2/20/2017

Thom,

As others frequently comment, thank you for your wonderful radio show! Been listening since a school bus driver in Portland, Oregon in the 00's, now live in New Mexico.

Per your comments about Medicare Advantage plans -- not so fast. Some state Advantage plans are great, like our Presbyterian Medicare Advantage plan here. No premiums, very low copays. Presbyterian receives funding from various private and government sources.

Per your back surgery: Happy it was mostly paid for. I had spine surgery in 2014, just qualified for Medicare two months prior, was volunteering as a feral cat kennel cleaner assistant and also fostered feral kittens that summer.

Former spinal traumatic injury from MVA in 1969 in Oregon while in college. Parents tried to sue driver's insurance after spinal fracture for future back problems. Case lost.

Fortunately ran entire life, seven marathons and multiple shorter races, plus just neighborhood jogging, kept back strong until arthritis set in, weakening L4 disk, which made it susceptable to infection (also greiving significant other at the time).

University of New Mexico neurosurgeon cut out some spinal bone and spent next two months in hospital/rehab on a PICC line (permanent IV) for antibiotics for spinal bacterial infection from feral cats (they receive antibiotics and rabies shots as well as sterilization before being released to their turf; however, I was volunteering with field cats PRIOR to these immunizations and received multiple scratches from handling them).

It required three (3) trips by ambulance (at $200 per trip on Medicare) to ERs, one trip to a primary care (who did no diagnoses) to be FINALLY be given a blood test by a very smart ER nurse (instead of sent home on muscle relaxants), which diagnosed the infection, then an immediate CT scan and MRI after white blood cells detected from blood test, was sent to emergency surgery eight hours later. I was starting to fall down prior to being finally admitted to the hospital from lack of electrolytes. Was too nauseated from infection to eat. After surgery was given a blood transfusion and two bags of potassium.

Total cost of entire hospitalization: $102,000. Was on Blue Cross Advantage Care PPO at the time because could not discern the best Medicare plan when I first qualified and figured "Try this, will work for cough and cold, change plans later." Oops! Life is full of surprises!

Paid about $10,000 out of pocket for that little hospital journey plus an additional $3,500 for a Tempur Pedic motorized bed because could not lie flat after hospital discharge and Medicare does not pay for medical equipment if the patient is considered "ambulatory," (i.e. is not in a wheel chair).

Good thing I was a) on Medicare and b) have a good inheritance to make the copays and still pay for food, utilities, mortgage and five indoor cats and five street cats! (Father was an electrical engineer, made a good living.)

Switched from Blue Cross Advantage Care to Presbyterian (local) Advantage Care upon hospital discharge. Cannot qualify for Medigap supplemental insurance because Medicare patients must apply for supplemental insurance when they first qualify for Medicare. If they do not, they are screened for pre-existing conditions just like individual insurance has always been prior to the ACA.

In fact, living in Oregon most of my adult life, I was without healthcare due to job instability and pre-existing conditions. New Mexico covers a lot more low-income residents with Medicaid (prior to the ACA University of New Mexico healthcare covered low-income residents) than Oregon ever did. Oregon believes they are blue but no, Oregon is NOT blue. There is also a lot of violent crime and racism (and police shootings dating way way back) in Oregon. I was almost murdered there.

We need to stop stereotyping everything. Beliefs become habit and this is dangerous.

Diane Kahl

Democratic Activist for past 20 years in Oregon and NM (former Rainbow Coalition activist in Oregon) and current precinct chair, Bernalillo County Dems, Obama Neighborhood Organizer, 2008/2012, volunteer for three local campaigns in 2016 (Cynthia Hall, Ane Romero, Natalie Figueroa)--$7,000 donations for past three Presidental cycles

Been there, done that!