Thanksgiving was just as predicted. No need to send out that photo of the nicely browned turkey and the large salmon fillet, all the side dishes familiar and strange, and all of us, more than twenty sitting down to the mismatched dinnerware with arms around our young ones. Just imagine the love and boisterousness permeating our farm house. An American Thanksgiving, and the best.
Today we have been trying to figure out what health plan we should adopt to supplement Medicare. We have been to informational meetings, read the stuff from the various insurance companies. For every plan there is a 'gotcha' so there is no clear best one. Our retirement health plan from my husband's old work place was canceled due to the economic situation. We have pretty much decided to go with traditional Medicare and add a prescription drug plan to it. This should be simple..
Even if one selected a more pricey drug plan, it is still incredibly inexpensive compared to the health plans those folks under 65 need to have. There is a deduction from my social security benefit of about $300 a month. (Less for lower income folks.) Then, on top of that I would pay about $40 per month for Part D which is the prescription drug benefit. So, I will be paying under $350 a month for health insurance. And, like everyone else, I'll pay the modest co-pays when ever I visit a doctor or order a prescription drug.
Of course, I wonder about all those people who have no clue about what to do, or have no money at all? The government option that all seniors have- it's called Medicare- automatically deducts the standard Medicare premium based on income. I have been impressed with the user friendliness of the Medicare website and the folks in the social security offices.
What appalls me is the level of difficulty for young people and their children to wend their way through the system of private insurance. The premiums are so expensive! So many of our citizens haven't a clue about what to do. They have no money and are powerless. When the baby is desperately sick they go the nearest emergency room. They don't have the $20 in their pocket even for a co-pay.
What are we thinking? What a sad and miserable country this is that does not treasure our children and young people. I despair of having any health care reform bill pass. It is being nibbled to death by ducks (the old white guys in suits who pander to their election in the next campaign).
In my dreams I envision a culture in America where children and families are valued. They have access to first quality health care, their teeth are cared for, they eat nutritious and whole foods in their schools. In my dreams I see legislators thinking altruistically and pragmatically about these issues and not pandering to special interests (the pharmaceutical industry,big business of any stripe, the right and left wing nuts etc.)
All is not to despair. I live in a community that has many caring people who think about these issues and put in their time and thought and energy to change the status quo. They work by challenging the local politicians, making their voices heard. They work for change, and sometimes it can happen.
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