Geekbabe Needs Our Help

[Captante]

I love my country, but health care is something we gotta fix. That's a fckn ridiculous premium for a month.

Same here.... healthcare in America is a total disgrace unless you're wealthy.



Some 3rd world countries literally do a better job with infant-mortality for example ... how can this be "just fine" with people?

 

[Geekbabe]

I love my country, but health care is something we gotta fix. That's a fckn ridiculous premium for a month.

There a more than a few folks who feel people like me shouldn’t have health care. Granted the cost of keeping me alive hasn’t been cheap but I have been on Opdivo for a long time. I am treated at a world class research hospital and participate in every study they offer me. It is my hope that they gain new knowledge about this drug, who it helps & ways to alter it so it can help more people. This drug was so new when I started it a lot of people turned it down, they were afraid, so consider me like a lab rat.

btw, the canvax study at Mass General showed that people like me on checkpoint inhibitors faired better in terms of after vaccination response to Covid

 

[Captante]

There a more than a few folks who feel people like me shouldn’t have health care. Granted the cost of keeping me alive hasn’t been cheap but I have been on Opdivo for a long time. I am treated at a world class research hospital and participate in every study they offer me. It is my hope that they gain new knowledge about this drug, who it helps & ways to alter it so it can help more people. This drug was so new when I started it a lot of people turned it down, they were afraid, so consider me like a lab rat.

btw, the canvax study at Mass General showed that people like me on checkpoint inhibitors faired better in terms of after vaccination response to Covid

Everyone should be entitled to decent healthcare.

Further folks like you are not only getting treatment, you are paving the way for the better and safer treatments yet to come!

 

[Geekbabe]

Everyone should be entitled to decent healthcare.

Further folks like you are not only getting treatment, you are paving the way for the better and safer treatments yet to come!

yeah, call me crazy but I would do a phase 1 ( first in humans) clinical trial if the basis of the drug being tested looked good

 

[Geekbabe]

A huge thanks to the anonymous person who donated $300,. Thank you for your generous gift ❤

 

[Geekbabe]

I am still feeling like crap & will be discussing if I should return to work or not with my treatment team . It’s a huge & difficult decision 😢

 

[mmc67]

Hello everyone. I am the organizer. I decided it was time to raise the goal on this. Nobody should have to worry about if they can physically make it through a day of work so their medical bills are paid. We have done so well with this, and I know it has helped take away some of Geekbabe's stress. I want it to continue doing this. If you can't give please consider sharing it. TY

 

[Charmonium]

GFM just emailed me (and everyone else who contributed, I'm sure). Woo-hoo. I DID think $10k was on the low side.

 

[Geekbabe]

GFM just emailed me (and everyone else who contributed, I'm sure). Woo-hoo. I DID think $10k was on the low side.

I certainly don’t expect people who already made donations, several of which were pretty hefty to give more. Frankly, I am embarrassed to be in this position. My rent is $1,730 per month, plus medical, plus yearly deductible of $1,250,plus OTC meds, then copays. Mike covers our utilities & internet ( no, we don’t have cable) he also covers the modest payment on our older model used car, gas & insurance & kicks in some for food.

Guess my point is that we aren’t living large here & I am more grateful than you can know for your support and kindness.

I have a 403B, it is basically enough to cover my final expenses when the time comes. I had more but after 7 years of cancer, here is where we are.

thank you all again ❤

 

[BoomerD]

I certainly don’t expect people who already made donations, several of which were pretty hefty to give more. Frankly, I am embarrassed to be in this position. My rent is $1,730 per month, plus medical, plus yearly deductible of $1,250,plus OTC meds, then copays. Mike covers our utilities & internet ( no, we don’t have cable) he also covers the modest payment on our older model used car, gas & insurance & kicks in some for food.

Guess my point is that we aren’t living large here & I am more grateful than you can know for your support and kindness.

I have a 403B, it is basically enough to cover my final expenses when the time comes. I had more but after 7 years of cancer, here is where we are.

thank you all again ❤

Are you old enough for Medicare yet? Also, with your on-going illness, have you considered applying for Social Security Disability?

 

[Charmonium]

I'm watching Rachel Maddow on the news and she just showed a graph of covid levels in Boston waste water. It's showing a huge peak which corresponds to a similar peak last year around this time. So a significant increase in covid cases there is already baked in. You should probably get your booster now if you haven't already.

 

[Geekbabe]

Are you old enough for Medicare yet? Also, with your on-going illness, have you considered applying for Social Security Disability?

I will be old enough for Medicare next month, however my full retirement age is 66 years & 6 months. SSDI requires a wait period of 5 months before you get your first check.

A lot depends on if I can rally enough to return to work…based on how I feel today I am not so sure I can.If I can work I will only need Medicare part A & can apply for other parts when I retire. Medicare is also not going to be free & given all my medical issues will probably eat up a lot of my check. This decision will be hard for sure. I have always worked & miss it but I am so,so exhausted & hurt in places I can’t even name.

I had my booster shot on 8/30 Mass General advised a fourth shot six months later which would be end of February,early March. I am hoping they come out with a booster that covers the new variant

 

[BoomerD]

I will be old enough for Medicare next month, however my full retirement age is 66 years & 6 months. SSDI requires a wait period of 5 months before you get your first check.

A lot depends on if I can rally enough to return to work…based on how I feel today I am not so sure I can.If I can work I will only need Medicare part A & can apply for other parts when I retire. Medicare is also not going to be free & given all my medical issues will probably eat up a lot of my check. This decision will be hard for sure. I have always worked & miss it but I am so,so exhausted & hurt in places I can’t even name.

I had my booster shot on 8/30 Mass General advised a fourth shot six months later which would be end of February,early March. I am hoping they come out with a booster that covers the new variant

Not true. SSDI may take a while to get...some folks fight for years...but in your case, it should be a slam-dunk. Once they approve you, you get your first payment almost immediately. I think for me, it took about 4 months, but we moved from one state to another, and several things had to be restarted. (Different states applications get processed in different places.) They sent me to a doctor for evaluation, the local SS office notified me after about a month and told me I had been approved and in what date I would get my first check. If you're approved, you get paid from the date of application...or as far as 18 months back if you've been disabled and unable to work that long. (I got a nice fat check to cover 18 months.) If you haven't reached full Medicare age, your Medicare kicks in (a) when you do hit your full Medicare age, or (b) 24 months on disability.

Medicare Information | Disability Research | SSA

This page provide general information about Medicare.

www.ssa.gov

You definitely want to sign up for "Part B" at the same time you sign up for Part A. Not doing so can cause delays in coverage and trigger a higher cost to you in monthly premiums.

Plan for Medicare

Medicare is our country's health insurance program for people age 65 or older. You may also qualify if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits.

www.ssa.gov

you should have already signed up for Medicare. You should do that 3 months before your 65th birthday.

 

[Geekbabe]

Not true. SSDI may take a while to get...some folks fight for years...but in your case, it should be a slam-dunk. Once they approve you, you get your first payment almost immediately. I think for me, it took about 4 months, but we moved from one state to another, and several things had to be restarted. (Different states applications get processed in different places.) They sent me to a doctor for evaluation, the local SS office notified me after about a month and told me I had been approved and in what date I would get my first check. If you're approved, you get paid from the date of application...or as far as 18 months back if you've been disabled and unable to work that long. (I got a nice fat check to cover 18 months.) If you haven't reached full Medicare age, your Medicare kicks in (a) when you do hit your full Medicare age, or (b) 24 months on disability.

Medicare Information | Disability Research | SSA

This page provide general information about Medicare.

www.ssa.gov

You definitely want to sign up for "Part B" at the same time you sign up for Part A. Not doing so can cause delays in coverage and trigger a higher cost to you in monthly premiums.

Plan for Medicare

Medicare is our country's health insurance program for people age 65 or older. You may also qualify if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits.

www.ssa.gov

you should have already signed up for Medicare. You should do that 3 months before your 65th birthday.

Benefits at my job said I needed to initially sign up for Part A but could wait till I retired to sign up for the rest without penalty as long I have insurance through my employer. I can’t afford to pay premiums to my employer, my deductible, copays & also pay for Medicare B.

I was also told after getting approved for SSDI it would be 5 months before my first check.

Not trying to be argumentative here but this stuff gets confusing, I am tired and headed to bed, thank you for sharing your experience with me.

I will be calling the SHIP program in MA to help me figure out my option, it appears I am not alone in finding all this confusing.

 

[Torn Mind]

Not true. SSDI may take a while to get...some folks fight for years...but in your case, it should be a slam-dunk. Once they approve you, you get your first payment almost immediately. I think for me, it took about 4 months, but we moved from one state to another, and several things had to be restarted. (Different states applications get processed in different places.) They sent me to a doctor for evaluation, the local SS office notified me after about a month and told me I had been approved and in what date I would get my first check. If you're approved, you get paid from the date of application...or as far as 18 months back if you've been disabled and unable to work that long. (I got a nice fat check to cover 18 months.) If you haven't reached full Medicare age, your Medicare kicks in (a) when you do hit your full Medicare age, or (b) 24 months on disability.

Medicare Information | Disability Research | SSA

This page provide general information about Medicare.

www.ssa.gov

You definitely want to sign up for "Part B" at the same time you sign up for Part A. Not doing so can cause delays in coverage and trigger a higher cost to you in monthly premiums.

Plan for Medicare

Medicare is our country's health insurance program for people age 65 or older. You may also qualify if you have permanent kidney failure or receive Disability benefits.

www.ssa.gov

you should have already signed up for Medicare. You should do that 3 months before your 65th birthday.

Social Security considers someone disabled when he/she cannot work at all or cannot do substantial gainful activity(making more than $1310 a month).

SSDI converts to retirement benefits when one hits retirement age.

My sister managed to get it because she sustained a concussion in a car accident. On the one hand, she appeared normal...but for clerical activities back when she was in college, I and my mother was basically living her life when the shit got demanding. If she manages to land a job at McDonald or whatever (or gets married), her benefits go.

 

[BoomerD]

Benefits at my job said I needed to initially sign up for Part A but could wait till I retired to sign up for the rest without penalty as long I have insurance through my employer. I can’t afford to pay premiums to my employer, my deductible, copays & also pay for Medicare B.

I was also told after getting approved for SSDI it would be 5 months before my first check.

Not trying to be argumentative here but this stuff gets confusing, I am tired and headed to bed, thank you for sharing your experience with me.

I will be calling the SHIP program in MA to help me figure out my option, it appears I am not alone in finding all this confusing.

Yes, as long as you have your health insurance you can wait for Part B. Which plan makes the most financial sense for you? I think Medicare Part B is going to $177/month as of 1/11/2022. deductibles are (generally) 20%. You SHOULD have some excellent options for Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans in Bah-stahn. Often, those combined with Part B are still cheaper than your insurance through work...with lower co-pays and deductibles. Definitely worth looking at and weighing the various options.

 

[Charmonium]

Don't forget to apply for Medicaid - very different animal from Medicare. I'm going to assume that MA Medicaid is similar to what it is NJ. If that's true, then if you have that, I think it will lighten the financial burden considerably. And based on your postings here, I don't have much doubt you'd qualify. So see if someone can get some basic info for you since it could influence your retirement decision.

I know people who have both and they don't seem to pay for much of anything. I'm especially envious of getting all of their drugs for free.

 

[Geekbabe]

I see the Oncologist next week to discuss if or when I should return to work. Given that my job is at a front desk in a hospital & I am still not feeling 100%, I am not sure how this is going to go. My work involves direct contact with the public, screening visitors, handling ID’s & vax cards.

There is a real possibility that I won’t be able to return, given the covid surge in our area. In addition to cancer, I have COPD. I somehow suspect even a mild case of covid wouldn’t be a good thing 😢

 

[Geekbabe]

Gentle bump ❤️

 

[compuwiz1]

Jean, you are one strong lady! I've sent something and I wish I could have sent more. I hope it at least shares the spirit of the season and you can find further peace and comfort in knowing there is one more who cares. You and Mike have a great holiday season, as best as you can.

 

[Geekbabe]

Jean, you are one strong lady! I've sent something and I wish I could have sent more. I hope it at least shares the spirit of the season and you can find further peace and comfort in knowing there is one more who cares. You and Mike have a great holiday season, as best as you can.

thank you so much ❤️

 

[BoomerD]

I did what I could when this first started. Unfortunately, being on a tight, fixed income, I can't be a regular contributor.

 

[Geekbabe]

I did what I could when this first started. Unfortunately, being on a tight, fixed income, I can't be a regular contributor.

I know you donated Boomer & love you for it! As I have said before I certainly don’t expect repeat donations from anyone, nor from folks who are struggling. A lot of people donating now are blogging friends or people who didn’t see the Facebook post.

thank you Boomer, Merry Christmas 🎄

 

[BoomerD]

I know you donated Boomer & love you for it! As I have said before I certainly don’t expect repeat donations from anyone, nor from folks who are struggling. A lot of people donating now are blogging friends or people who didn’t see the Facebook post.

thank you Boomer, Merry Christmas 🎄

Enough of the RedDawn jokes.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director

 

[SKORPI0]

Enough of the RedDawn jokes.


esquared
Anandtech Forum Director