My Medicare Nightmare

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Creator’s Be aware: It’s been a fairly tough couple of years for me health-wise, however fortunately I’m nonetheless right here, having survived the most recent shut scrapes with dying. Certainly, I’m questioning after I might ultimately run out of ‘cat lives’!  After going off my bike and breaking my hip in March 2021, then surviving a blood clot in my lung (pulmonary embolism) that just about killed me, and this previous yr 2022, coping with an evolving kaleidoscope of unusual and troubling systemic signs (suspiciously coinciding with my mRNA photographs, which on the time I used to be grateful to get as my lung was nonetheless recovering from the embolism.)  And simply after I thought I might lastly get nationwide healthcare protection within the USA (I turned 65 in January) the system was complicated and worldwide mail was a difficulty, so my authorities medical insurance was cancelled. However not earlier than I ran up some horrendous medical payments whereas within the USA – on a regular basis, being advised I used to be lined, which, due to failed communication in a really complicated bureaucratic system, turned out to be false! And but, one way or the other, I survived – once more!

As a retired American dwelling in Asia for over 30 years, I routinely get pleasure from inexpensive state-of-the-art healthcare in Thailand, which has included life-saving procedures in some cases. At any time when I journey to the USA, I buy drugs and medical provides in Thailand, the place the an identical merchandise are a fraction of the prices within the USA. Certainly, most journey insurance coverage insurance policies supply well being care protection globally, ‘besides within the USA.’ So, after I turned 65 in January 2022, which is the eligible age for US authorities medical insurance Medicare, I used to be excited to lastly have assured healthcare protection within the USA, like my associates from international locations all around the world take with no consideration.

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The USA is the one industrialized nation on the planet that doesn’t have some type of government-guaranteed or ‘common’ healthcare protection for all of its residents. Greater than 30 million Individuals don’t have medical insurance and hundreds of thousands extra are underinsured. 68,000 Individuals die yearly as a result of they’re uninsured or under-insured. Moreover, even with insurance coverage, medical prices are so excessive that medical payments trigger chapter for half 1,000,000 individuals annually within the USA, the primary explanation for chapter [1].  Even in Thailand, the federal government gives common healthcare by the general public well being system to the entire nation’s residents. And healthcare prices in Thailand’s personal hospitals, that are extra like 5-star accommodations than hospitals, are considerably lower than the prices within the USA [2].

In early February 2022, shortly after I utilized for Medicare protection, I used to be contacted by the Federal Advantages Unit (FBU) on the American Embassy in Manila, Philippines, which gives providers for the SSA and different profit companies to clients in over 40 international locations within the Asia-Pacific area. They wished to verify my mailing handle in Thailand, and knowledgeable me that every one documentation needed to be despatched by postal mail from SSA headquarters in Maryland, USA. Up to now, I’ve obtained an annual assertion by postal mail from SSA headquarters in Maryland, so clearly, that they had my right mailing handle.

By July, I used to be making ready to journey to the USA for seven months of seasonal work, and I nonetheless had not obtained any info from SSA to clarify how my new Medicare protection labored. I used to be, nonetheless, in a position to entry my on-line SSA ‘Profit Verification Letter’ which said clearly that I used to be lined beneath each Half A (hospitalization) and Half B (medical). However even this on-line ‘verification’ letter made no point out of the required month-to-month premiums for Half B protection, nor was there any point out of the 20% ‘co-pay’ duty for each Half A and Half B healthcare payments. Solely Individuals know what a co-pay is. In different developed international locations the place common entry to healthcare is the norm, that is remarkable! Given the extraordinarily excessive healthcare prices within the USA, a 20% coinsurance expense is usually a substantial out-of-pocket price. The stunning racist origins of the 20% ‘co-pay’ necessities for Medicare are defined in “The Racist Historical past of American Healthcare” [3] whereby the co-pay was supposed to disclaim entry to African Individuals, who have been deemed unlikely to have the ability to afford it.

Quickly after arriving within the US, I contacted SSA to request info and documentation explaining about my new Medicare protection, a Medicare card, something – at which level they advised me that my Half B protection had been cancelled because of non-payment of the month-to-month premiums. I knew nothing of this – having obtained no invoices, nor the quantity due, how and the place to pay, and many others. I questioned if this was due to my Thailand handle, which was confirmed quite a few instances by electronic mail and phone with the FBU subject workplace on the US Embassy in Manila. I nonetheless, sixteen months later, haven’t obtained any documentation from SSA.

However the SSA consultant advised me to not fear and that Half A would cowl any hospitalization, together with ER visits (as this might be ‘technically getting into the hospital’). Crucially, this recommendation turned out to be incorrect, and I came upon solely after I had run up 1000’s of {dollars} in ER payments at hospitals in New York and Colorado that this was lined solely beneath Half B.

Nevertheless, SSA knowledgeable me I might back-pay the Half B premiums for all of 2022 which might reinstate my protection retroactively for the whole yr.  SSA cashed my test for $2,000 in October and my Half B protection was lastly reinstated (5 months later!) in March 2023. Throughout this time, I wanted some pricey diagnostic assessments (which I used to be advised solely a medical specialist might order – which, after all, added one other layer of price within the ‘for-profit’ American Healthcare System technique). So, after three months ready to see a medical specialist, I used to be advised by that workplace that since my Half B was nonetheless not reinstated, I must pay the session payment of $472 (no testing included) money up entrance. I used to be given the choice to reschedule a later appointment when my Half B is perhaps reinstated. However the subsequent obtainable appointment was one other three months wait!! Fortunately, I used to be not coping with an aggressive most cancers – I’d be lifeless, simply ready to get some medical consideration!!!

So, after seven moderately sickly months in in any other case pleasant seasonal jobs at YMCAs in upstate New York and the Colorado Rockies, instructing yoga and meditation and supporting the worldwide seasonal employees program as earlier than, I used to be trying ahead to ‘escaping’ from the USA – thanks to my nightmare dealings with the severely under-funded Social Safety providers [4], the ‘for-profit’ American Healthcare System and the terrifying and outrageously excessive prices of healthcare there.

Thank goodness I stay in Thailand, the place I’ve easy accessibility to environment friendly and inexpensive, state-of-the-art healthcare (to not point out no mass shootings, pure, unprocessed meals, low price of dwelling, a respectful, non-confrontational tradition, and many others.) So, I left my job in Colorado sooner to be able to return to Thailand to get the required (and inexpensive!) well being care I wanted. I contacted my private doctor in Bangkok who, inside a single week or so, had organized appointments with three prime medical specialists, who scheduled the diagnostic assessments, follow-up appointments, and remedy. All of this price far lower than the US coinsurance funds I’d be chargeable for, even after my Medicare protection was reinstated. Seven months within the USA was greater than sufficient for me. It was time to depart, and certainly a reduction to return to Thailand. Although I’m nonetheless ready for all of it to be resolved, the SSA staff I’ve contacted a number of instances over these many months have been useful, given the amount of enrollees. Whereas I used to be lucky sufficient to have had some other place to go for healthcare, I can’t assist however marvel in regards to the hundreds of thousands of Individuals who don’t have another choices.

Sources:

1. https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-chris-hedges-report-show-with-d77
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRDrh-d-UxE&t=16s
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49yIskpe1rs
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/18/social-security-services-degrade-congress/