her care, so I know what a huge responsibility it is.


Here's the link for determining medicare eligibility:

http://www.medicare.gov/MedicareEligibility

As to Medicaid, it varies from state to state, so go to your state government website see the criteria for participation.
Here's some general info about Medicaid:
Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states.<1> Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are certain eligible U.S. citizens and resident aliens, including low-income adults and their children, and people with certain disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify an individual for Medicaid. Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health-related services for people with limited income in the United States. Because of the aging World War II/Korean War generation, the fastest growing aspect of Medicaid is nursing home coverage. As the Baby Boomer generation begins to reach nursing home age in 2020 to 2040, the nursing home aspect of Medicaid will boom, causing concerns for federal and state budgets.

[tavalon]

31. Wow, thanks for taking the time to offer up your knowledge

This doesn't apply to me or mine, but just to see you taking the time out to help another was worth the read. You are clearly a good person, your mother was lucky to have you and we are also benefiting from your caring.

Thank you, again. That was just so kind. You make me think that people, at least some people, might just be great. We've certainly seen in spades in the last decade how many people can be just heinous. You must be anti-heinous. Matter - Antimatter? :shrug:

[Divernan]

36. Thanks for YOUR kind words

When my Mom died, various "close" relatives who never had time to visit her, even when she fell and broke her hip and had to have emergency surgery while I was out of the country (God forbid anything interfere with my brother's Sunday golf game), wanted to put together an elaborate family get-together in her memory. My (unspoken) thought was, "Do whatever you want to ease your guilt. I showed my love for her when it counted - when she was lonely and frightened and needed her family."

It was easy for me to be there for my Mom, because she was always there for me.

Paul McCartney said it well:
"In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."

[AC_Mem]

49. Thank you - mom

is in Cleveland, I'm in Memphis so I'm trying to do this long distance. I'm on hold with Medicare now, hopefully they will give me some guidance. She has a crappy plan now - whomever gave her guidance really did a poor job. She sometimes pays almost 700 a month for her meds! She has emphysema and COPD and is on oxygen in home 24/7. She gets Social Security (less thank 2k a month)and gets a little more than is allowed for the extra benefits (and yet is so little to live on once she pays for her copays and medicines!)

I'm doing what I can - it seems like the agents are on time limits or something, last time I called the woman spoke so fast I couldn't keep up, and she kind of cut me off and said to call back if I couldn't figure it out.

So I'm calling back and I'm not getting off the phone until they help me this time!

Thanks for all the suggestions, this may be a long night as I work through this mess!

Annette

[madrchsod]

7. ain`t those people great!

thee best customer service people in the world. the most amazing thing is they actually care about what they are doing.

i`m on social security and one more year i`ll have medicare. my wifes insurance company still has`t paid the doctor for a procedure i had three months ago.

[jwirr]

10. Totally agree and I have been using that program for years now.

Whenever, the rw says government does not work they are talking about getting rid of government not fixing programs. My church once ended up getting a real bitch of a minister who learned his trade from Texas protesters and came to our northern community ready to show us how to live. He started in on social services and how bad they were. We all listened politely and then informed him that most of the workers he was saying this stuff about all belonged to our church. He did not have the sense to shut up so those of us in our church who use the programs politely informed him of the good they were doing for our families. Still he did not listen. So we very intelligently and not so politely fired his ass.

[snappyturtle]

11. +1 nt

[snappyturtle]

12. I feel the same way about Social Security. The first time I had to

call them was after my father's death. They were so kind and took care of everything. I had dreaded calling them!

[Hello_Kitty]

13. Be sure to check into supplemental and long term care plans.

Straight Medicare leaves a lot of costs uncovered and doesn't pay for most nursing care (skilled nursing for a limited amount of time for recovery purposes. A decent supplemental will run you a couple hundred a month but is worth it for the out-of-pockets it covers. And you need to have a long-term care plan, whether or not you decide to purchase separate insurance for it.

[DavidDvorkin]

15. The Social Security Administration people are all wonderful

I've had nothing but good experiences with them, and I've similar good stories from other people.

[Stuart G]

17. I would guess that this is part of their training..

You know, all you got to say to someone in training at social security is this.
"You may be waiting on someone who is like your mom or dad, or some very special uncle who treated you great."

I am sure that this is made so clear, because so many people have had good experiences with social security people.
Hay...is that possible?...Yea, it is possible..cause most of the people who work for the government are ok..

[TBF]

16. Recommended - nt

[boomerbust]

18. Believe it or not

I once called the IRS to get a back tax situation sraightened out. The lady that took care of me was so kind and understanding, I was shocked.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. As a self-employed person, I have had to consult the IRS several times

This is just my experience, and it may not be true across the board, but the women employees take the approach of, "What is your problem and how can we solve it?" while the men employees act as if they need to find something for which they can scold me.

[Chipster]

27. Male/Female IRS Employees

I agree. The women IRS employees generally are helpful; some of the men are quite antagonist. Always jot down their name and employee number, as well as notes on the conversation. Information on how you can file complaints about IRS service is here.

The tax code is ridiculously complex, filled with legislative loophole language written by lobbyists, then bought and paid for by campaign contributions to legislators.

Right wingers will carp that the US corporate tax rate is 35%, "the second highest in the world." What they don't talk about is the fact that there's a huge difference between what the statutes say and what corporations actually pay.

Those tax loopholes mean some corporations not only don't pay taxes, but actually receive very substantial tax rebates which could be called "corporate welfare."

[Yupster]

26. I have to deal with them every few days

and I can't think of a worse group than IRS phone people.

They start right off with This is Mrs. Johnson, employee number 3034732 and I'm already turned off.

I call with complicated questions. I call them third floor questions. Two out of three times I'm already getting information I know is wrong before I even get to the third floor. Is there a point to asking the third floor question when the person has already proven he/she doesn't even know the right answer to the secondf floor question. Add in the long phone trees without the option you need, the long waits, the five transfers to find a person who knows the answer, the wrong answer half the time and what's not to like.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. That's why I always go in person

with papers in hand.

[trud]

39. hang in there with the IRS

politely until you get upped to a knowledgeable level. There the people are great.

I am sure the employee number stuff is required by some law or regulation, not the front line people's fault.

Also I have nothing but good stuff to say about the upper level IRS people, male or female. Ditto my state tax people.

[Yupster]

46. That's fine

but they waste my time getting to that upper level.

If it happened once a year I would be okay, but I have to talk to them a lot for a lot of different reasons because of my job.

Since I make commissions only, I don't appreciate the 75 minute phone calls trying to get an answer, and then having the funny feeling that the answer is wrong .... again.

[trud]

38. nice things about the IRS

A relative's executor has an alcoholic. No taxes filed for several years. Finally we managed to get him to resign; it is very very difficult and very expensive to remove an executor, almost impossible for people of normal means unless the executor resigns voluntarily. I wrote the IRS explaining the situation and they and the state waved all the penalties, which were very large at that point. We were still on the hook for interest, but it was a huge burden lifted.

[Lifelong Protester]

19. Thank you, and I look forward to having a similar experience

SOME day in the future...

[JDPriestly]

20. I have been very well treated by the Social Security Administration and

Medicare staffs. They are wonderful, and I really appreciate the help they gave me.

We live longer, but the world is much more complex than it was 20 years ago. Think of all the technological change that we who are older have had to deal with in our lives. I remember standing in a field on an Iowa farm with my grandfather. I was very, very young. A plane flew overhead, and we both looked up as the silence of the countryside was interrupted by its noise. Over the years, planes became a commonplace sight in the sky. We barely look up anymore.

It's just so great for those of us who are older to be able to talk to a real person at the other end of the telephone -- at least every once in a while.

[Cleita]

23. Yes, they are helpful and efficient.

Now go apply for Medicare Part D, which you have to get from a private insurer. I tried three times today to enroll and three times I was cut off and had to start from scratch. I never did get enrolled and will have to try again tomorrow. The last day I can enroll is Dec. 31. I hope one of these days Medicare Part D is run by the government and not private insurers.

[orbitalman]

24. I applied today too !!!!!!!!!

I did it entirely online. I did not have to talk to anyone at all. In the end I printed out my confirmation AND emailed one to myself as well. Now that's what I call smoooooth.:applause:

[tavalon]

29. Except for the part where my husband's doctor doesn't take Medicare,

yeah, it's not bad. We just signed him up on a Medicare Advantage (we take advantage of you so you don't have to!) so he could see his regular doctor and clinic without paying $200 a visit.

[Vinca]

35. They should have passed a law that required any health care provider

who takes patients with insurance to take Medicare patients. Doctors carp about Medicare, but you never hear a peep about the screwing they're taking from big insurance.

[trud]

40. doctors

Some doctors just can't make it on what Medicare pays. It depends on their staffing levels, etc. Private insurers pay more.

That said, only once or twice since I went on Medicare have I had a doctor's office tell me they don't take Medicare patients. I have two super duper specialists who see Medicare people.

[SharonAnn]

47. Medicare pays faster and they know what's paid for.

Private insurance companies may pre-approve but then later decline to pay. And, they pay very late.

Lots more work to administer a medical practice filing for private insurance and the doctor has to write off a lot of unpaid "pre-approved" procedure costs.

[trud]

33. I love Medicare. This is what I have, just for reference

Annual costs: (Some of these vary by geographic area and whether you advance pay, etc.)

Medicare Part A (some hospital stuff) - "free" due to paycheck deductions over the years.

Medicare Part B (some doctor stuff) - $96.40 deducted monthly from Soc. Security $96.40 x12 = $1156.80. Stays the same in 2011.

Medicare Plan D (prescription coverage, AARP MedicareRx) $40.80 deducted monthly from Soc. Security $40.80 x 12 = $489.60 Drops to $32.90 in 2011, how nice is that.

AARP Medigap $1690.00 total for 2011. The plan I have covers all my deductibles, copays, and most of the stuff Medicare itself does not cover. I haven't had to pay a medical bill except for prescription copays in 2-3 years, including a hospital stay.

So I fork out about $277 a month for everything. A joy is how decent the AARP people are. They actually want to help you. I never got my former employer HP to cover a med I need, but AARP not only approved it in about a day, but the approval, which I assumed would have to be done every year, extends years in the future. I am just stunned after fighting with HP (damn Carly Fiorina) for years.

Healthcare as it should be. The only better way would be if this was affordable for everyone. I know I am damn lucky to be able to afford this.

[lostnfound]

37. The Social Security Administration people were TOP-NOTCH

I accompanied an older person who is extremely and we both walked out absolutely floored at how exemplary, how incredibly competent the man was who handled the claim, and in fact, the whole system beginning with arrival.

[TomClash]

41. But the" Caring Capitalist" says . . .

. . . I can't collect premium, deny coverage and make hefty profits. What good is an efficient federal program without that?

[Javaman]

42. "damn those Government Agencies that work!" shouts the

half wit tea bagging moron.

I'm glad it was a great experience for you and worked out well. :)

Cheers!

[PatSeg]

44. Medicare really is incredible

I never had health insurance that was so efficient and easy to deal with. I cease to be amazed at how well run it is.

[Marnie]

45. I agree that my erollment into A&B, basic Medicare, was easy.

Finding a physician that will accept medicare or will accept new medicare patients, so that I can get the required initial physical has been a nightmare. The list in the .gov site was useless, most GP type physicains were not longer at the number listed. One was a radiologist not a GP, etc. It's been six months and I am still working my way down a longer list of 500 physicians in my area. Most are not at the number listed, or not taking medicare any more or not taking new patients.

Good luck to all WWII baby boomers a long journey lies ahead of use and it don't look like there is light at the end of this tunnel.

[Brooklyns_Finest]

51. SSA

Did you know that you could have applied for Medicare A & B online? Yup, it is a quick an easy process via our website. No phone calls, no appointment times, no need to submit proof of age/citizenship. SSA is going fully automated. If you have friends who are going to apply for benefits soon (medicare or retirement) encourage them to apply online. Online applications sure helps out with reducing our walk-in traffic and saves you a needless trip to the office.

[timtom]

53. Absolutely!

With an advantage plus program, my costs are very sustainable. I believe it's what Kucinich means by single-payer universal health care.

DAMN the obstructionists. All of them!