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?

I'm finding that Part D plans don't change the base problem: The uncontrolled cost of prescription drugs. A low-premium Part D plan sounds good when it offers you an initial copay that is a small percentage of the retail cost of your medicatiion. But inflated retail on drugs means more people reach the 'donut hole' sooner. (That's $2930 total retail cost for 2012.) Then the individual will pay at least 50% of that inflated retail. Few will go beyond the 'hole' to the 'Catastrophic Stage', where they pay only 5%. (That kicks in only after a person has OUT OF POCKET costs of $4700.) Dadoes, I'm glad your grandmother doesn't need any expensive meds. Part D premiums plus our prescription drugs cost my DH and me over $4000/year. When I add the cost of Medicare Part B and a supplementary medical policy, the total is more than I budget for groceries. I've been taking Advair for about ten years. Their lawyers have a stranglehold on the product; I doubt I will live to see this go generic. In January of this year Walgreens quoted Advair retail at $516.79 for a 90-day supply, a big jump from the prior year. In March Walgreens quoted the same 90-day supply at $823.59 retail. This month it went to $849.19. Zap! I'm in the donut hole on this medication alone! I'm investigating Part D plans from two different companies. THEY are quoting retail of $684 for a 90-day supply of Advair in 2012. It's hard to believe they are right when Walgreens has been much higher for *this* year. IF the retail price quoted by a plan is accurate, I pay $110 copay for four 90-day supplies of Advair and I DON'T go into the 'donut hole' in 2012. (My drug's total retail won't top $2930.) However, if the retail is actually higher, I DO go into the 'donut hole', and I'd be paying 50% of retail (plus dispensing fees) before the end of 2012. In the second plan I looked at there is no flat dollar-amount co-pay; it's a percentage of the *whatever* retail from the start of the year, going to the same 50% of retail in the 'hole'. The unforseeable retail sways me towards the plan with a dollar amount copay. I can count on that exact amount for at least most of the year. If I avoid the 'hole', I'd be paying $440 for my Advair + $410 for the plan premium. Wow, 'only' $850 for one medication for one year. DH has TWO expensive meds. He goes into the 'hole' at the end of May -- or sooner if Walgreens is right on retail and the plan prediction is short. The least he will pay for these two meds and premium is over $3000.

juellie -- Your contribution is so valuable here. Thank you! As for a doctor NOT accepting Medicare assignment...how many patients would he have? Even ten years ago we had an awful time trying to find a new internal medicine MD. The big money is in specialties, and few new doctors think they will recoup expensive training by being a plain old internist. Some MD's were already going into what I call 'Retainer Medicine'. (You retain an MD for a set annual fee.) We've been so pleased with the medical group we did find. Calls are returned the same day. They will make an appointment today or tomorrow if necessary. Nobody garbles a prescription request. Why, there's even good medical care! LOL However, they have just been bought by one of the huge hospital groups here. It's been cut-throat competition between three major hospital groups who are absorbing smaller hospitals and grabbing medical practices. (Ours is a profitable demographic.) DH and are repeating for 2012 what we did this year: Medicare Part B ($2400); Aetna Medical Supplement ($744 from DH's former employer); Two different Medicare Part D plans (two premiums totaling $866). That's $4010. We will pay for our 'discounted' prescriptions: $3738. The total is now $7748. We'll also have dental bills. This is more than my food budget. We are able to pay...for now. This game of insurance and pharmacutical industries owning Congress has got to stop!

Gosh, I hate this whole procedure. I'm also seeing that medicare supplements are hugely more expensive for 2016. We've had Plan F high deductible in 2014 and 2015, paying under $100/month. Looks like more than DOUBLE for the same coverage next year -- and very little difference in premiums between high deductible and the comprehensive straight Plan F. I'm wondering if we will even GET a supplemental plan next year. I have yet to meet the deductible ($2800) after my hospital stay for pneumonia. (Medicare paid almost everything.) I'd have been better off not paying premiums! We have to do Part D (drug plan). Fun and games running the numbers of who will charge you less for any maintenance meds -- two for DH and one for me (Adviar, at $300/mo. retail). This is a cockamamie system we have in the US.