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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (102268)	1/28/2009 9:52:57 PM
From: cosmicforce	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542048

< out of work people go on Medicaid for their Health Insurance WITHOUT ANY RESORT to any income test> There is at least the benefit that it will no doubt help people rather than just banks and technologically deficient automobile manufacturers. Medicaid has income limits I'm pretty sure. I think there is a specific exclusion for unemployed people. So I'm actually okay with overturning that if you have no health care - when the unemployment runs out, there would also be an income check. I'll do some more research on Medicare requirements, but they aren't generous. Edit: not having read the legislation, I'm not sure it is as comprehensive as you may think. But if you can't get insurance and pay a Medicaid premium Schedule B or whatever, I'm in favor of that. The Insurance companies better be ready to pony up because they are getting big handouts. As someone who just changed insurance companies and was forced to change medications simply because my provider changed, I'm unsympathetic to them. I didn't change jobs or change coverage voluntarily, I was forced to change carriers - I work for a Fortune 500 company. They aren't changing these working medications for any medical need (my condition is stable). It is simply cost and they are willing to have me take all new confirmatory blood test suite (each exposing me to MRSA risk). Great. Thanks. Not.

To: Bread Upon The Water who wrote (102268)	1/28/2009 9:59:32 PM
From: cosmicforce	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542048

Here you go... ssa.gov Before age 65, you are eligible for free Medicare hospital insurance if: * You have been entitled to Social Security disability benefits for 24 months; or * You receive a disability pension from the railroad retirement board and meet certain conditions; or * You have Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis); or * You worked long enough in a government job where Medicare taxes were paid and you meet the requirements of the Social Security disability program; or * You are the child or widow(er) age 50 or older, including a divorced widow(er), of someone who has worked long enough in a government job where Medicare taxes were paid and you meet the requirements of the Social Security disability program. * You have permanent kidney failure and you receive maintenance dialysis or a kidney transplant and: o You are eligible for or receive monthly benefits under Social Security or the railroad retirement system; or o You have worked long enough in a Medicare-covered government job; or o You are the child or spouse (including a divorced spouse) of a worker (living or deceased) who has worked long enough under Social Security or in a Medicare-covered government job. Medical insurance (Part B) Anyone who is eligible for free Medicare hospital insurance (Part A) can enroll in Medicare medical insurance (Part B) by paying a monthly premium. Some beneficiaries with higher incomes will pay a higher monthly Part B premium. For more information, ask for Medicare Part B Premiums: New Rules For Beneficiaries With Higher Incomes (Publication No. 05-10161) or visit www.socialsecurity.gov/mediinfo.htm. If you are not eligible for free hospital insurance, you can buy medical insurance, without having to buy hospital insurance, if you are age 65 or older and you are— * A U.S. citizen; or * A lawfully admitted noncitizen who has lived in the United States for at least five years. Medicare Advantage plans (Part C) If you have Medicare Parts A and B, you can join a Medicare Advantage plan. With one of these plans, you do not need a Medigap policy, because Medicare Advantage plans generally cover many of the same benefits that a Medigap policy would cover, such as extra days in the hospital after you have used the number of days that Medicare covers. Medicare Advantage plans include: * Medicare managed care plans; * Medicare preferred provider organization (PPO) plans; * Medicare private fee-for-service plans; and * Medicare specialty plans. If you decide to join a Medicare Advantage plan, you use the health card that you get from your Medicare Advantage plan provider for your health care. Also, you might have to pay a monthly premium for your Medicare Advantage plan because of the extra benefits it offers. People who become newly entitled to Medicare should enroll during their initial enrollment period (as explained under Signing up for Medicare ) or during the annual coordinated election period from November 15 – December 31 each year. There also will be special enrollment periods for some situations. Medicare prescription drug plans (Part D) Anyone who has Medicare hospital insurance (Part A), medical insurance (Part B) or a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) is eligible for prescription drug coverage (Part D). Joining a Medicare prescription drug plan is voluntary, and you pay an additional monthly premium for the coverage. You can wait to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan if you have other prescription drug coverage but, if you don’t have prescription coverage that is, on average, at least as good as Medicare prescription drug coverage, you will pay a penalty if you wait to join later. You will have to pay this penalty for as long as you have Medicare prescription drug coverage. People who become newly entitled to Medicare should enroll during their initial enrollment period (as explained under Signing up for Medicare). After the initial enrollment periods, the annual coordinated election period to enroll or make provider changes will be November 15 – December 31 each year. There also will be special enrollment periods for some situations. [Back to top] Help for some low-income people If you cannot afford to pay your Medicare premiums and other medical costs, you may be able to get help from your state. States offer programs for people who are entitled to Medicare and have low income. The programs may pay some or all of Medicare’s premiums and also may pay Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. To qualify, you must have Part A (hospital insurance), a limited income, and, in most states, your resources, such as bank accounts, stocks and bonds, must not be more than $4,000 for a single person or $6,000 for a couple. If you are not sure if you have Part A, look on your red, white and blue Medicare card. It will show “Hospital (Part A)” on the lower left corner of the card. If you are still not sure, you can call Social Security toll-free. You can go online to get more information about these programs from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website. Visit www.medicare.gov and request If you need help paying Medicare costs, there are programs that can help you save money (Publication No. CMS-10126). Only your state can decide if you qualify for help under these programs. To find out, contact your state or local medical assistance (Medicaid) agency, social services or welfare office. You also may be able to get extra help paying for the annual deductibles, monthly premiums and prescription co-payments related to the Medicare prescription drug program (Part D). You may qualify for extra help if you have limited income (tied to the federal poverty level) and limited resources. These income and resource limits change each year, and you can contact us for the current numbers. If you have both Medicaid with prescription drug coverage and Medicare, Medicare and Supplemental Security Income, or if your state pays for your Medicare premiums, you automatically will get this extra help and you don’t need to apply. For more information about getting help with your prescription drug costs, call Social Security’s toll-free number or visit our website. You also can apply online at Social Security’s website.