Jason Reed/Reuters

Song in my head:

God Bless America
But not the fags
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with light from above
From the mountains, skip the fairies,
To the oceans, white with foam(!)
God Bless America, no more ho-mos.
The Corpuscle.




Medicare-less Times

A month ago I wrote about the proposed increase for Medicare's monthly premiums scheduled for January 2007. Because this government runs with such efficiency, the premiums are lower than expected.

Most elderly and disabled people on Medicare will see their premiums rise to $93.50 per month next year, a 5.6 percent increase. That's lower than anticipated. Seattlepi.com

However, wealthier Medicare recipients will soon be paying higher monthly premiums

The surcharge is a major departure from the traditional arrangement under which seniors have generally paid the same premium.

It is expected to affect one million to two million beneficiaries: individuals with incomes exceeding $80,000 and married couples with more than $160,000 of income. For individuals with incomes over $200,000, the premium, now $88.50 a month, is expected to quadruple by 2009.

The surcharge was established under a little-noticed provision of the 2003 law that added a prescription drug benefit to Medicare. NYT

But lets not forget Medicare's last major blunder..... sending out 50 Million dollars to Medicare recipients...erroneously. Well, if you are on a fixed income it's not always possible to repay an error in your favor. So, the folks at Medicare willl let you make payments cause their mistake is your hassle now. Unless you were one of the folks who actually deserve the reimbursement and the government doesn't know that yet you get to fill out forms....And if ya want to waive the whole repayment and score aprroximately $215 the governement erroneously sent ya, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy...

The CMS letter fails to outline another important option for Medicare beneficiaries. In certain circumstances a beneficiary may be entitled to a waiver of the overpaid refund. Waiver of the overpayment may be available to a beneficiary who was without fault in causing the overpayment and where repayment would be against equity and good conscience.

Beneficiaries who believe they meet the requirements for a waiver should request a waiver when they call the specially-designated phone number. If they are told they cannot request a waiver or if the waiver request is denied, they should file an appeal.

In conclusion, If you are not satisfied with your Medicare drug coverage you can change plans from November 15, 2006 to December 31, 2006 .