As they say, folks, “denial” isn’t just a river in Egypt; there are some issues we eventually have to face head on. Like death and taxes, they don’t go away, and sooner or later we’re forced to deal with them.
Yesterday, May 15, probably meant something to you if you’re over a “certain age.” That was the deadline when our government said that Medicare recipients had to be signed up for the new prescription drug benefits plan. Now let me at once interject that I’m too young to be bothered with any of this nonsense. Waaaaaayy too young. But my spouse, who is slightly over the magic number, was quite unenthusiastic about signing on.
“Have you registered for the Medicare prescription thing?” I’d ask my husband on a semi-regular basis, such as every five minutes, the last few months.
“I don’t take prescription drugs,” he’d grumble while leaving the room and his irritating spouse. But the one word that stuck in my mind was “penalty” if you hadn’t enrolled by May 15 and wanted to change your mind later. Somehow penalties never seem to work in my favor, so I hounded him relentlessly.
Since its outset, comprehension of the Medicare prescription program seemed unwieldy to those of us not fortunate enough to be working as brain surgeons. Expecting 89-year-old Grandma Frieda to hop breezily onto the Internet and join the plan seemed a little farfetched. Somehow “Medicare” and “Internet” feel like mutually exclusive concepts.
My husband’s own online Medicare experience was underwhelming. Confronted with a blank screen whenever he accessed the Medicare Web site, he finally gave up and called the toll-free number.
“Oh, that happens all the time,” the cheerful representative told him when he relayed his frustrating online experience. And the folks in charge wonder why seniors were confused about the drug plan!
With persistent reminders that the prescription drug enrollment deadline was fast approaching, procrastination reared its ugly head as people faced the challenge of sorting through voluminous Medicare reading materials. To compensate, clever ad campaigns entered the fray, urging seniors to join the fun and get with the program.
“Are you having trouble understanding the new Medicare prescription plan?” one concerned adman wanted to know. “Ask your kids to help you comprehend and make choices about your Medicare options. We know it’s tough making those all-important decisions, and who better to counsel you than the children who care for you,” he added consolingly.
Oh, yeah – don’t you have a major mental picture of that happening? Say you resolve to sit down and have a significant, thoughtful discussion about Medicare alternatives with your offspring. Like Ward and June Cleaver, you gather your young ones at your feet. In a wise and calm manner, you outline your concerns.
“Chipper and Muffie,” you begin, “your mother and I have always wanted what’s best for your future. As we grow older, we realize the time will soon be upon us when we can no longer think and function for ourselves. With that in mind, we hate to burden you and your free-wheeling lifestyles with our piddling needs, so Mother and I thought we might all work together to make a mutually beneficial decision about how Mom and I can spare you the bother of caring for us in our old age. So what do you say you guide us now in making these permanent, life-altering decisions about Medicare?”
Whereupon Chipper and Muffie compassionately respond, “Huh?”
So if you wrestled with the Medicare prescription drug plan and missed the deadline, I suggest you consider calling your congressional representative or wait until the next open enrollment period in November. But do your best to remain on Chipper and Muffie’s good side.
Remember that someday they’re going to be in charge of selecting your nursing home.
Gale Hammond is a 23-year Morgan Hill resident. Reach her at Ga*********@ao*.com.
