Medicare...relief is in sight

In a little less then a week, the countdown will be over. Ticking off the months ahead will be done. This Friday, I will switch from private insurance to Medicare. I've signed up for the deluxe model. The full package. The super super deluxe, "this is going to cost a fortune" package.

It's time to get the paperwork ready for the accountant that does our taxes. I dragged out the medical stuff from my year long whirlwind of medical care. The husband said "Now don't get upset after totaling up what we have spent. Just be glad we had it to spend."
Though watching the money slip quickly into paying for my health care, it helps to know that this expenditure doesn't bother him in the slightest. He just wants me to be well and if it takes every bit of our savings, he won't complain. Such a good husband I have. I began listing and running totals.

We have paid over 6000.00 in health insurance premiums this year and another 10,000.00 plus in checks I have written on services not covered by our insurance. Right now, we are fully paid up and grateful we had the money to keep up. I have a few more bills coming but nothing that will send us spiraling down into bankruptcy.

Besides the diagnosis of cancer, worrying about the cost of everything is just another pressure. The husband wanted to handle all the bills on my health issue but I quickly declined his help in this. I have learned to ask  if there is a discount available on the doctor's visits, the labs and the various other charges not covered by my insurance. Just the other day a bill arrived for 300.00. I called the place and explained I would be a cash customer. Today I received from that vendor  a corrected invoice for 103.00. The husband would never pursue this line of questioning. It has saved hundreds of dollars this year. Another invoice received for labs and pathologists was almost 3000.00. I called them and explained that those services were done while I was a patient in the hospital. I requested they recode them to reflect my status as a surgery patient. All of that bill was then covered by my insurance company. Just keeping up with the charges has been a full time job for me. I dread seeing the determinations come in from my insurance company. It usually means hours of being on the phone talking to the vendors that have not billed/coded correctly for the services provided. We have saved a lot of money but also have had to spend a lot this year.

Medicare by Friday!! Hurray..I can relax a bit and continue on with my treatments minus the  anxiety when I see the postal service vehicle approaching my mailbox.