A Choice for Democrats, Medicare Switching Information and a Scary Halloween Story (belatedly)

                                   

What Seniors on Medicare Should Know By December 7

Seniors:  Adding to the comments in the preceding (Nov. 10) posting, senior citizens should recognize the difference between 

(1) Medicare Advantage Plans and 

(2) Traditional Medicare with a Medigap Supplement to cover some of that which Medicare does not cover. 

Generally, Traditional Medicare with (or without) a Medigap supplement is accepted by any physician or hospital which accepts Medicare patients. That includes most doctors and hospitals.

A Medicare Advantage Plan, on the other hand, while less expensive and sometimes even providing additions benefits such as dental, optical, fitness and prescription coverage, provides a directory of physicians and hospitals which an insured may use.  While these lists are usually very comprehensive, it is conceivable that all local medical providers and hospitals may not be included, and those with such policies should be aware that some renowned institutions such as M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston and Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York do not accept Medicare Advantage Plans, while they do accept Traditional Medicare and Medigap supplements.   

Summing it all up:

Those on Medicare with Medicare Advantage Plans or Part D Prescription Drug Plans can switch them to other Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug plans without evidence of insurability up until December 7.

Switching back into Traditional Medicare from a Medicare Advantage Plan is only possible from January 1 to February 15 (the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period) and with some exceptions, the availability of a Medigap policy to supplement Traditional Medicare will require evidence of insurability. 

Similarly, those who already have Traditional Medicare and want to switch the company providing their Medigap policy (all of which are standardized, but which vary in premium by company) usually have to provide evidence of insurability (health questions) in order to get a Medigap policy from a different insurance company. 

Those with Traditional Medicare, if they find the cost of a Medigap Supplement too expensive,  can switch over to Medicare Advantage Plans up until December 7. 

www.medicare.gov is the gateway to much more information on this subject.

Jack Lippman

                                                 
A Choice For the Democratic Party

The choice between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party should not be like choosing between a Ford or a Chevrolet, or as it was in the old days in New York, shopping at Macy’s or at Gimbel’s (which is long gone.)  It should not be a matter of “six of one or a half dozen of the other.”

The Democratic Party, in order to recover from its recent defeats at the polls, must recover its identity and once again become the party of FDR, of Lyndon Johnson, of Harry Truman, and what JFK might have been, had he lived.   Despite Bill Clinton’s victories, he was just a Democratic Gimbel’s opposing a Republican Macy’s.  That’s why Hillary Clinton might not be the right choice in 2016 and why the Democrats should be looking elsewhere, perhaps toward Elizabeth Warren, who seems to be the logical heir to traditional Democratic progresivism.  

 

Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Cllinton

If, as repeated polling suggests, the majority of the American people really support a government “safety net,” watchful regulation of the financial world, better health care, preserving the environment, gun control, a humane immigration policy, improved public education, racial and gender equality and such “liberal” positions, they will show up at the polls and return to the Democratic Party only if that party proudly endorses these things.  And if the voters still choose the G.O.P., at least the Democrats will have nothing to be ashamed of, as some of its 2014 losers should.

JL

                                                         
                                                      

This year, I missed seeking out a Halloween story from my archives, but here's one.  Excuse it being a couple of weeks late. 

Graveyard At Midnight           

 Jack Lippman   

                            

“I’m not afraid to walk through a graveyard at midnight, Joel! Definitely not,” the pretty girl declared.

“But on Halloween, it’s different, Judy,” her lanky teenage boyfriend answered.  “That’s when ghosts and goblins come out, and graves open up, and all kinds of weird things happen. That’s when you have to watch out for witches and vampires and that kind of thing. You gotta be scared of that.”

She looked at her boyfriend and smiled. “Joel,” she said, “Cemeteries are where they bury dead people, and once they’re buried, they stay buried. And we all know there are no such things as ghosts and goblins. Sure, we’ve all heard stories about them, but really, do you know of anybody who actually ever saw one? I wonder about people who believe in the supernatural. Joel, honey, I thought you were too smart for that.”

“Then you’ll come with me tonight? You won’t be afraid to walk through the cemetery with me tonight at midnight?”?

“It’s a date,” Judy replied sweetly. “But don’t expect me to be shaking with fear and seeing a ghost behind every tombstone. It just won’t happen.”

“We’ll see,” Joel answered.

And so, later that evening, Judy and Joel, holding hands, walked through the gates of Evergreen Cemetery at the edge of town. It was an old cemetery, and not very well maintained, but there was enough moonlight breaking through the blackish grey clouds overhead to illuminate the tombstones, many of which tilted drunkenly at crazy angles. The pair’s footsteps made crunchy sounds as they stepped on the fallen leaves which covered the ground; the branches of the gnarled trees which had sprouted over the years throughout the graveyard danced in the chill breeze.

 

“Spooky, isn’t it?” whispered Joel as he put his arm around Judy’s shoulders, holding her closer as they walked.

“Not at all, Joel, and believe me, although I enjoy having your arm around me, I’m not looking to you for any protection. Really, I’m not scared at all, but if you like, we can snuggle a little closer. That would make me happy.”

After about half an hour of exploring the cemetery, the two paused to catch their breath, sitting down on the steps of a weather-beaten mausoleum. Joel turned to Judy and looked into her eyes, which were sparkling with anticipation. Their lips met and they kissed, first tentatively and then with great passion. She could not get enough of him. As they kissed, Judy caressed Joel’s cheek and ran her soft fingers over his chin and gently stroked his neck. Joel slipped his hands under Judy’s jacket, and began to unbutton her blouse. 

Brushing her lips across his cheek, then under his jaw and now tenderly licking his neck, Judy felt an insatiable thirst for Joel, which was satisfied only when she finally opened her mouth wide, grasping his jugular vein between her incisors, and began tasting of his blood.

                                                               

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