My Novels

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Medicare -- not what you think it is!

So, resuming where I left off in the last post: I had an appointment with my orthopedic doctor. No x-rays, no MRI; he just told me I needed a soft cushion. Could buy a nice gel cushion on Amazon.

Seriously? 

Thank goodness I have Medicare with a good private insurance medigap policy (176.00 a month), so the visit didn't cost me anything. He did look at my toes, and agreed with the podiatrist -- surgery needed for the bunion and big toe correction. Still no firm plans on that, even though my bunion/toe continue to hurt, which prevents long walks, or any prolonged standing. No wonder people gain weight in their 60s; body starts failing, can't exercise! Jeez.

Speaking of Medicare, the Part D drug policies are truly perplexing. There's about ten pages of legalese that has to be deciphered, and at the end of it all, the fact is that there's so many "Tiers" for each drug it's mind-boggling. Also, different status regarding which "phase" you are in with the Part D government/insurance partnership. It's totally ridiculous. I paid $69.00 a month this year, and never met the deductible of $333.00 the entire year (so far). I'm definitely changing insurers for next year, and since it's open enrollment, I'm up to my eyeballs in trying to figure out which is better for me. Frankly, might as well get a crappy, CHEAP policy since the deductibles won't be met unless you have catastrophic issues. And even then, after about $4,000.00 you hit the doughnut hole, which means NO drug coverage at all for the next $5,000.00 even if  you have a great policy.

Let me simplify: the middle men of insurance take their cut off the top, which hikes up rates and coverage for individuals. Yes, even on Medicare (at least for Part D and medigap). Now if you are in the lowest low of income, less than $30,000.00, you might qualify for some assistance with drugs, but not me. Not that my income is sky-high, just over that critical barrier. And last year my novels sold well, which created a nightmare for my taxes.

Alas, I digress.

Medicare = Not as good as I thought.

End of rant.

Sunday, October 08, 2017

Rainy Sunday

I have almost abandoned this blog. However, I don't want to take it down. And should try to post more often.

Currently I am rewriting/editing a long novel, "Lonesome Moon Road." It is complex and complicated, and taking quite a chunk of time to get ready to publish. It is crime/thriller/suspense genre, though not sure it fits tidily in that category. Often my work is a mash-up of genre, and while I realize I could make better money sticking to ONE genre, I just can't. Money isn't why I write anyway. I do like having readers, but creating characters that come to life and demand their story be told...is more important. Plus, I love to write.

I did move my memoir to another free publishing platform. At some point in the future, I plan to put that into public domain. I feel it is important that young adults read it, perhaps learn from my dysfunctional family and childhood. There is help out there now, but so often, children/teens fear reaching out, breaking that wall of silence that keeps them suffering in abusive/dangerous homes. Anyhow, there's a link to that if you scroll through my twitter feed to the right of this post.

What else? Rambo had surgery to remove a large benign lump on his side that the vet feared would grow large enough to affect walking. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it might be, since I opted to leave him at the vet for a week to heal. He had to have a drain, and I was afraid he'd pull it out at home. He's back to his normal self now, and can't barely tell anything happened. Costly, but worth every penny since I've had him with me eleven years. Found him at the animal shelter about four months after my husband died.

Muffin is fine, though much too heavy. I have tried "diets" for her, but what she really needs is more exercise. Due to my continuing toe and back issues, I can't walk as far or as often as I once did. Sigh.

On that note though, I did see a podiatrist and get x-rays of my toes. He said he could do surgery, remove the bunion, as well as straighten the crooked first big toe. However, some of the warnings he mentioned caused me to put it off. Plus, I will have to find help here at home, since I will have to stay off my feet a few weeks. Tomorrow I see my orthopedic doctor, need another MRI to see what is going on with my spine; having some numbness in feet/hands.

It's always something.

That's it for today.