Song in my head: So, it's the laughter.....we will remember.......................Barbra Streisand

Health Care is Phundamental

The new Medicare drug benefit is not having a smooth start.

Low-income Medicare beneficiaries around the country were often overcharged, and some were turned away from pharmacies without getting their medications, in the first week of Medicare's new drug benefit. The problems have prompted emergency action by some states to protect their citizens.

Terence J. Stevens said he had signed up for a Medicare plan on the first day but could not get medication. Although there are no hard numbers, concerns expressed by state officials and complaints from pharmacists suggest a widespread pattern of problems. -NYT-

How's my life with Medicare? I did not receive my new insurance card in the mail yet. I enrolled in a new prescription drug plan in December and I did it ahead of time so that there wouldn't be any glitches.

Well that did me no good.

I am not getting an official insurance card til the end of January. I had to re-enroll in my supplemental medicare plan to get prescription coverage. My monthly premium for supplememntal Medicare went from $70 to $82.50. Each plan has a formulary so you have to check different plans and what drugs they offer versus which one you need. My total monthly health insurance bill is:

$78.80 (medicare premium that State of Oregon pays...this went up $10.30 a month from last year)

$82.50 (supplemental medicare plan with presc drug coverage, I pay )

$161.30 Total*

*This does not include dental coverage)