As always, I deeply appreciate your rundown of the planned decay of our national well being and our democracy that's been going on for over 50 years. As a boomer, i have been fortunate enough to catch the tail end of what was a promising post- WW2 luberal consensus. And unfortunate enough to experience the purposeful, despicable dismantling of that world.
Your insights help me both sort it out, and validate the "blink" reaction that I had in 1980, just months after proudly receiving my doctorate in Social Work and Social Research from Bryn Mawr College . When Reagan got elected, I came home and told my husband "the field I just busted my ass to enter is dead". I spent the ensuing years watching both my once useful field devolve and watching my civic world decay. Your analysis of many of the components of this demolition is validating in a gruesome way.
But my real question is this: How in the face of seeing all of this decay and corruption so clearly, do you maintain optimism? I have fought long and hard to maintain the values and dreams that I came into this field with. But seeing the depravity and avarice that underlies this systematic multi- decade assault is often overwhelming. In the end your force and optimism in the face of this destruction gives me hope and the strength to keep fighting the darkness .
A reason my husband was unfortunately sold on Medicare Advantage was also the glasses, hearing, and dental benefits which also turned out to have severe restrictions. It wasn't worth it.
I figured that out quickly. My biggest problem with MA was that it was essentially an HMO, and HMO's don't travel well, and you can't just select a physician, I am aware that physicians have to subscribe to Medicare, but most don't.
I have Tricare for life, as a secondary, and like Medicare the provider has to sign a contract with Tricare (DOD).
No I made good choices. Well I am fortunate in one aspect I look back at my 26 year career and can think of at least 6 instances when fate intervened and I did not die
My husband's a pretty smart guy who retired from a long career in accounting, so I let him manage the money and insurance decisions. And even he was fooled by the Medicare Advantage BS and put me on the phone to agree to a list of questions.
We endured on MA for two years when we were fortunate that our plan dropped everybody in our county. They probably didn't realize all the delayed healthcare and the poor health of many in our community that had our medical care managed by our State Senator in the insurance business who was a Senator on the Illinois health insurance committees.
So we we are back on Medicare with a United Healthcare Gap plan that I'm afraid is still deciding what healthcare we're allowed to have, not just end up paying for.
We need Medicare for All which probably won't happen unless the impossible happens and we get a super majority of Democrats in the Senate and a significant number of them committed to the Progressive Caucus.
Gloria, those advantage plans are so sneaky. I’ve been lucky at least so far, because my Dad founded a non-profit medical insurance company during WW11 (I was the first baby born into it-:) Wild Bill Donovan, when my Dad went to sign up for the then nascent secret service, told him:’We do negative/bad things. What you’re doing is the opposite. It’s positive, and exactly what we’ll need after this war’s over.’
That’s a rough quote, but he was correct. My Father also pushed hard for universal health care way back in the 60s among other things and was involved with affordable housing as well. I was lucky to have a man like that as a Father, and am daily grateful. I signed up for medicare when I turned 65.
He also helped write it, and was at the official signing during the Johnson administration.
Medicare Advantage is basically tuition at Hardknocks University. Sadly, as Thom pointed out, enrollment in Advantage risks not living long enough to graduate to Happilyeverafter.
The same lack of attention to one's own welfare - not thoroughly researching the pros and cons of important life decisions - likely explains the 27% of Americans who are die-hard MAGAs. Some people just let life happen to them rather than them happening to life. No surprise that we saw stories on the TV news during COVID in which a dying celebrity MAGA anti-vaxxer influencer encouraged the unvaccinated to get the shots.
It is the MAGA fools who voted for a jerk asserting that America was not already great. Now, the Trump motto rightly belongs to the Democrats who have to rebuild our government before they can finally implement Medicare for All - assuming that November leads to impeachments.
Don't get mad; get even. Expose this fraud. Call it Medicare Dis-advantage. Write letters to the editor and to your Congressional representatives. Tell everybody you know over 50. Cancel and go back to traditional Medicare. It took me a while, but it wasn't as hard as I expected.
As always, I deeply appreciate your rundown of the planned decay of our national well being and our democracy that's been going on for over 50 years. As a boomer, i have been fortunate enough to catch the tail end of what was a promising post- WW2 luberal consensus. And unfortunate enough to experience the purposeful, despicable dismantling of that world.
Your insights help me both sort it out, and validate the "blink" reaction that I had in 1980, just months after proudly receiving my doctorate in Social Work and Social Research from Bryn Mawr College . When Reagan got elected, I came home and told my husband "the field I just busted my ass to enter is dead". I spent the ensuing years watching both my once useful field devolve and watching my civic world decay. Your analysis of many of the components of this demolition is validating in a gruesome way.
But my real question is this: How in the face of seeing all of this decay and corruption so clearly, do you maintain optimism? I have fought long and hard to maintain the values and dreams that I came into this field with. But seeing the depravity and avarice that underlies this systematic multi- decade assault is often overwhelming. In the end your force and optimism in the face of this destruction gives me hope and the strength to keep fighting the darkness .
All of America could and should know this, but we don't. Why? Because of corporate media.
We the people keep corporate media in power, by our subscriptions and buying the crap that they advertise in print, TV or on the internet
A reason my husband was unfortunately sold on Medicare Advantage was also the glasses, hearing, and dental benefits which also turned out to have severe restrictions. It wasn't worth it.
I figured that out quickly. My biggest problem with MA was that it was essentially an HMO, and HMO's don't travel well, and you can't just select a physician, I am aware that physicians have to subscribe to Medicare, but most don't.
I have Tricare for life, as a secondary, and like Medicare the provider has to sign a contract with Tricare (DOD).
You’re fortunate.
No I made good choices. Well I am fortunate in one aspect I look back at my 26 year career and can think of at least 6 instances when fate intervened and I did not die
'This is one of the GOP’s most successful bait-and-switch campaigns in American history."
What does this tell us about the state of the American electorate?
My husband's a pretty smart guy who retired from a long career in accounting, so I let him manage the money and insurance decisions. And even he was fooled by the Medicare Advantage BS and put me on the phone to agree to a list of questions.
We endured on MA for two years when we were fortunate that our plan dropped everybody in our county. They probably didn't realize all the delayed healthcare and the poor health of many in our community that had our medical care managed by our State Senator in the insurance business who was a Senator on the Illinois health insurance committees.
So we we are back on Medicare with a United Healthcare Gap plan that I'm afraid is still deciding what healthcare we're allowed to have, not just end up paying for.
We need Medicare for All which probably won't happen unless the impossible happens and we get a super majority of Democrats in the Senate and a significant number of them committed to the Progressive Caucus.
Gloria, those advantage plans are so sneaky. I’ve been lucky at least so far, because my Dad founded a non-profit medical insurance company during WW11 (I was the first baby born into it-:) Wild Bill Donovan, when my Dad went to sign up for the then nascent secret service, told him:’We do negative/bad things. What you’re doing is the opposite. It’s positive, and exactly what we’ll need after this war’s over.’
That’s a rough quote, but he was correct. My Father also pushed hard for universal health care way back in the 60s among other things and was involved with affordable housing as well. I was lucky to have a man like that as a Father, and am daily grateful. I signed up for medicare when I turned 65.
He also helped write it, and was at the official signing during the Johnson administration.
You should be proud of your father. I am too.
Thom. Those plans ought to be named: The Take Advantage of You plans!
Medicare Advantage is basically tuition at Hardknocks University. Sadly, as Thom pointed out, enrollment in Advantage risks not living long enough to graduate to Happilyeverafter.
The same lack of attention to one's own welfare - not thoroughly researching the pros and cons of important life decisions - likely explains the 27% of Americans who are die-hard MAGAs. Some people just let life happen to them rather than them happening to life. No surprise that we saw stories on the TV news during COVID in which a dying celebrity MAGA anti-vaxxer influencer encouraged the unvaccinated to get the shots.
It is the MAGA fools who voted for a jerk asserting that America was not already great. Now, the Trump motto rightly belongs to the Democrats who have to rebuild our government before they can finally implement Medicare for All - assuming that November leads to impeachments.
Is it even possible to get Advantage plans without having Medicare Parts A and B already?
No. And why would you?
Don't get mad; get even. Expose this fraud. Call it Medicare Dis-advantage. Write letters to the editor and to your Congressional representatives. Tell everybody you know over 50. Cancel and go back to traditional Medicare. It took me a while, but it wasn't as hard as I expected.