Medicare horror story

[rwork]

A lady in her 80's living with her husband told me, you won't believe what they did to me.She signed up on Medicare Prescription Drug Plan D. She was drawing $234.00 a month Social Security.Now she is drawing $34.00.I asked her how could that happen? She said her Plan D took $100.00 and AARP took the other $100.00. She said she also sends AARP a check every month.I suggested she should call her Representative She thought it would be a wasted effort.People just give up.

[carolinalady]

1. If that is her only income, she would qualify for the free Rx plan

through medicaid. She needs to call the 800 Medicare number.

[Midlodemocrat]

2. Absolutely. Medicaid is free for the indigent and if that is her

only income, I would say she is very indigent.

[Sadie5]

3. About AARP

They have flooded my mailbox at lest once a week for several years now. I don't trust them and absoutely will not join. They are too far right and don't have your best interest at heart.

[Midlodemocrat]

9. Well, I have to say this.

My FIL who lived with us and passed a week ago today, (funeral is today, I am printing the eulogy which is why I am checking in at DU) had AARP/United.

$27 a month. Covered all his drugs with a very reasonable co-pay and he was on a shitload of meds. In fact, both he and my husband were taking a Zpack at the same time and his co-pay was $5, my husband's was $20. And I thought we had extraordinary insurance.

[Rosemary2205]

4. AARP Medicare supplemental is top notch.

Dad has it. The $100 a month is well spent. On this higher level insurance plan there is no copay and no deductable. He has recieved over $50,000 in cancer treatments/tests for the last 6 months and has not paid one penny. There's a lower level supplemental through AARP that runs about $50. It has $20 copays and no deductables I do believe. Also, something smells fishy as I don't believe AARP can actually deduct right from the SS check.

As for the Part D premiums. Yes, the choices were complicated, but in my state there are choices starting at $36 a month. If she's paying $100 a month on Part D then it's a choice she makes.

And I don't believe for one millisecond SS is her only income.

[windbreeze]

5. she probably means that

her SS check goes right into her bank...and aarp deducts that $100 from her checking automatically....but something does not sound right...my neighbor got on AARP supplement...he has cancer...they have to pay $150 a month, now whether that's for the chemo alone, or as a premium, I have no clue, but it's probably as a premium...I am going to have to ask, because my husband is retiring in a couple weeks, and he has chronic heart problems...we are looking at close to $600 a month to keep his insurance in force...who has that kind of money when you are retired...you either eat and live, or pay for doctors/medication I guess...some choice...
windbreeze

[Lars39]

6. Not everyone retires with pensions.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. Yes it is. My FIL had it before he died.

$27 a month, covered all of his drugs with a $5-$20 co-pay.

[kineneb]

8. she must have other income

Hubby qualifies for Medicare/Medicaid. One the new Part D plan (which I lothe), he pays nothing for the premium and deductable, and $1-3 for meds (which used to be free). Now I am fighting the insurer to give us back about $60 which they took as a deductable, when we didn't owe one. Ggggrrr.