Community Chat

[bonnielu]

Very sad.  Even with a good savings medical expenses can take it all away. 

[Carmie]

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@catwhisperer wrote:

@Snoopp....thanks, but I did appeal and spent hours on the phone with the insurance co. What it boils down to is that they just don't want to pay.

We had to shell out over $1,300 for ambulance bills because the ins. co. did not feel the trips were necessary. I didn't even order the trips, the nursing home did. I guess they expected my DH to walk from the ER back and forth to the nursing home. Morons. 

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All Medicare Plans exclude transportation from the ER back to a nursing home or your residence.  They all cover medical emergency transportation to the ER.

Coverage to the hospital from the nursing home to receive treatment not available at the nursing home and back is covered...example:  need an x-ray, Ct scan.

i had a family member who broke her hip and was in the hospital and needed to go to a skilled facility for physical therapy for a month.  I took her in my car to avoid getting a  bill.  It wasn't easy getting her in and out of my car....

After a month, she was transferred to another facility 30 miles away.  Again, I had to take her in my car.

She could not afford to pay medical transport or an ambulance service.

I took her because I understand Medicare coverage and knew ahead of time, that there is no coverage  for this type of transportation

ALL Medicare insurance has this same ambulance benefit...Traditional and Advantage Plans.

In fact, this is a standard benefit for almost all insurance coverage...Medicare or not.

It's not that your insurance company has a bunch of morons who work there who do not want to pay.  The fact is there is no coverage for this type of service. (There are some limited conditions that will be covered like if you were bedfast and cannot sit up at all)

There are companies who provide this type of non emergency transport. They are not cheap, but usually cost less than the ambulance.  They are called van transport services.

[Kachina624]

If this couple is low income, there is help available for prescription drugs through the Medicare program called, Extra Help.  You'd think they would have Medicare Part D to help with drug costs.  There's something "off" about their story.

[Kachina624]

@Carmie.  I have  Medicare Advantage Plan and the employer from whom I retired provides supplemental insurance.  All I pay is the monthly Medicare payment, and pay nothing for any medical service.  I can see any provider, use any facility that takes Medicare and can see any specialist without a referral.  I pay no co-pays and have no deductible.  I had major surgery, followed by 2 weeks in a rehab facility and didn't pay one cent.

[SydneyH]

87 year old people should not be driving trucks, period.

[RealtyGal2]

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@millieshops wrote:

@Peaches McPheeANYONE is absolutely correct.  Ugly life happens overnight and at any age.

Many of us like the couple in this story who are older than the boomers have been workers and savers and still we're looking at lives and costs that were virtually unimaginable during our working years.  I suspect that's what has happened to Robert and his wife.  I know when I retired I thought I had saved well for my retirement years, but with what has happened in the 19 years since, I'm no longer so sure.  Also like them, I don't expect that selling off the "toys" of my past will fill the gaps.  Scary.

The other problem is age descrimination. Many Millenniels and the age group just after the Baby Boomers do not see the value in hiring older workers that have not only experience and another point of view, but don't stay out after work partying, don't have young children that get sick, injured, etc., and are just plain more dependable. We are also not in competition with them for promotions - we just want to work and supplement our Social Security. They are not comfortable with workers that are not their own age. I have been turned down for at least 3 jobs that I know of because of my age and I am only 70 (and don't look it).smileyhappy.

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[haddon9]

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@catwhisperer wrote:

@Snoopp....thanks, but I did appeal and spent hours on the phone with the insurance co. What it boils down to is that they just don't want to pay.

We had to shell out over $1,300 for ambulance bills because the ins. co. did not feel the trips were necessary. I didn't even order the trips, the nursing home did. I guess they expected my DH to walk from the ER back and forth to the nursing home. Morons. 

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@catwhisperer . Outrageous!

The same thing happened to my mother.  Medicare didn't want to pay for the ambulance from the hospital to the rehab hospital (It wasn't necessary they said). 

My 90 year old mother was injured in an accident with a broken leg & neck!  Did they expect her to walk or take a cab?  She had a cast on her leg and was wearing a neck brace....any wrong move and she could have become paralyzed!

She went to court and it was found in her favor....but still!

ETA:  There was no other way for her to get from one facility to the other.  All of her friends have either passed or no longer drive.  I'm in PA and she's in south FL.  Yes I did go down there but I could only go for short periods of time.

[Starpolisher]

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@SydneyH wrote:

87 year old people should not be driving trucks, period.

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...Nor should they have to resort to going back to work due to the high cost of healthcare! Something really needs to be done about this. OTOH we are given the opportunity to live longer and then when we do it's almost to bad we didn't die younger! What's the point? We're not all rich like the CEO's of big Pharma. Very sad! 

[CrazyDaisy]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

If this couple is low income, there is help available for prescription drugs through the Medicare program called, Extra Help.  You'd think they would have Medicare Part D to help with drug costs.  There's something "off" about their story.

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The fact that this discussion has distorted the story is enough to throw it "off".

[qbetzforreal]

A GOFUNDME page was set up and raised a little over $27,000 for the couple.