Sorry it's been so long but I've been VERY busy these past weeks!! You know, the MESS we are in right now, is so very complicated! The problems we have did not come about overnight, and are not solely the blame of one party or President or within the past few years. They have been mounting for many, many years and are far beyond what is being discussed these days. But, the problem, as I see it, and am guessing regarding the lack of doctors in any government-run health-care system is that without a promise of monetary reward for services provided, many of our young people will see no advantage of incuring serious debt, to be educated for a field that is and will be lacking the incentive of 'significant' income. It's the way it is! Real life, tells us that unless someone has a 'carrot' dangling to spur them on a very hard course, they will settle for medicority, since it's the easier course. Most physicians, enter the field in horrendous debt because the extended years of their required education. Not ALL doctors are living 'the dream' of financial wealth, at least not early on. If they 'seem' to be, it is most likely that they are living in increased debt to have the lifestyle they want to project indicating 'success' they hope to achieve, but like many in our culture today, are living WAY BEYOND THEIR MEANS. Those who are now in the system as doctors who have been in the saddle for awhile, are already scheduling stacked appts., where 4 or 5 persons are coming in at the same time. Most are seeing Physicians assistants when they do finally get in the examining rooms and will only see the physician if it is an extremely serious situation! It's how they are already preparing to handle the reduced income they will experience with a government plan, hoping to increase their profit by doubling and tripling and more their patient load on any given day. As far as some of the benefits or 'advantages' of our Advantage plan we will lose, there are a few of the comparisons that come to mind. But, we have a THICK book on our benefits as compared to regular Medicare, and unfortunately I just don't have the time to relay all of that to you on this forum. You can go to Anthem's Medicare Advantage site and read what they have to offer, if you're interested--we're very happy with our plan through them. Here are some of the comparisons of Medicare Advantage to government run Medicare: Better co-pays, i.e. $30 for specialist and $15 for primary care as compared to 20% of the billing under Medicare. With Medicare Plan D you pay extra for a drug plan, above the $97, and a deductible amount along with copays while with the Advantage plan it is included at no extra charge, (under the same $97 deducted from SS check) with a copay as well! With Medicare Plan D (drug plan) you have a deductible but not with Med. Ad. Medicare--Covers med. and hospital cost depending on which of the plans, A or B you choose. With Med-Ad you have all plans under one head, with lower over-all costs, not sourced out with separate entities you have to deal with and having add'tl paper work and costs involved. Free gym membership at the YMCA included with Med-Ad.!! Now, if hubby COULD only use it, it would be wonderful!!!

After working for UCSF for 7 years (not all full time and a maternity leave in there), I moved to another state after doing careful calculations about being "vested" in the Univ of CA retirement plan. "Vesting" was based on 5 years of 40 hr/wk work and I worked 36 hr weeks (3 x 12 hr) and took some time off for grad school and a baby. After I left I was told that I was not vested due to inadequate hours; this was apparently due to a clerical error I had suffered for the first few months I worked there, when they erroneously put me down as a "per-diem" (as opposed to "benefitted") employee. In order to prove that that was in error, I had to provide those paystubs including the one with the "correction". I'm so glad that I had obsessively filed those paystubs for direct deposit in chronological order and was able to put my hand on it, copy it and mail it to them. As a result, I will have several hundred dollars each month in retirement that I wouldn't have otherwise. Retirement's a long way away, but not something to be toyed with. Besides, I'm sure my daughter will laugh at the "measly" $18/hr I was being paid at the time as a new nurse. When my father died, I found sheets of yellow legal paper in his files accounting how much money he had found on the street since the 1950's: "1972 79 cents, 1973 $10.41" etc. Although amusing, it wasn't needed, but all his files were exceedingly better maintained than mine. I am nervous about going to "paperless" systems in case I were to be hit by a truck tomorrow. My mother would need an extensive list of passwords and websites to access my retirement plans (to even know about them) and other accounts. My ex is not a reliable source of info, and doesn't have a clue about what accounts I now have (and wouldn't help her if he knew). You're not supposed to write down those passwords after all. My mother has been made the beneficiary of my retirement accounts, because I know she will properly use the money for my daughter. I will change all of that in 10 years or so when DD is old enough.

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions. I talked to my friend and told him that I just couldn't take on the treasurer position. I also told him that I realized that he needed someone to get a few things set up initially and I'd help with that over the next week or so. He texted me this morning to say that there is no one else who wants to be treasurer. I told him again that I'm just unable to do anything beyond maybe the next couple of weeks. I've managed to make a few small but good steps. I organized my messy sweater drawers by weight so I can find what I need in the mornings. Our weather swings can be pretty big here - it can be in the 50's one day and the 70's the next. Having my wool sweaters separated from the thinner cotton ones is a help. I also organized my scarves and pashminas, by color. I wear my pashminas basically year-round, as scarves in fall/winter and as a shawl in spring/summer. Both of these have helped my mornings go more smoothly. I've mostly cleaned the car out and am planning to finish that and to take it in for service and to have it detailed in the next week or so. Although I've never been one who likes to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I noticed that some of my recipes just take too long to prep and cook. Right now I'm focusing on using my crock pot and pressure cooker to streamline meals and also cooking enough so we have leftovers, freeing up more time in the evenings. I'm trying to make time for myself by picking out some craft projects I really want to get to and making sure I have supplies, etc. I managed one simple one of making some wine charms. It felt good, though, because I've had the supplies for a couple of years now and just hadn't gotten around to the project. I'm planning to start back with weight lifting and running this week because I've noticed that I've been neglecting myself to take care of everyone else. I'm taking time today to attend a cooking class at Williams Sonoma with a friend. I have a lot left to do. One of my goals is to get what is supposed to be my craft room cleaned out and actually set up to be a craft room. Unfortunately, during some very busy times, it became a catch-all room. DH and I are discussing the possibility of getting rid of our satellite tv, partly to save money and party because we realized that we may be watching tv more out of habit than anything else. He would prefer to read or play video games. I want to focus on my organizing and crafts. I need to give up something, and tv is much less important than the other things. We only watch a few shows anyway. It would be a win-win, saving time and money.

It seems like everyone's experience with this issue is different. My agent used to work for State Farm. He had to come over and take a picture to ensure that we had 100 amp service. He stated that it's not the K&T wiring that's the danger, it's that a lot of old houses have 50 amp or even lower service from the street which can lead to big problems. My agent started his own independent agency and he's switching my insurance companies. The new one needed a picture of the electrical box, too, to ensure that it was 100 amp service and that it was not overloaded. K&T wouldn't have been a problem, but probably would have increased my premium. The house was built in 1910 but all new electric. My agent stated that if the insurance companies, especially up here in the north, stopped writing policies for homes with K&T, they'd be out of business. It may be different in areas without a lot of housing, but it's very true - almost every house built before the war, and some after, have K&T and the vast majority of housing stock in this area (Cleveland) was built before that, and most electrical has not been replaced. He did state that the problem is that the service from the street isn't upgraded so people are trying to run all of today's appliances and electronics off of a 30 or 50 amp service. If you do have K&T wiring, and the insurance company isn't aware, you need to tell them. If something happens, they can deny your coverage. Even if something happens that wasn't related to wiring, if they see that you neglected to tell them that you had K&T, it could be grounds for canceling the policy. It all depends on how the policy is written, how it is applied, etc. Lots of issues there. At least up here, State Farm is excellent about covering older homes. Also, you are right on your assumption about not calling and asking "hypothetical" questions. Some agents are required by their employers to report any such questions to the insurance company. It's kind of shady, if you ask me!