This is nonsense. The Build Back Better bill (the reconciliation bill) EXPANDS MEDICARE to age 60 and expands Medicare coverage of hearing, optometry, dental etc.Biden could get through expanded Medicare for the elderly. Even my Trumpster neighbor who vehemently opposes socialized medicine likes that idea. But I only hear Sanders talking about it. Biden is stuck on other things like free college and subsidized daycare that will not get enough support.
Trees don't grow on money
That article was full of so much WTF.
They should have moved to a cheaper location. Get a part time job (both of them).
They present as people who like to live in pretty, interesting places.Don’t we all.Originally Posted by Tradd
They might be able to qualify for senior subsidized housing at that income level, I don’t know.
Last edited by iris lilies; 10-21-21 at 8:53am.
That isn't an expensive location though.
If the book sells at all, I think it's not because it's what people think: how to plan a comfortable retirement, but rather a book on how to be poor in America and get by, for those who don't have much experience in such.
Trees don't grow on money
Well, I went and bought the Kindle book for 2.99 after looking at the intro, thought it looked interesting. We will see.
One of our lifelong friends had bought a house in our town back in 1983, and he paid about $50K. He was an ironworker and got badly injured in a terrible accident, lucky he wasn't killed, probably about 30 years ago. He got a settlement, and used some of the money to pay off his mortgage. He married a woman about 10 years younger than him. She stopped working her minimum wage job when they got married, and they have both lived a very meager existence off his SSDI check for all these years. She came into the marriage with no financial assets, and he already had the fully-paid house. They provided a lot of financial help to her daughter from a prior relationship, and 2 grandkids, because the daughter's husband left them. Friend has always let his wife manage all the finances, and there is never money for extras, and not even for things like dental care, home repairs, etc. Apparently they have refinanced again and again as a source of funds, and of course, house is worth way more now (probably @ $350K in current condition). Wife decided she wanted them to sell house and buy a trailer in Maine, and friend doesn't want to do this. Friend finds out she hasn't been paying the bills with his SSDI, and house is going into foreclosure (she had hidden correspondence from the bank so he was unaware). Wife got a restraining order, and friend was living in his truck for a few weeks. They are getting divorced. Anyway . . .
Friend was able to move into our town's subsidized senior housing about 2 weeks ago, and he is happy as a clam. His rent is income based and all utilities are included. His SSDI is more than enough to meet his current needs, and he'll be getting something from the sale of the house in the divorce proceedings. He has a lawyer and she does not. So long story long, although he was initially very focused on keeping his house, now he is relieved to let it go and not have to worry about maintenance and repairs anymore. I think it's a pretty sad story, but I'm glad that things are working out for him. He is a senior citizen, disabled and a veteran, so that's the kind of person I like to see get helped with something like public housing.
PS: Sorry for the novella!
The details might be none of my business, but I'm wondering what types of medical costs could deplete the average worker and saver in old age. I'm familiar with nursing home and assisted living expense and how those could decimate savings and assets by some personal experiences. And also, spending down to qualify for medicaid. But when it comes to just medical I've had the understanding that significant portions of those would be covered by medicare and some of the remainder could be picked up with supplemental insurance. I'm possibly naive about this.
I imagine some of these medical wipeouts are due to very expensive drugs or procedures that are only partially covered by insurance. SIL has a lung disease and has been taking a new drug to slow down its progress. The first year the costs were minimal but in the second year they ballooned to over $1500 a month out of pocket for reasons I don't understand. Being retired and still having a small mortgage payment requires that they make some hard decisions on how (or if) to continue with this expense going forward.
Yes, patients are required to pay the cost of some very expensive treatments. Transplantation usually costs 100,000. Biologics that treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease and some other conditions are becoming standard of care now, but carry a price tag of up to 85k a year--the insurance companies pay for some of that but not all. I hear more and more that these drugs are unsustainable price-wise. Who can bear the cost when even more expensive drugs come out? Not the insurance company. Not the patient. Not the employers. Something has to give..
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
I was refering to older people who would be on medicare, plus maybe a supplement. My quick search says medicare covers mostof the expenses of transplants, and there is the "doughnut hole" drug coverage will pay for most of a drug cost once a certain minimum has been met. The only things I can think of other than long term care are experimental or unapproved procedures?
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