I called the local office and was told that the congressman that WAS in our small town, is an attorney now...though it still has him on the Internet as the congressman for our county...Shows you how little I keep up with politics. The lady gave me a number to call our "new" congressman...Phil Gringey. Who's office is not located in our town. I spoke with a man briefly, mentioning the social security letter and medicare...He said that he would have to send us a form to fill out, to get our permission for them to "look into it." Social Security called yesterday and told us the "Reconsider" was turned down. That we could file an appeal to Waiver it...I said, Ok., and they'll send a paper to file out. Seems that you have 2 options after SS claims they overpaid you...One is that you want them to Reconsider the situation because you don't believe that you are at fault in any way...the other is a Waiver...that asks them to waive it because you're not financially able to pay it back. Doubt that is in our favor either...because I told the SS lady yesterday that I don't see how we can live on $229.00 a week...and she said, "Sure you can." I asked, How?...and she said, "Just sit down and go over what you owe, and you'll see that you can eliminate a few of them." She didn't say what "them" were. Eliminate what? water? phone? electricity? gas? insurance? food?

Maggie, I am assuming your friend is going to need an "inpatient" hospital stay for his brain tumor surgery (as opposed to "outpatient" or in/out surgery). With that assumption, I can assure you that Medicare will cover his hospital stay @ a flat rate that is calculated based on the diagnosis & surgery performed, basically without ANY regard to how many days he is hospitalized nor if the hospital charges him $1000 for a single aspirin. (There are provisions for "outliers", but those are extreme cases and the patient doesn't pick up more of the cost,,,, it only impacts the hospital's Medicare reimbursement.) To repeat: Medicare pays for inpatient hospital stay at a flat rate based on the diagnosis & surgery performed. If your friend has Medicare part A and a supplemental insurance, his out of pocket expenses for the HOSPITAL BILL will basically be very minimal in the big scheme of things. Now as to part B Medicare.... it is the part that pays for the dr's services (office visits, surgery, reading tests, etc.) as well as other OUTPATIENT services. If the dr or surgeon is a "Medicare participating provider" (accepts Medicare patients) then s/he will be reimbursed at a prescribed rate that is approved by Medicare and the supplemental insurance picks up the 20% (for example) of the approved amount not covered by Medicare. To reassure you..... there is a HUGE amount of fear mongering going on, and much of it weighs heavily on the anxieties of seniors on Medicare. If your friend needs surgery NOW, none of this brouhaha going on in Congress or the media matters. (Nor will it actually impact him one way or the other.... things don't move that fast.) He, and you, need to not worry about the costs, charges, & the bill and concentrate on the things that he has control over... like what help he'll need in recovery, transportation, family & friend support, etc. Hope this helps a bit. Best wishes for all.

Here's an good website. I heard a great presentation bu a rep from this office, and I learned a lot. Every case they bust started with a citizen report. Here is a link that might be useful: Medicare fraud

Flipping the sofa and the TV is a great idea. When you do it, I'd get a longer media cabinet. Breezy white curtains will go a long way toward making it feel more beachy, but I'd change out the blinds for shades--probably woven woods--as well. You need a much larger rug, or none at all. And I'd have to change that light over the dining table. Something more casual that goes with your seagrass chairs.