Aged to Perfection: health care

Sunday, December 1, 2013

A cause for celebration?

It's December 1st.

The day I qualify for Medicare.....

....which is a day to celebrate, right?

Some may be asking WHY I feel this way, as it simply means I am technically "OLD" in the estimation of many.

For some reason, I never thought I'd get here. Strange, because I am a very healthy person. (Just ask one of my close friends who was amazed that I hadn't had cause to see a doctor since 2009. She still tells people about her OLDER, healthy friend.)

So, here's to me: I'm now able to reap the benefits of all those deductions from my pay over the years. And I don't feel "old." Inside my head I'm still 25; actually, I'm having more fun now than I did when I was that young. I know how to enjoy myself, as well as how important it is to appreciate the small things that can add beauty and sparkle to our lives every day.

And I'm still coherent enough to figure out all the crazy Medicare paperwork to make it happen!

Cheers!

Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough.

Groucho Marx

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.

George Burns

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.

George Burns

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old.

George Burns

Monday, September 9, 2013

A, B, C, and D......it can't be!

There isn't any funny way to say this. And I'm not really laughing too much myself right now.

I applied for Medicare the other day.

Oh, my......

How did this happen? I'm about 25 in my head, complete with fantasies of all kinds as well as a full work load and an active life.

I can remember (yes, I DO remember most things) when any discussion about people over about 45 resulted in an inner shudder, thinking about all those OLD folks, decripit and wizened gnomes who could hardly get from armchair to the potty much less from the gym to a country bar. (Fill in the blanks as to why I chose that comparison, which only extends my point.) To be 65 must be practically dead, for pete's sake!

And now, here I am, a few months shy of that dreaded year myself.

Oh, my......

The application process wasn't bad, once I opened all the envelopes that had been arriving in my mailbox for months now. First, I had to read long enough to get into the zone of bureaucratic lingo, you know the one where they use 25 words to say something that really only requires about 10, and includes enough acronyms to sink an alphabet? But once I was there, and knew the difference between Parts A, B, C, and D, I went onto the official website and registered in about 15 minutes. I do think they need some nursery rhyme-type jingle to aid in retaining it all, though. It works for little kids, and I've heard tell that senior citizens often revert to the behavior of children, so maybe it would help? Just a suggestion......

There isn't any way possible I can be eligible for Medicare, though. There just isn't. This is going to take some getting used to.

I'll let you know how it goes.

We've put more effort into helping folks reach old age than into helping them enjoy it. ~ Frank A. Clark