I turned 50 years old today. I can’t figure out where the time went ! I certainly don’t feel ‘old’, and think that 50 is the new 30, even with the physical limitations I’ve had for years. I’ve never been one to get all depressed or stressed by ‘big’ birthdays- 21, 30, 40…. but I’m not so sure I like this one. I started falling apart physically quite a while ago. It makes me a bit nervous that things could slide downhill more quickly now. :( Mortality gets much more real.
I’ve heard (and said) that a lot of how old someone ‘really’ is depends a lot on how old they feel mentally, and how old they ‘think’. My head still feels like I’m in my late 20s. My body has felt older than dirt since the mid-90s, before I turned 40. But I don’t ‘think’ old. I’ve had to deal with chronic health issues and Medicare since my early 40s. The list of medical issues still hasn’t changed how old I ‘think’. I have started thinking more about how I’ll manage if my body falls ‘more’ apart. But my mental outlook is still pretty youngish.
My dad and I went out for lunch the other day (I rarely go out to eat because of the thermostats at most restaurants being set too high for me to be able to stay conscious, even with the ice vest). I was really excited, as we went to a favorite Swedish restaurant that I’ve been quite fond of since I was a kid. I mentioned to the waitress that it was the first stop in my 50th birthday celebration, and she was surprised that I was going to be 50… said I looked MUCH younger (quite nice of her). I don’t have any wrinkles, and my hair is kept short on purpose to avoid being overheated, so the gray at my temples isn’t all that noticeable (though it is definitely there !). That felt good- at least I don’t look ‘older’.
I’ve already gone through several life-threatening events/diseases (6-hour rape and beating when I was 23, leukemia and 19 months of chemo at 46, etc, blood clots in my right lung – all three lobes and right pulmonary artery), and have chronic illnesses that have required life adjustments or are disabling: diabetes at 31, dysautonomia diagnosed at age 32, epilepsy diagnosed at age 22, degenerative joint disease at 43, chronic pain/fibromyalgia at 32, chronic headaches since I was in high school, osteoarthritis at age 43, degenerative disc disease at 43, yadda, yadda, yadda. I’ve been disabled since early 2004. The chemo for the leukemia has made several of the pre-cancer disorders worse. It sometimes gets a bit scary to think that I could become more of a train wreck with ‘normal’ aging. I’ve recently been diagnosed with neuropathy in my legs (they’re literally losing muscle mass that is now visible). They have been getting progressively weaker for a couple of years- since/during the chemo. If I don’t have a shopping cart at the grocery store, I can’t get through the building on my own. Standing in line means increasing leg pain, and feeling like they’re turning to jello in terms of strength.
I’ve been on Medicare since I was nearly 44. Though I’d dealt with Medicare as a nurse before becoming disabled, being ON Medicare is a totally different kind of circus.
Medicare costs a LOT to have. People get the idea that it’s a free government program. That is wrong. First, working people pay into Medicare every paycheck in the form of Medicare taxes. For some people, it does cost to get Medicare part A ($441/month in 2013) if specific situations apply. Those who paid into ‘the system’ while working don’t have to pay a part A premium. Part A pays for a large portion of hospitalization charges and rehab in a skilled nursing facility, home health care, hospice, and inpatient care in a religious non medical health care institution. If someone is admitted to a hospital for ‘observation’, that doesn’t count as a hospital ‘admission’, so the charges come out of pocket ! In either case, Medicare doesn’t cover %100 of the costs.
Then there is a part B premium (around $110 per month), and covers outpatient doctor visits, various health screenings, ambulance charges, ambulatory surgical centers, diabetes education and blood sugar testing supplies, some chiropractor services, durable medical equipment (like walkers, wheelchairs, prosthetic items), emergency department visits, flu shots, and several other services- generally at %80 coverage. That leaves %20 to be covered by the patient. That can add up quickly.
The part D (prescription drug plan, or PDP) can cost a varying amounts. Because of my cancer history and extensive medication list, I get the highest level of benefit plan I can- so about $80/month. It really pays to shop around. One of my chemo drugs for the leukemia (that had no alternate option) was about $10,000 per MONTH. With the PDP I had at the time, my co-pay was over $450 per month. I’m on many, many other medications including insulin which doesn’t have a generic option. When the social worker at the oncologist’s office helped me find a different PDP company, all generics- including that $10K drug- had a $0 copay when ordered through the mail-order pharmacy. But I couldn’t change to the new plan until open enrollment that begins in October… I left the hospital in May. Fortunately, a pharmacy agreed to help me after the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society agreed to help (which they later reneged on). That pharmacy ended up ‘eating’ the cost, as I had no way to pay for it.
Part C refers to Medicare advantage plans. Medicare contracts with private insurance companies to deal with the paperwork. They are often very reasonable in terms of premiums, and often include the PDPs. I’ve been on advantage plans, and while they look great on paper, with a 6 week hospital stay for the beginning of the leukemia treatment, the copays added up in a hurry. I’m still paying off one hospital bill, 3 1/2 years later. The cost for that inpatient stay was over $300K. The plan paid a LOT. But it still left a lot of out of pocket expenses… nobody plans on having something bad happening. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to plan for the worst and hope for the best. I’ve had to file bankruptcy in the past (before the leukemia) because of medical bills. No credit card shopping sprees, no trips to wonderful places…. ‘just’ medical bills. Getting extra disability insurance is also a huge help when it’s needed. I have always insured myself to the hilt when I was working, and until my last job, never needed it. But it’s literally keeping me living on my own at this point; disability from Social Security isn’t enough to live on with medical expenses.
Then there is the Medicare supplement plan (or Medigap) to cover the costs Medicare doesn’t pay for. The first few days of any inpatient hospitalization generally cost the patient at least $200 per day (and there may be a several thousand dollar deductible). There are also portions of physician charges, lab/x-ray/test costs, pharmacy costs, etc. The supplement helps pay some or all of those charges, depending on what level of benefits someone decides to get in a supplement. I go all out with my supplement plan (Plan F- all companies have the same coverage for each level of supplement insurance, so it comes down to premium cost and deductibles). I have NO co-pays for any inpatient or outpatient medical situation. That will cost $325/month this coming year (2014)…and my insulin is about $50/month (not including syringes/supplies). The MONTHLY total to be on Medicare (for me) is over $515. On disability income. But, I know that I’m not going to have ‘extra’ medical costs. That’s a sort of peace of mind that really doesn’t have a price tag.
Plan as if you will someday lose your job for medical reasons (and pray you won’t !). If the time comes (and nobody ever knows if a car wreck, disease, or other medical problem will creep up on them), you will NOT regret having paid the premiums for all of those years. And shop around with Medicare supplements and drug plans. It makes a huge difference as well.
