Drugstore/Grocery Chat Thread

I got an email from the head of Social Security where he bragged about the good job he's doing. All I can say to that is he's out of his blanking mind. Try being me and getting medical care. I don't know how Medicare could be any worse. I had great insurance when I was on Blue Shield but they forced me to cancel it when I went on Social Security. Medicare has been an absolute disaster and I'm finding out that there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried for 2 years and got nowhere.

I got that same email a few days ago. All I did was laugh. First, could the guy praise the current administration any more? I wanted to puke! Then he went on about how SS has reduced wait times, streamlined processes, etc., whereas a few days earlier I was reading a report (I believe it was in the USA Today) about how long people have to wait on line or the system just tells them they are too busy and hangs up on them or it says it will return your call if you pick that option but it never does. This is supposed to be streamlined and better? Not in my opinion it isn't. And as far as Medicare goes, before this year we had many options (I'm guessing at least 20) and this year it dropped to three with one not even covering most doctors in our city so basically two options from the same company, take it or leave it. Have to take it but definitely not like it.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY to everyone!!!

Anyone doing anything special? Not much going on around here - very quiet. I guess it's even too hot for those that usually set off fireworks, etc., to do so?

I was in the hospital since Wednesday morning and I got back home an hour ago. They don't want to do surgery on me although I really need it. I think I'll stay inside tonight and watch a movie or something.

Medicare wants to charge me $2400 a month for Medicare B. That's only $2200 more a month than my premium is supposed to be. I think it's because I won a large settlement against Social Security 2 years ago and they're getting revenge. I need surgery which I thought was covered by Medicare A (which I have) but it's actually covered by Medicare B because it's considered an elective surgery (which it's not). This is why the hospital won't do my surgery. They know I don't have Medicare B and they won't get paid. I also have Medi-Cal but they've done no work on my case since I opened it in December. I have 2 million in medical bills since then and my case worker is on a 7 month lunch break. I've gone to the Medi-Cal office 10 times this year but all they do is say to ignore the bills. I'm already going into collections and my phone is ringing off the hook with people wanting their money.

Happy 4th. We stayed inside yesterday. Fireworks here didn't start in the neighborhood (where it's illegal) until 9:30. Then it went on for hours. Every time I was almost asleep (after midnight), three or four big booms would go off and startle me awake. I'm not sure when I became immune to the noise, but I know it was almost 1am the last time I recall looking at the clock. A neighbor said they were still going off at 3am.



That's crazy, I wish you were better.



You either won a VERY large settlement or they are just out of their minds, as $2400 a month is so high. But then, with our income below the surcharge levels, my premium is $150 a month and hubby's is $180. I think they would say I'm healthy for my age, and hubby only has minimal issues. With your health issues, I can see that yours would be well more than $200 a month, but $2400? Ouch!

Happy 4th. We stayed inside yesterday. Fireworks here didn't start in the neighborhood (where it's illegal) until 9:30. Then it went on for hours. Every time I was almost asleep (after midnight), three or four big booms would go off and startle me awake. I'm not sure when I became immune to the noise, but I know it was almost 1am the last time I recall looking at the clock. A neighbor said they were still going off at 3am.

It was for $25,000 because the Social Security agent wouldn't answer or return my calls and she gave me an ultimatum that if she didn't hear from me in a week she was going to drop my case. I called 3 times a day for a week and left messages but I never heard from her. The social worker set up a call to Social Security while I was in the hospital after a heart attack and they immediately settled on $25000 but then they gave me the Medicare B penalty. I didn't realize what a BIG DEAL it was at the time so I said that I wouldn't take Medicare B. Right after that my Blue Shield policy was cancelled and I've been in insurance hell ever since. Standard protocol on a Spigelian hernia is to do surgery right away because it has a high risk of strangulation. However, Medicare considers hernia surgery elective and it's covered under Medicare B instead of Medicare A and no hospital or doctor is going to do a risky surgery that they won't get paid on. I should have coverage under Medi-Cal but they haven't started working on my case which was opened in Dec 2025. So far, they haven't paid a cent even after my SOC of $1850 per month has been met. Med-Cal has told me that my SOC will be eliminated once my case is processed but this doesn't help me now. My bills are already going to collection and they are over 2 million for this year. Medi-Cal has told me to ignore the bills but I can't ignore that I'm in pain and can't get help. I don't know what else I can do. I've already been to the Medi-Cal office 10 times this year but nothing ever gets done. I'm going to have to wait until I'm near death before they'll do something. The treatment for now is to prescribe as many opioids as possible and hope I'm too stoned to complain. I was on dilaudid and morphine in the hospital and they sent me home with roxies and norco.

I believe Medicare is handled differently in each state, but is the $2400 a month for Part B due to an IRMAA penalty/surcharge? We ran into that when my husband refused to finally retire/quit work for good, Then all he did was complain about being penalized for continuing to work, lol. Taxes gets you one way or the other it seems.

Anyway, if it's due to the one time settlement, there may be forms you could fill out that would eliminate the penalty/surcharge. We were able to do this in MN. But like I said, I believe each state is different.

It might be each city. Where I live, the Social Security office isn't open to the public unless you have an appointment. You can't walk in and pick up a form or ask a question. There's a security guard at the entrance and he won't let you in. You can be on the phone for hours waiting to talk to an agent and when you finally get somebody they aren't very helpful. I filed forms with Medi-Cal and one of them is supposed to make Medicare B no cost but, of course, they haven't started working on it. I looked into going to an office where I can complain about Medicare and Medi-Cal but I don't know which one to go to. Every time I ask copilot it gives me a different answer and I don't want to spend hours on the bus for nothing. It took me almost 5 hours on the bus to get to the hospital. Everything was going fine until I got to the 3d hub. Everybody was running down stairs that went on forever. I was afraid that I was going to fall because I've had issues with stairs due to my neuropathy. When I got to the bottom, it was for rail instead of the buses so I had to go back up. There were 2 policemen who were super helpful and let me out without charging me and told me where to go to catch the bus. It's a huge bus terminal and there's not an information center or anything. You're totally on your own. I missed my bus and I had to wait an hour for the next one. I'm not used to buses being so packed. I thought they were going to put people on the roof. There were no seats left and everybody who couldn't get one was standing in the aisles. I had some weird dude who sat next to me and wanted to have a conversation. He started it off with covid ended 2 years ago so why are you wearing a mask? Um, to protect me from people like you. He started coughing very loudly and then told everybody that he's got covid. For the rest of the ride, he was muttering to himself. It was too crowded for me to get away from him. The bus ride was so sad. There was so much poverty and people who were in really bad shape. I don't follow politics but things weren't this bad with our previous mayor. The apartments looked like they had been bombed but the rent is up there with what you'd pay in Manhattan. I wish that I was younger and could get out of Los Angeles but they'll clean it up and make it look pretty for the Olympics. Like everything is fine and it's a great place to live.

I did a little more digging and still could not come up with anything near what SS wants you to pay. The cost for Medicare Part B Nationwide in 2026 is $202.90 per month while Medicare Part A is free for most unless you do not qualify for Medicare. Now the IRMAA I mentioned is figured as follows (from medicare.gov):

Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA):
Your premium is calculated using the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) reported on your 2024 tax return. If you file an individual return, the monthly costs are:
$109,000 or less: $202.90
$109,000 to $137,000: $284.10
$137,000 to $171,000: $405.80
$171,000 to $205,000: $527.50
$205,000 to $500,000: $649.20
$500,000 or more: $689.90

And yes, the 2024 tax return is the correct year as Medicare goes back two years. I guess it takes them that long to get to it???? Hard to believe with computers.

This amount is deducted right off your SS check.

Additionally, you can have premiums deducted or pay directly to a private third party insurance company for Supplemental or Advantage program to cover things like deductibles, co-payments, prescriptions, gym memberships, etc. Could that be what is making your quoted monthly premium so high?

Or could it be the penalty for not taking Part B at age 65 or when you lost private or employer insurance? But it still should not be that much. My research showed (again, from medicare.gov; which should be nationwide (federal) :

The Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty is a 10% increase in your monthly premium for every full 12-month period you delay enrollment after turning 65. You generally pay this penalty for as long as you have Part B coverage.
How it Works
The Penalty Rate: If you delay Part B for two years (24 months) without qualifying coverage, your penalty is 20% (2 × 10%).
Calculation: This percentage is calculated and added on to the standard Part B base premium. For example, if the standard monthly premium is $202.90, a 20% penalty adds $40.58 for a total of $243.48 per month

Hopefully, this information helps somewhat. I know how hard it is to even get to talk to someone on the phone, which is why I said I laughed at that email.

When I was dealing with our IRMAA problems, I finally got someone to talk to by leaving my number at the 800 national number and they did call back. They were able to handle some of the concerns and then set up a phone call appointment for someone from the local office to call me. If I remember correctly, that call was two to three months in the future, but at least it happened. And for once, I lucked out and got someone who seemed to know what he was talking about and he even confirmed others I had talked to in the past gave me incorrect information. Since that call, everything was corrected and we haven't had any problems.

Good Luck!

It was for $25,000 because the Social Security agent wouldn't answer or return my calls and she gave me an ultimatum that if she didn't hear from me in a week she was going to drop my case. I called 3 times a day for a week and left messages but I never heard from her. The social worker set up a call to Social Security while I was in the hospital after a heart attack and they immediately settled on $25000 but then they gave me the Medicare B penalty. I didn't realize what a BIG DEAL it was at the time so I said that I wouldn't take Medicare B. Right after that my Blue Shield policy was cancelled and I've been in insurance hell ever since. Standard protocol on a Spigelian hernia is to do surgery right away because it has a high risk of strangulation. However, Medicare considers hernia surgery elective and it's covered under Medicare B instead of Medicare A and no hospital or doctor is going to do a risky surgery that they won't get paid on. I should have coverage under Medi-Cal but they haven't started working on my case which was opened in Dec 2025. So far, they haven't paid a cent even after my SOC of $1850 per month has been met. Med-Cal has told me that my SOC will be eliminated once my case is processed but this doesn't help me now. My bills are already going to collection and they are over 2 million for this year. Medi-Cal has told me to ignore the bills but I can't ignore that I'm in pain and can't get help. I don't know what else I can do. I've already been to the Medi-Cal office 10 times this year but nothing ever gets done. I'm going to have to wait until I'm near death before they'll do something. The treatment for now is to prescribe as many opioids as possible and hope I'm too stoned to complain. I was on dilaudid and morphine in the hospital and they sent me home with roxies and norco.

I believe Medicare is handled differently in each state, but is the $2400 a month for Part B due to an IRMAA penalty/surcharge? We ran into that when my husband refused to finally retire/quit work for good, Then all he did was complain about being penalized for continuing to work, lol. Taxes gets you one way or the other it seems.

Anyway, if it's due to the one time settlement, there may be forms you could fill out that would eliminate the penalty/surcharge. We were able to do this in MN. But like I said, I believe each state is different.

I did a little more digging and still could not come up with anything near what SS wants you to pay.

snip

I signed up when I was 68. I had tried to sign up when I was 67 and I got the jerk agent but they gave me the award for income I should've received. I don't know how they came up with the $2400 a month premium for Medicare B. Even with penalties, it should be around $250 which would be perfectly fine. It would get me the coverage I need. I should've signed up for Social Security when I was 62 but I was an idiot. I had a lot of money back then and I thought that nothing could touch me. Boy, was I wrong. A jackhammer fell on my head and now it's trying to see how far underground it can push me. It's not enough that I lost all of my money and I have these medical problems but I can't even get insurance to cover me in the hospital. I'm not sure how much worse it can get or if I should even try anymore. I'm listening to some jazz now and everything is fine but when I go outside I'll face the jackhammer again.

Medicare wants to charge me $2400 a month for Medicare B. That's only $2200 more a month than my premium is supposed to be. I think it's because I won a large settlement against Social Security 2 years ago and they're getting revenge. I need surgery which I thought was covered by Medicare A (which I have) but it's actually covered by Medicare B because it's considered an elective surgery (which it's not). This is why the hospital won't do my surgery. They know I don't have Medicare B and they won't get paid. I also have Medi-Cal but they've done no work on my case since I opened it in December. I have 2 million in medical bills since then and my case worker is on a 7 month lunch break. I've gone to the Medi-Cal office 10 times this year but all they do is say to ignore the bills. I'm already going into collections and my phone is ringing off the hook with people wanting their money.