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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 8, 2023 16:39:27 GMT -5
We got a hand addressed handwritten letter from a different town and return address names I didn’t recognize. Turned out it was realtors asking if we’d be willing to sell our house to their prospect. Probably best they weren’t there in person, my knee jerk answer was somewhere between “F*** no you twats” and running them out of town on a rail I have no patience for salespeople. I’m not wired that way; I am allergic to wasting people’s time. I get texts and phone calls asking to buy our house. Just for giggles, I responded to one text that the price would be $1 million. They wanted to know how I figured that price. [My house isn’t worth 1/4 of that.] Heck, if I got to go through the trouble of moving and finding another place, you better make it worth my while. I was getting texts about our house. Every offer they made, I counter offered much, much more. Zillow has this house somewhere between $800-900k, I was asking $8 million. TD thought it was hysterical that I managed to play them as long as I did. I was amused. The only way we will sell is if the offer is sufficient to buy a one level house that overlooks the water. That ain’t happening.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 8, 2023 13:36:09 GMT -5
FIL fell again. This time at 7 pm and was on the floor all night. He managed to get himself to the living room to call his brother. SIL saw the brother pulling into the driveway and thought that was weird so sent her husband over. They ended up having to break down the door because they couldn't find the key. SIL ordered a life alert. I suggested putting an Alexa in his bedroom, the study (where he fell) and the bathroom and maybe in the buildings outside. Alexa can call 911 so if he is awake he can yell at Alexa for help. There is one in the living room but it doesn't do any good if he's in the back of the house. What a mess. I told DH it's quite possible his dad may not be able to live in that house anymore. Or at the least needs more care than SIL can provide. He fell about a half hour after SIL left for the night. I do not like being a sandwich generation Sam I am. And I feel extremely petty saying this but thank God my dad is only 64 and is in excellent health. I don't know what we would do if we had him, FIL and my grandmother to deal with. How old is your FIL? As I mentioned the other day, I am feeling a lot of guilt that I should quit working and take care of my mother. I just don't feel that we can afford the loss of my retirement savings and the cost of the insurance that my job currently covers. My Dad used a wheelchair and then was bedridden for the last 10 years of his life, and my mother always cared for him at home. I am just so conflicted and feel like I am failing her. I also am not keeping up with my household cleaning duties, and our maintenance issues are piling up. It never occurred to me Alexa could call 911. I ask her to call my phone on the regular. Unfortunately, I often accidentally turn the ringer off, so it does not always help me find my phone. I can tell you my mom would never remember that Alexa could call 911 for her b/c it was not implanted in her head from early on. I have noticed my mom is shuffling her feet more, so risk of fall is increasing. She is 85. Yeah, we are still recovering from the fall out of MIL’s last fall. Luckily, she has been able to be alone for awhile, but she does have hired help coming in daily. Her last fall was a wake up call to her, in that she is going to need more help than she has.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 8, 2023 13:28:53 GMT -5
I'm seriously second guessing the oral surgeon I picked and paid $1500 to because insurance won't pay. First he was in a dentist office renting space. That was weird and the virtual dental assistant too. Now he's moved within the same building and is located in an eye doctor's office! I just reviewed the website again and sure enough for TMJ it mentions x-rays which he never did. And now he's in a damn eye doctor's office they certainly don't have the equipment. I thought at least some of the initial office visits could be covered so I picked one in network with my medical insurance. My choices were slim. I really suggest checking out a local dental school that has a professional program (trains for specialties like oral surgery, orthodontics, etc) for an oral surgeon. It might be a haul for you, but if you go to the faculty clinic, there is not the wait and while it costs more, it’s not as much as outside dentists. IME dental schools do accept most insurances.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 7, 2023 12:57:11 GMT -5
I will never understand credit card companies. I got a phenomenal rate for airfare to go to Bali (TD’s dive trip) then onto Bangkok for a cruise from there to Vancouver. 2 tickets, Seattle to Bali, Bali to Bangkok.
The charge for Thai Air went through ok, but the charge from SEA. to Bali was declined. We have used this consolidator fairly regularly, she is my Plan B if I can’t find airfares cheaper. She beat my best try by about $1000/pp. We do have to spend the overnight in Singapore, and that hotel has been booked. TD called the card company, flights booked. That card has never balked at us using this source before.
My sister, OTOH just got her card hacked. $1100 in Venmo charges after she used her debit card to pay for SLAP last Thur. Apparently it’s going to take 10 days for that money to be returned to her. This is the second time that card has been hacked in the last few months. I suggested she no longer use a debit card, and use a credit card for everything and just pay the card in full. That way, if the card gets hacked she’s not out $$ while it’s getting resolved.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 7, 2023 11:19:02 GMT -5
My 16 year Subaru has 125k miles on it and out of curiosity I went looking at what I could sell it for. $8000 is not out of the question.
I think the $5000 beater doesn't exist anymore.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 5, 2023 12:03:43 GMT -5
Not sure this will help, but we have a white list for our landline. There is a list of numbers we allow through, otherwise the call goes immediately to voicemail. The landline gets those numbers we have to give out, but don’t want to.
The rest get either of our cell phone numbers. I have gotten a lot of calls from people wanting to put an extended warranty on my car, but one of the things I noticed is that since I got back to the US, the calls have stopped. I think those 6 months, the calls fell into a black hole and whatever system is out there deemed it inactive, and took me off the list. The Medicare commercials are driving me nuts! I can’t imagine the $$ spent on ads and Joe Namath!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 4, 2023 13:46:32 GMT -5
Sushi always sleeps with me. Always. He also has to be in the same room with me, making fur-to-skin contact. All this started when I had my heart attack. It's like he's monitoring my heartbeat, because he loves me. ... or maybe he wants to make sure I'm dead before he eats me.TD used to tell his mom this. Both cats have since died.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 17:07:31 GMT -5
Yeah, I know it's going to be very warm there. I think we will be there about the same time we were this year. It was the one city that our friends didn't spend off the ship and downtown as the cost was so high. I got the link for a hotel associated with the airport and when I convert the price from Singapore $$, it is pretty comparable to what you'd pay for any airport hotel...and includes dinner. Do they still have the hotel inside the airport with the huge buffet? Its been a while since I have been there. I don't know. Never made it through the airport in Singapore when we were there earlier.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 16:34:28 GMT -5
Flights booked, it's a little more but TD will get to dive 3 extra days. Now that flights are booked, I can start looking at hotels.
I have limited patience with this stuff, which is why I could never be a travel agent. I can only look at so many flights or hotels and they start to run together, I get frustrated and choose nothing. That's where I am right now.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 16:30:08 GMT -5
When we went to the IL's for Canadian Thanksgiving, my BIL did turkey parts on the grill. There were a lot of us, and it was easier grilling parts than it was cooking a couple turkeys. That's what my plan is for this year. I'm either going to by a small turkey and cut it up like a chicken, or just buy parts and let TD grill them. That's a great idea for your meal - all parts cook like they should so nothing gets dry waiting for something else to get done, and people can select their white or dark meat. I wish it was easier to find turkey parts here but Whole Foods is the only one that carries thighs which we like. Others may have wings and legs, but you can't count on it. I found a frozen, brined bone-in turkey breast at Aldi and I'm cooking that tomorrow. We never know what Thanksgiving weather will be - could be 90 or could be 40. My perfect turkey would have 6 thighs and one breast. Somehow, I don't think that whole turkeys come that way! I'll go on the hunt for parts. Another thing that I do is get a package of wings. I roast off the wings, then use them to make the stock for gravy beforehand. There's a lot of gelatin in wings, so the stock really has good body. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find wings that frequently, but will definitely be looking this year.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 15:14:32 GMT -5
I've been fairly productive today after a really good night's sleep. I made breakfast, cleaned the bathrooms, ran a load of laundry, filled bird feeders and baths, changed the AC filters, and took down part of the Halloween decorations. Tomorrow is a busy one too, more laundry, mopping floors, roast a turkey breast for supper, and clean the coffee maker. I'll finish boxing up the smaller Halloween stuff so we can return it all to the storage locker and bring home our two Thanksgiving turkeys - one galvanized metal for the front porch and one ceramic for the living room. Last night we decided to do chicken leg quarters for Thanksgiving with bread dressing and maybe a green veggie. I love turkey but even the smallest one is just too much for the two of us. When we went to the IL's for Canadian Thanksgiving, my BIL did turkey parts on the grill. There were a lot of us, and it was easier grilling parts than it was cooking a couple turkeys. That's what my plan is for this year. I'm either going to by a small turkey and cut it up like a chicken, or just buy parts and let TD grill them.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 14:24:01 GMT -5
TD is off at work this morning, my sister is at work and I've got a load of clothes in the washer. Yesterday's rain has cleared some, but we are due for a wet week next week. As long as it's wet, just not too cold! We have tickets for the ballet tomorrow, so are running down to Seattle for the matinee. Luckily, we have the express lanes down and back which helps a lot. Finally sent out an email to a flight travel consolidator for our air tickets. She's got a really nice cheap flight on Singapore air available, the only problem is a 14 hour layover at the airport. That would cut out a day of diving for TD, so am looking to see if she can move something. We can hang in an airport for a long time if it's going to save us that much $$. Might be worth checking into a hotel, as the flight gets in at 5 pm and leaves at 8 the next morning. Singapore is a cool city, but pricy. I need to get these reservations made, then start on visas. No shit. My sister and I would not have been able to afford the week and a half we spend in S'pore if we hadn't been staying with my DS1. And it is only cool in the relative sense if the word. Every time I get if the plane there I go "oh yea, this is why I will not move to the tropics". Yeah, I know it's going to be very warm there. I think we will be there about the same time we were this year. It was the one city that our friends didn't spend off the ship and downtown as the cost was so high. I got the link for a hotel associated with the airport and when I convert the price from Singapore $$, it is pretty comparable to what you'd pay for any airport hotel...and includes dinner.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 13:53:44 GMT -5
TD is off at work this morning, my sister is at work and I've got a load of clothes in the washer. Yesterday's rain has cleared some, but we are due for a wet week next week. As long as it's wet, just not too cold!
We have tickets for the ballet tomorrow, so are running down to Seattle for the matinee. Luckily, we have the express lanes down and back which helps a lot.
Finally sent out an email to a flight travel consolidator for our air tickets. She's got a really nice cheap flight on Singapore air available, the only problem is a 14 hour layover at the airport. That would cut out a day of diving for TD, so am looking to see if she can move something. We can hang in an airport for a long time if it's going to save us that much $$. Might be worth checking into a hotel, as the flight gets in at 5 pm and leaves at 8 the next morning. Singapore is a cool city, but pricy. I need to get these reservations made, then start on visas.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 3, 2023 11:34:18 GMT -5
I am car-less for the second day. My car is 17-years-old, but it only has 160k miles and is a Toyota. So I think it is worth the $800 fix. He told me what it was, but all I heard was "manifold" and "exhaust." And that may be what they needed to clean (or not). Fortunately, the Toyota dealer will provide transportation to/from their dealership. I just stuck 2K in my 18 year old Honda with 240K miles, so yeah...I think your $800 fix was worth it. I just stuck $1220 in my 16 year old Subaru. It was the second repair that wasn’t PM (first was a/c). Can’t argue with it, as it’s been paid off since 2012 and runs without fail.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 2, 2023 21:17:07 GMT -5
Probably cheaper to just buy them up there. But that is a good suggestion, I will think on it. I am in a great mood today. Hubs is in and taking a nap all warm and snuggly. I am so thankful for the good insurance and no worries about paying the bills. I gripe about what it costs us monthly but I need to stop after dealing with something like this. As hubs said could easily cost a $100k or more before we are done. But I will still gripe about drug costs, LOL! I love my old hubs and soooo hope he will be ok. It is sobering when you start getting the EOB. I think my treatment ran somewhere between 100-150K for the negotiated price.
I bet my dad's treatment ran over a million.
It makes for some navel gazing on the (financial) value of a life.
My hip infections cost my insurance company about $750,000. My last surgery alone was $276k. This was 10 years ago, I’d hate to know what it would be today.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 2, 2023 14:52:42 GMT -5
There is a huge black squirrel on the deck chowing down on the last remaining bar of suet that we have. This squirrel would give Sheldon a run for his money, this is the first time I've seen such a chonky squirrel. He saw me watching him, then took off. Couldn't resist coming back to get another bite though.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 1, 2023 12:27:10 GMT -5
We live at the end of a dead end street where there are only 4 houses. You have to walk 1/4 mile for these houses (uphill) and I don’t think it’s worth the effort for 4 houses so far apart. As a result, we got squat.
My sister was out walking the dogs yesterday evening and saw a bunch of kiddos out, but they were going to the houses that were closer together in another part of the development.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 1, 2023 11:10:18 GMT -5
No trick or treaters here last night. This is typical, as we live at the end of a dead end and it’s a lot of walking for 4 houses.
It was great seeing another couple of cruise buddies yesterday. One has a granddaughter that lives out here and they get to this side of the country fairly regularly. We did miss their last trip out here as we were still on the ship. There is going to be a reunion of sorts of all the people we hung with on the world cruise in Palm Springs on 1/16. We leave 1/20 for Europe. That’s a little tight but doable.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 31, 2023 18:28:42 GMT -5
Just got back from having lunch with a couple we met on the cruise. They are going to be in Palm Springs this winter and invited us down. Going to have to think on this.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 31, 2023 10:07:15 GMT -5
Wonder why the doc told hubs and I no issue. He said it was all fine. I found its what is called pt3a which means the prostrate was removed, there was a tumor, the 3 means 3 lymph nodes had cancer present out of 6 removed and not sure what the a means, but don't think it is bad. But yes I will be asking questions, I haven't said anything to hubs about what I've read yet and suppose I need to before we go for our visit tomorrow but its with the PA, not the doc. Very likely because he didn’t know. The surgery went fine, they took samples of a lot of different tissues and got the pathology done on it. Those results took a few days to get back. The PA should be able to discuss the results of the pathology report with you
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 30, 2023 15:43:53 GMT -5
asking this question here, before I stick my foot in my mouth over on FB. what does "upstate NY" mean to everyone, NYers and not? for reference, my very good friend that lives on Long Island and rarely drives, just referenced SUNY Purchase as "upstate" and I almost spit my drink out. that's more south than where I live, just north of Cape Cod. "upstate" to me means the Catskills, Syracuse-ish, not Westchester. am I wrong? This depends on where you live. If you live north of Albany, that is considered upstate. However, if you draw a line across NY, there is a lot of state north of Albany. This covers an area from Lake Champlain on the east to Buffalo and Lake Erie on the west. If you live in NYC or the area, anything north is considered upstate. Those who live upstate just roll our eyes at them and let them. It’s kind of a running joke.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 29, 2023 15:07:45 GMT -5
I need to get up but I have a warm kitty on my lap. I think there is a law that says when a pet is snuggled up you don't move for anything, LOL! Except the bathroom!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 28, 2023 11:38:22 GMT -5
Up and drinking coffee with both brats on my lap. Both wait by the chair until coffee is made and I sit before settling in.
Not sure if we are going across the border today to see MIL. My sister is cooking for a friend at her house this afternoon (friend has MS and her DH is traveling on business), and she’s got a church coffee social this morning. Thinking TD and I’ll go out this evening if we don’t go across the border.
Switched my Plan D drug plan to something cheaper for next year. I chose a more expensive plan last for this year as I knew I’d only be ordering drugs twice since we would be out of the country. It was just slightly less in total cost paying a higher premium and nothing for drugs than a lower premium and needing to pay the deductible before it kicks in.
Yesterday,I stopped at the yarn shop for yet smaller needles, and a couple hanks of yarn. I started making a scarf for my niece in this gorgeous periwinkle baby alpaca yarn I bought about 10 years ago. In the first 4 rows, I had to make knots. I think moths got to it. I didn’t like how it was working up with the needles I was using. I ripped it out yesterday and rewound the rest of the skein of yarn. If moths got to it, they only got to the few outside layers as there were no more breaks or thinning. Whew! If I had to trash it all, what I bought yesterday would be my Plan B.
Last night we watched Flight of the Doves. It’s a children’s movie that I remember going to when we lived in England. It’s a cute movie, largely is filmed in Ireland and the photography in it is gorgeous.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 28, 2023 11:20:13 GMT -5
Pink Cashmere , I find that sort of fatigue in you worrisome. In addition to Dr. google, who can you consult about it? Do you have a fever, even a low-grade one? I don’t think so. I haven’t taken my temperature. I think I need to go back to the Doctor. I think you do too. When my hip was infected, until I felt pain, fatigue was my major symptom. I would fall asleep on the sofa at 4 pm, wake up about 9, get ready for bed and sleep until my alarm went off at 5:30. I didn’t put anything together until afterwards.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 27, 2023 18:12:04 GMT -5
In my endless list of useless musings a new one just popped. Years ago I was told that a cheese burger is not kosher - at least not one made of actual beef. Something to do with cheese being made of milk. So I was browning a batch of beef for stew. While I mostly use EVOO for browning meat I like to use butter whenever I prepare beef. Now that has to be totally non kosher as well right? I never even thought about this. Good thing I am not Jewish or brave enough to serve beef to friends. I better research all ingredients next time I have friends over for dinner. I know enough to stay away from certain foods and always ask if there are allergies to consider but I never thought about it down to this level. Live and learn they say. I just am a truly slow learner it seems. Yep. I had to keep to Jewish dietary laws when I was in the nursing home for rehab. There is nothing like being in a place where you cannot have a bacon cheeseburger, and craving one. A few times, I had TD smuggle one into me. You could bring non kosher food in, but could not use their utensils. It did really have some interesting meals. For instance, they wouldn’t serve milk as a drink with a meal. Instead, they brought me this horrid protein drink that tasted like crap, and had less protein than a pint of milk! They made really good cakes, but insisted on putting whipped oil on top of them. I tried to get a piece of cake without the whipped oil, but was unsuccessful. The kitchen got a tray back where I ate the corners of the cake. They had a fabulous split pea soup that cried for ham.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 27, 2023 17:22:13 GMT -5
Why is furniture so expensive y'all?! I need a new dresser. I'm not looking for anything crazy. A simple chest of drawers in a dark wood so it matches my other furniture. I can't find anything for under $500 other than the crap you put together yourself. I may just have to pay the $500 at NFM because I'm looking and not really finding anything. Look up stores that specialize in ‘antique’ furniture . DIL bought some fabulous (and cheap) well made furniture Or haunt FB marketplace. TD bought me a chest to store sweaters in after moths had a buffet on several. This chest is SOLID, it's freaking heavy. It was clearly handmade, and he paid a whopping $100 for it. He took the chest and lined it in cedar.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 27, 2023 11:32:25 GMT -5
Sitting here kinda flummoxed and amused. Work Bestie couldn't get the Tech II job because he has an associates, but they hired someone with an associates. I have to be able to "justify" becoming an Associate with a Bachelor's in Biology despite having 14 years lab experience and previous experience in several of the methods used here. New guy has only 3 years experience in a medical lab. I have yet to see this guy do his job properly and he has been here two months. All his samples are overdue and he just told me he ruined a 16 hour batch that he now has to do over. How is he not getting a corrective action? Especially when he managed to destroy a sample to the point where I had to sit in on a 30 minute meeting about the subject? I am so confused. It's not my problem though I am just watching the show. It's astounding really. Don't get me wrong I feel bad for the guy he is clearly out of his depth. I am more amused at how management is having to twist themselves to justify it all in the face of not hiring work bestie (who was already doing a good chunk of the position's work) and the raking over the coals I got last week about my performance which even at my worst is still miles above the new guy. I’m guessing a friend of one of the bosses? They had to open a position for this guy, in house applied but despite being the best choice, the friend got it. I have to admit, that is one of the advantages of the university. There are hard limits on positions about needed education and years experience. The more I read about your hoops, the more I appreciate the position I had for over 30 years. While some shitty things happened, they were fair.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 26, 2023 15:10:11 GMT -5
I think I'm in love with the Medicaid lady. She's wiping the floor with the mansplaining insurance agent. You need to send her flowers!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 26, 2023 12:34:29 GMT -5
Dammit. Notarized signature required. This is karma for forging my mother’s signature on my homework back in 8th grade, isn’t it. (My parents found out bc they saw it at parent-teacher night and at that point my handwriting was an exact match for hers, very copperplate. Mother: I don’t remember signing this… Father: Well, that is your handwriting. Mother: True. ) I couldn't forge my mom's but my handwriting is just like my dad's. Over the years, my handwriting has gone from looking like my mom’s to looking like my dad’s. Strange.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Oct 26, 2023 12:31:16 GMT -5
Another place to look is a Facebook group called Boomer’s Benefits.
If your dad has not signed up for a prescription plan, he will get penalized. Back when I got Medicare, my meds were cheap, I could get a 3 month supply for $30 without insurance, so didn’t get any. Why would I want to pay $30/mo and still have to pay $10/script? Athena set me straight about this, I was only out a year and am penalized $1/mo for that year and forever.
Also be aware that different counties/states have different options. Not all are available to everyone, it is very residence specific. For instance, plans that I can sign up for in Whatcom county is different than what is available in Snohomish county which is about 50 miles down the road, or King county (Seattle) another 50 miles further south.
Speaking of which, I need to go on the hunt for a new Plan D plan. Mine got jacked up 20%. I don’t have a choice for my Medigap until I turn 65. Locally, I have 2 choices, an advantage plan and an expensive one. I pay for the expensive one, about twice what TD pays for his Medigap plan by being on disability. Next year, I’ll have choices.
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