i hope USA pd patients realize that Medicare is available for those  
disabled under 65.  There are a few requirements.  They say it is hard  
to qualify for Medicare under 65 years old being disabled, but we  
didn't find it too hard.  if anyone would like help with this, please  
let me know.

Once on Medicare, alan didn't buy a Medicare supplement plan because  
supplement plan A (not talking about Medicare Part A) was the only one  
available to those disabled under 65 and i didn't find that plan had a  
lot of savings for it's monthly cost, so alan only has Medicare parts  
A & B and he pays the deductibles as needed.  He also a Medicare part  
D drug plan that costs $37 month and has rx drug copays until he  
reaches the donut hole.

We didn't buy a Medicare advantage plan, because the copays in these  
plans, made our annual out of pocket higher then what we are paying  
now, which is 20% of the Medicare approved amount after the Part B  
$135 deductible for doctor office visits and lab needs, and we never  
have experienced anything over the 20%.   the Medicare Part A hospital  
deductible we take a chance on and if he needs a hospital stay, then  
we fork over the $1068 deductible. (incredible deal compared to  
individual coverage under 65)  he goes to any hospital he wants to  
pretty much, altho some specialists do not accept Medicare (but they  
do accept individual coverage, as payments to doctors are higher).  is  
this a perfect scenario, no.  there is a parkinson's neurologists in  
houston i would like to take him to, but alan doesn't want to go and  
that doctor is 5 hours away.  alan could sign up for the Texas risk  
pool under 65, but monthly premiums are way too expensive, unless he  
had a dbs and then we might consider a switch to the risk pool.
at this time, alan does not want dbs.

the medicare rx drug plan helps for a while, before the donut hole,  
usually in August for us, which my husband is in right now, so we are  
now paying 100% of the costs of the drugs, and we still have another  
refill before the end of the year.  we must really shop around for his  
medications now.  just last week, comtan and plavix ending up costing  
us $800 because we waited to long to refill and had to buy a 10 days  
supply while waiting for mail order, and that put us in the donut  
hole.  canadian drug prices have risen this year so our best deal was  
still thru our mail order here in the USA.

i am a licensed insurance agent in texas and wisconsin and i  
specialize in health plans under 65 and over 65

by the way, my velvet beans mucana pruriens, are growing feverishly  
and are now being covered with their beautiful velvet ~ it won't be  
long until harvest.   i have 26 plants.  i tried to find the great  
article from dr. jim slattery on harvest and testing but can't find  
it:<(  please resend if possible.  thank you:>)  i know you can pull a  
picture of the plant up on google, but i am trying to make a youtube  
video so you can see them in Texas.

caregivers, i recently was able to have 3 weeks of respite care, as  
alan's daughter and her family in Illinois, had alan up for a visit.   
this was a first.  he got to spend quality time with his grandkids and  
daughter and her husband and i got to focus on me and my business.  i  
sort of hibernated and worked on my website zapfinsurance.com (still  
have a long ways to go), spent time on my mac making a tribute dvd and  
have to say, i recharged:>)  if you have family, ask for help and you  
may just receive it.

i am thankful to be on this exchange, as each day i usually read  
something that makes a difference in our lives.  i wish alan liked to  
read more, but he has always struggled with reading and now it is  
harder then ever.  occasionally, i'll pull this exchange up and show  
him some messages on the tv, but everything takes time. he is getting  
better at working on the internet and doing this himself.

patti cg

On Aug 29, 2009, at 10:49 AM, Rick McGirr wrote:

> Gee whiz, I've been really good about getting into arguments about  
> politics
> and religion on this listserv.  But I simply have to say, Ernesto,  
> that
> you'll have to go a lot farther in explaining just how Barack Obama  
> is a
> socialist, or how he's turning the US into a socialist state.  The  
> rumor
> mills like Fox Network's "unfair and out-of-balance" reporting, and
> rabble-rousers like Rush Limbaugh (who calls himself an entertainer)  
> and
> like Redstate.org, have caused much misunderstanding and unnecessary
> difficulty in discussing something as complex as how to better the
> healthcare system.  For example, the marine in the first video you  
> posted
> did a great job spanking the polite congressman's ass til it was  
> bright
> pink, but he didn't have his facts straight, nor did he know his  
> history
> well.  Nazi Germany was absolutely not a socialist state.  It was a  
> fascist
> state, and Hitler made sure that only the industry owners that were  
> loyal to
> him would profit.  Nothing could resemble socialism less than the  
> Third
> Reich.  And the marine was apparently enraged about how the rep.  
> phrased his
> statement that you will have the option of keeping the current plan  
> that
> you're on.  But I'm not sure what he was mad about.  And of course the
> neo-con media machine has this misguided marine on all the talk shows
> nationwide, and they hammer home the scare tactics and misinformation.
>
> Introducing the govt. plan would hopefully serve to control  
> skyrocketing
> healthcare costs, and it would also provide for the many poor who  
> can't
> afford adequate healthcare.  Is America to be a place where we no  
> longer
> care for these poor folks?  Aren't they part of the American  
> family?  I
> would say that families are more than a little socialistic, do you  
> see?  Can
> you tell us why it would be bad for us to have more options, and why  
> would
> it be bad to introduce more competition in the healthcare and  
> insurance
> markets?  Can you tell us that those who can't afford healthcare  
> should be
> turned away?
>
> These days, I have to be careful not to waste any pills, because my  
> pharmacy
> and my insurance co. is so tight with the refills that I might have to
> actually run out before I can get any more.  There are some that I  
> take
> electively that I would like to get more of, but I can't because my
> insurance only covers 4 pills per month. Four!  For more, on the  
> open market
> today I would pay $75 per pill! Anyway, without my wife's health  
> insurance,
> I certainly wouldn't be taking any meds for my PD, because I  
> wouldn't be
> able to afford the average $600 per bottle (times four medications,
> refilling every 30 days) When I go to the doctor, he doesn't have  
> time to
> talk to me, because he has all his visits timed to so many minutes per
> patient, and if I'm completing a sentence when the time runs out,  
> too bad.
> He's gone.  If there's anyone I would suspect of caring more about
> controlling cost to maximize profit, it's the insurers and drug  
> companies.
> Many doctors feel compelled to limit the care they give their  
> patients due
> to the profit analysis that their medical group subjects them to.  The
> Merck/GDNF fiasco is ample evidence of drug company hegemony and
> indifference.
>
> If you are lucky enough to have your medical needs satisfied with your
> present insurance, I am glad for you.  You are among the fortunate  
> few.  The
> rest of us look at the system now, and it looks to us like an  
> oligarchy of
> the corporations.
>
> In other words, if you are afraid of rationed care and limited  
> coverage,
> look around.  That's the way it is today.  The monster called "Profit
> Motive" has complete control of the healthcare system.  Obama's idea  
> is to
> change that somewhat.  Is this not a good thing?
>
> Enjoy!
> Rick McGirr
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ernesto Divo
> Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 2:07 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Bad Moon Rising
>
> Small segment of the population...? Sir/madam, allow me to differ, I  
> believe
> you are confused and are trying to turn a political issue into a  
> racial one.
> It has nothing to do with race, rather, it has to do with the fact  
> that our
> president has done more in 8 months to turn our country into a  
> socialist
> state than Venezuela's Hugo Chavez has done in 10 yrs in that, now
> socialist, South American country.  I know, I was born there and,  
> also think
> I know a little about this, our country, have been bleeding Red,  
> White and
> Blue for the past 40 yrs. As you probably are aware, my, your  
> president's
> ratings have been going down dramatically in the last few months,  
> even us
> democrats have turned away from supporting him, as issues, way too  
> many to
> enumerate here, have been exposed in the media and town meetings which
> makes us older, disabled folks take a second look at these proposed  
> very
> expensive, socialist changes.
>
> Below, a couple of videos for your perousal.
>
> YouTube - Town Hall Meeting with U.S. Congressman Brian
> Baird<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rRE5UK6NQU&feature=player_em>
>
> http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Ernesto
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 12, 2009 at 12:25 AM, (Stacey) (Collins)
> <[log in to unmask]>wrote:
>
>> WOW
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Thank  God for the second amendment
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Ernesto Divo <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Sent: Mon, Aug 10, 2009 9:16 pm
>> Subject: Re: Bad Moon Rising
>>
>>
>>
>> If ever there was any doubt, this removes it all.
>>
>> Gotta read it all, hits the nail right on the head...
>> *This is the article that ran in Pravda on April 27 of this year.   
>> The
>> irony
>> f this article appearing in the English edition of Pravda (Russian  
>> State
>> ewspaper) defies description.*
>> **
>>
>> *American capitalism** gone with a whimper *
>>
>> American capitalism gone with a whimper *
>> It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American
>> descent
>> nto Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back  
>> drop
> of
>> passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.
>> True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past
> century,
>> specially the past twenty years. The initial testing grounds was  
>> conducted
>> pon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would  
>> not
>> ust roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how  
>> much
>> oney Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.
>> Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American
>> opulacefor the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of
>> heir elites
>> nd betters.
>> First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and
> substandard
>> ducation system based on pop culture, rather than the classics.  
>> Americans
>> now more about their favo
>> rite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly
>> ffects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a
>> cDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional
>> ights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and  
>> about our
>> democracy". Pride blinds the foolish.
>> Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all  
>> tens of
>> housands of different "branches and denominations" were for the  
>> most part
>> ittle more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top
> Protestant
>> ega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and  
>> flocks to
> be
>> n the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another.  
>> Their
>> locks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the  
>> "winning"
>> ide, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for  
>> earthly
>> ower. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in
>> merica .
>> The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His  
>> speed
> in
>> he past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and  
>> money
>> rinting has been a record setting, not just in America 's short  
>> history
> but
>> n the world. If this keeps up for more than another year, and there  
>> is no
>> ign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar  
>> Republic
> and
>> t worst Zimbabwe ..
>> These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First  
>> came
>> the
>> nnouncement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax  
>> system, by
>> he very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and sw
>> indles of
>> undreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look
>> ittle more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the  
>> Americans
>> ave beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate
>> hem?
>> These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of  
>> appointees
>> icked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are  
>> now
>> orging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout  
>> after
>> nother. They are also usurping the rights, duties and powers of the
>> merican congress (parliament) . Again, congress has put up little  
>> more
> than
>> whimper to their masters.
>> Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors)  
>> president step
>> own from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader,  
>> in the
>> and of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the  
>> power, the
>> elf given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of  
>> private
>> ompanies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his
>> inions.
>> So it should be no surprise, that the American president has  
>> followed this
>> p with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of  
>> unelected,
>> hosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and  
>> will
>> ven be the guarantor of automobile policies. I am sure that if  
>> given the
>> hance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the  
>> world,
>> oo. Prime Minister Putin, less than two months ago, warned Obama  
>> and UK 's
>> lair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster.
>> pparently, even though20we suffered 70 years of this Western  
>> sponsored
>> orror show, we know nothing as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our
> "wise"
>> nglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.
>> Again, the American public has taken this with barely a  
>> whimper...but a
>> freeman" whimper.
>> So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democrat  
>> controlled
>> ongress of America is working on passing a new regulations that  
>> would give
>> he American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum  
>> salaries,
>> valuate performance and control how private companies give out pay  
>> raises
>> nd bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his
>> omosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American  
>> societal
>> orm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only  
>> not a
>> ooked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and  
>> his
>> arxist enlightenment, has led this effort. He stresses that this only
>> ffects companies that receive government monies, but it is  
>> retroactive and
>> aken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or  
>> industry that
>> as ever received a tax break or incentive.
>> The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look
>> houghtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down  
>> and
>> leeing the land of the Red as fast as possible.. In other words,  
>> divest
>> hile there is still value left.  The proud American will go down  
>> into his
>> lavery without a fight, beating his chest and proclaiming to the  
>> world,
> how
>> ree he really is. The world will only snicker.
>> *Stanislav
>> Mishin*C 1999-2009. <PRAVDA.Ru>. When reproducing our materials
>> n whole or in part, hyperlink to PRAVDA.Ru should be made. The  
>> opinions
> and
>> iews of the authors do not always coincide with the point of view of
>> RAVDA.Ru's editors.
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 4:15 AM, rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>  
>> wrote:
>>> I don't know who the author of this piece is, except for the URL,  
>>> but I
>> totally agree with it and can only beg you to read the bill,  
>> especially
>> the
>> section that starts on page 425 re living wills.
>> http://docs.house.gov/edlabor/AAHCA-BillText-071409.pdf
>> Peg Willocks had a great idea about us reading the bill.   Let's do  
>> it!!
>>
>> I heard Glenn Beck try to cover his butt this past week in case we  
>> have
>> another Dr. Tiller killing.
>>
>> Ray
>>
>> Source:  http:/deepbraindiary.com
>>
>> Bad Moon Rising
>> August 8, 2009, 9:18AM
>>
>> What does it say about America when a small portion of the population
>> believes their president wants to kill them?
>>
>> What does it say about this segment of the population when they  
>> sincerely
>> believe this ludicrous idea, even though they can't point to a  
>> THING in
>> the
>> Obama health care reform plan that supports it?
>>
>> What does it say about our country that people -- GOOD people who pay
>> their
>> taxes and love their children and contribute to society in a  
>> positive way
>> --
>> are so willing to believe that an innocent plan to reimburse  
>> doctors for
>> having end-of-life discussions once every five years with patients  
>> who
>> REQUEST such a discussion mean
>> s Obama will have "death panels" to decide
>> who
>> lives and who dies?
>>
>> What does it say about a segment of our society when people with a  
>> vested
>> interest in maintaining the status quo can fool them into believing  
>> their
>> lie when a simple look at the proposed legislation would expose these
>> lies?
>>
>> Why is it easier for this segment of the population to believe their
>> president wants to smother them with pillows, rip babies from their
>> bellies,
>> and send those deemed "unproductive" to the gas chambers than it is  
>> for
>> them
>> to read the bill for themselves and come to a reasonable, logical
> decision
>> of what is IN the bill... not what they are TOLD is in the bill?
>>
>> What does it say about these so-called opinion leaders like  
>> Limbaugh and
>> Hannity and Beck and Dobbs and others who say Obama is a Nazi and the
>> health
>> care logo looks like a Nazi symbol and compare a plan to provide  
>> health
>> care
>> for those who can not afford it and those with pre-existing  
>> conditions
> who
>> can not GET it to the HOLOCAUST -- the most evil act of man against  
>> man
> in
>> the history of the planet?
>>
>> I'm not afraid of Islamofascists.  I don't worry about isolated  
>> Muslim
>> terror cells causing acts of terrorism in America.  I don't fear
>> foreigners.
>> I fear these Americans who are willing to believe that their  
>> president
>> wants
>> to kill their grandmothers and their babies.  I fear these so-called
>> "patriots" who believe liars like Sarah Palin who tells them that  
>> Obama
>> wants=2
>> 0to kill her Downs Syndrome baby.  I fear these
>> intellectually-challenged mouth-breathing shouting idiots, like  
>> Minnesota
>> Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann who believes Obama wants to kill ME
>> because
>> I have Parkinson's disease.
>>
>> Noise is noise.  Demonstrations are demonstrations.  But evil is
> pervasive
>> and progressive.  First, they shout.  Then, they hit.  Then they  
>> damage
>> property.  Then... they start killing people.
>>
>> That is what I fear.  Not some nameless, faceless Islamofascist  
>> with a
>> dirty
>> bomb.  I fear some right-wing lunatic with a high-powered rifle who  
>> will
>> try
>> to invalidate a legitimate election with a single bullet because the
>> voices
>> on the radio TOLD him to.  I fear a group of self-styled "freedom
>> fighters"
>> who -- inspired by Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann -- will pack a
> rental
>> truck with fertilizer and diesel fuel and park it in front of ANOTHER
>> federal building and blow it up in the name of "Liberty."
>>
>> And I'm not the only one who fears this.  The ultra-right wing  
>> Pajamas
>> Media
>> hate site, home for some of the most virulent, hate-filled  
>> commentary,
> has
>> posted a boilerplate warning to those who would add a thought to the
>> comment
>> section...
>>
>> Pajamas Media appreciates your comments that abide by the following
>> guidelines:
>>
>> 1. Avoid profanities or foul language unless it is contained in a
>> necessary
>> quote or is relevant to the comment.
>> 2. Stay on topic.
>> 3. Disagree, but avoid ad-hominem attacks.
>> 4. Hate speech is not tolerated he
>> re.
>> 5. Threats are treated seriously and reported to law enforcement.
>>
>> These guidelines are very general and cannot cover every possible
>> situation.
>> Please don't assume that Pajamas Media management agrees with or
> otherwise
>> endorses any particular comment. We reserve the right to filter or  
>> delete
>> comments or to deny posting privileges entirely at our discretion.  
>> If you
>> feel your comment was filtered inappropriately, please email us at
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>> They feel this will cover them from a liability standpoint in case
> someone
>> takes seriously what they publish in their articles and decides to  
>> act on
>> it.  Stories like, "Obama wants to get your e-mail address if you
> disagree
>> with him so he can persecute you."
>>
>> When something bad happens and the pushing and shoving at the town  
>> halls
>> escaltes into real violence, and the unthinkable happens... you  
>> know what
>> I
>> mean by that... these same people who have stoked the violence and  
>> fanned
>> it
>> and nurtured the hatred that led to it will scratch their heads in  
>> wonder
>> and tell you it wasn't their fault.  They were just "talking."   
>> They were
>> just "expressing an opinion."
>>
>> At some point, we have to ask ourselves when this constant fanning of
>> irrational hatred and paranoia and tweaking of the fear and  
>> emotions of
>> stupid people who fear the unknown and hate the fact that we have an
>> African
>> American as president equates to "shouting fire in a crowded  
>> theater."
>>
>> And we'd better do it soon.
>>
>> See more at
>> http://deepbraindiary.com
>>
>> Rayilyn Brown
>> Director AZNPF
>> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
>> [log in to unmask]
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