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Home › Politics

Liz Smith | 09/21/2009 12:00 am

Liz Smith on Medicare: The Pros and Cons

By Liz Smith RSS
Alert me to Liz's new posts
In response to: Among women you know on Medicare, has the program worked well/been successful?
Liz Smith
Most of the women I am friends with are already on Medicare and they seem to be coping quite well in using this great mechanism. This doesn’t say, however, that if we don’t want to go bankrupt we better improve the system. I want to give President Obama’s ideas a chance to do that.
Read more about: Health, health care, medicare, President Barack Obama

10 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Carole Del Monte
Amen. It will take time to untangle and/or relieve our country’s problems, all around. I’m glad that he’s making appearances on TV so that he can respond (& refute) the lies & scare tactics that are being spread around. 
By Carole Del Monte on 09/21/2009 9:22 am
Kim Horton
I want moderation and common sense to rule the Obama’s ideas and at this point I’m seeing extremes that make me feel uncomfortable.  It’s like Bush Sr when he said "Read my lips, no new taxes." and we got hit with more taxes.  I want to know how they want to fund this idea.  I also don’t think it’s right at this point to penalize anyone who can’t afford health insurance.  There are just way to many issues at hand to start slapping people with a "fine".  We’re not talking about paying out for a family like car insurance where maybe liability is 30 - 100 a month, this is one more mandatory bill that many families just can’t afford.  We have state run insurance for kids and my family and I are better off without it.  Why not revamp what is in place at the moment get that going well and THEN make some changes.  I don’t like all of this stuff with feet first and they’ll deal with the consequences later.  We can’t continue to print money that we don’t have!
By Kim Horton on 09/21/2009 4:18 pm
Rachel M
I am going to be able to get on this program in 10 months. I hope it will do well for me. But with the small amts that Medicare is paying medical professionals and facilities, it is possible that the selection of them will go lower then they are already.
By Rachel M on 09/21/2009 5:05 pm
Kim Horton
My mom and grandma are both on it and at this point and time it’s working out for them. 
By Kim Horton on 09/22/2009 7:36 am
Effie Velardo
I have been on it for 5 years I am 70. It works well for me because I am pretty healthy and don’t need prescriptions, and I pay for a supplement through AARP. The problem with that is, it goes up every year. Out of my $838.00 social security check I also have to pay $186.00 for my supplement. Doesn’t leave much to live on, it is all I have so I work at a supermarket 3 days a week. I am not married
By Effie Velardo on 09/25/2009 2:33 pm
Deborah McCool

My husband and I are both on Medicare, and a  supplemental  insurance.  It  costs us around $577  a month.  However we also have a drug plan, which costs $180 a  year.  Were it not for a  State supplement, we  would be in serious financial trouble, due to the fact that I have very expensive drug costs.  For the first 3 months of the year, I have to pay a co-pay of  40% for each prescription, which always forces us to use a  credit card, until the supplement picks up, around March of the new year.  So basically we start off every year in  hole.(Or as  Medicare calls it the doughnut hole).  Medicare is  slightly cheaper than our  private insurance used to be.

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By Deborah McCool on 09/25/2009 4:36 pm
Effie Velardo
I have a sister who is obese and diabetic, and a friend who has to take many prescriptions it is not good for either of them, They cannot afford the medications they need to survive. If you have Medicare A, B, and D you still have to pay for prescriptions and what you  pay for all three is a lot of your social security check
By Effie Velardo on 09/25/2009 2:36 pm
Trina Dixon
I will be eligible for medicare in November. I currently have no health insurance. I have Lupus, Fibromyalgia and I suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The information I received from medicaid was so confusing. The prescription plan is not a huge concern because most of my medicine costs $4 at the hospital pharmacy. Can anyone give me a little insight into medicare basic plan?
By Trina Dixon on 09/26/2009 1:16 am