Well I have decided to finally swallow the big pill called PRIDE, and start the application process for SSDI. I don't know why that's been such a big deal - it's not like I'm doing anything wrong. I do have parkinson's after all. It's not like I'm going to wake up in the morning and it's going to be gone. I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with before I start. 1) Right now i have great health benefits through my husband's job ( thank you God!). Once I get approved for SSDI - you know, in a year or two, - will I still be able to use his medical benefits for doctor's visits and Rx. I think the answer is yes but I figured I better check to be sure. 2) After you have been on SSDI for i believe 24 months, you are eligible for Medicare. Does that mean you have to go on Medicare? I mean, Medicare might be advantageous in some cases but if it doesn't cover prescription drugs, that could be really bad. I don't see any advantage to getting SSDI and then having to spend the whole thing on my meds. How exactly does Medicare work with SSDI? I just don't want to make the wrong decision about applying and end up worse off that I am now, in the future. At the same time, my family could use some money since my energy is zapped and my brain is muddled which makes working impossible. Any advice?? Debra ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn