Today I had a challenging day dealing with Medicare and my brain that just doesn't understand things
July 24, 2018 (Chapter 14 Comprehension Problems in my book)
I have been on disability since early 2016 and have also been on Medicaid. At the end of last year, I got a letter stating that I was going to be switched from Medicaid to Medicare starting Dec. 1, 2017. If I could only figure it all out, it would really be helpful and less frustrating for me!
What I know is when I was on Medicaid, it didn't cost me anything for the medical and I had small copays when I went to the doctor. My medications were also very reasonable and affordable. After about two months of social security taking out $134. a month out of my SSD check to pay for Medicare part something, I was able to meet with a social worker. She had me apply for a program that I qualified for and now I have that money back in my check. Now I'm trying to figure out what Medicare covers and what it doesn't.
Towards the end of last year, Medicare sent me a very large book explaining the benefits. I think that I opened this book only once, but quickly closed it.
Because I live with a memory impairment, I refer to these large books as “text overload”. In other words, it is impossible for me to pull out the important information that I need to know. I stopped reading books for enjoyment about ten years ago because I can no longer remember what I read from one page to the next and sometimes from one paragraph to the next. Then add the problems with my comprehension and it is an impossible task!
Today, I called Medicare to find out if they covered physicals at my primary care and I was told that that it covers “annual wellness visits” one hundred percent. So, after I got off the phone with them, I called my primary care office. When I told them why I was calling, they explained that Medicare doesn't cover physicals, so I would have to pay twenty percent of the visit. Since I still have a balance with them, they wouldn't let me make an appointment, but I can't afford the twenty percent anyway.
They transferred me to their billing department and someone told me that my account was going to collection because it was older than sixty days. I am only able to afford to make very small payments on this account each month, but they wanted me to set up twenty-five-dollar payments per month that I can't afford. I started crying and I told her that I really wished that I could do that, but it is just not possible because I don't have the money. She told me to relax and asked me if she could give the social worker my name and phone number so they could call me tomorrow. I told her that would be okay. Feeling frustrated!!!