Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Wednesday-noon

The queen on her pillow throne.
Regally interrupting my Christmas card envelope addressing.
Karma insists upon unexpected, unscheduled, unavoidable, unlimited breaks.
Too many of them yesterday.
Much as I enjoy being her neck scratching slave, I moved over to the table--hehe!
We had a severe weather alert last night for below zero wind chills. I heard everything from 25 to 40 below wind chills. I guess we aren't expected to get above zero today at all. This seems a bit early for this kind of deep freeze weather, but it's not like we are shocked by it--hehe!
Leah isn't coming over for crafts tonight. She has set aside her time after work and dinner to go over prescription drug plans. That is what she used to deal with all the time for FoxRX when she worked for them at the call center--answer people's questions about the prescription drug plans and find out which ones would be best for them. She has always taken care of mine for me.
Thank goodness! The whole system is really, really confusing--(and I maintained a 3.7 in college while sick and am not quite dumb as a post--yet.) You are only "allowed" to change your policy holder for about 4-6 weeks at the end of the year. Every year I get a letter saying I have been kicked off whatever company I was on and they are going to put me on another company automatically if I don't respond before the end of the year. And often (if not usually) that company isn't the cheapest one for me to be on--even if they tell me it is the best one.
Why do I get booted off? Because nobody wants to cover the very poor who are supposed to be able to pay less for their medications. My income is about half of what they consider the poverty level. Low-income housing, having no car payments, living alone, and being housebound are all my financial advantages. And, believe me, I count my blessings! :)
The companies can change their rates or what they cover or decide not to cover at any time whatsoever during the year--but you can't change anything and are locked in until the allotted window at the very end of the year. Gotta love such a fair system, eh?
Anyways, the first year of the program I paid nothing for my medications. By the second year I started paying something every month--just a couple dollars a month. Each year I get pawned off to a different company and each year I pay a little more. But--I am fortunate. My prescriptions are not expensive ones and I won't die if I don't take them--(just have more pain and more diarrhea--hehe!) I really worry about the seniors who absolutely need their meds to survive--and they can be outrageously expensive. And then they reach that lovely "doughnut hole" where they have to pay for all their medications!? Can totally relate to them cutting back on their food and heat--and cutting pills in half. :( There are only so many things you can eliminate or reduce, you know? I am definitely one of the lucky ones.
Plus I also have Leah! Leah knows how to sort thru the websites and endless information to search out the least expensive company she can find for me. That used to be her job. And you know what she is doing? Tonight she is also helping out some of her former customers she had helped every year at her old job! She had a group of seniors who always asked for her when they contacted the call center. And she had given a very select few her cell number. One of them just called her out of desperation--totally lost and confused about what to do. So--out of the goodness of her heart she is contacting that lady and all the rest of them that she was on a personal basis with tonight to make sure they are all okay and see if they need any help this year. And she is checking mine out for me, too.
Do you see why I love this woman so much!? Sometimes I'm surprised she doesn't land at my door in a cape with windburned cheeks! It is no wonder that Dagan fell in love with that silent young girl he brought to meet me all those years ago. Dagan could plainly see her huge hidden heart. Love eyes can see the very best in you, can't they? :)
I'm glad she sees my Dagan with love eyes, too. :):)

12 comments:

Intense Guy said...

One quibble... Leah's huge heart isn't hidden... I can see it from way over here!

Hi Karma! You are looking beeee-you-tee-full!

Rebag said...

Hi Rita,

Oh these cold chill temps are MISERABLE!! I know we were out in the muck last night at a basketball game and brrrrr, was icy roads all the way home, We knew it was coming though at some point!

God Bless Leah and her helping hand to reach out to assist the people in need, I know this health care reform and insurances are just a mess, I work under a group policy at work and its not all thats cracked up to be either, we get anew insurance basically each yr and not always good ones, I have been turned down medical care in a certain community because they dont take the insurance but I could receive the care as a private paying citizen.,.. UGH, It just never ends! Awesome topic though!

Stay warm girl!!

AliceKay said...

From the little I have read about Leah, I can see the big heart she has, too. It surely isn't hidden. There are a few people out there with big hearts who don't mind helping others even when there is other things they would rather be doing. I know a few.

Brrr...that's frigid temps to have to deal with. We got 4 inches of a heavy, wet snow last night and it switched over to sleet and freezing rain about 4:30 AM this morning. I woke up and heard it hitting our roof. (i live in a mobile home so hear those things easily) We had a mess to clean up so we could drive to work.

Leah said...

The "customer" who called me, originally called in that first year that the Prescription Drug Plans were out, when I was just hired at FoxRx and just happened to get me, it was fate. I helped them find the plan that best suited their needs. She was so pleased and gratefull for my help, she wrote me a thank you card, and sent it to our office. I just had to write back, it was so nice. We write every once and a while still.

However, this year wasn't a very good year, I kept on forgetting to write, she did too, so she called in despiration to my cell for help after she called FoxRx and found that I was no longer employed there. I assured her, I will help her and her husband as long as they want.

The thing that I always like best about the company Fox is that we didn't have to push our plan, if another plan was better for them, we could tell them and recommend that they call that plan to enroll. The friend that I called tonight has never been an actual customer of Fox, other companies plans have always been better for them, this year is no different.

Thank you kindly,
Leah

Serena Lewis said...

Leah is truly an Earth Angel! I think it's so lovely of her to look out for the elderly and people in need like that. (((Leah)))

The system sounds very complex over there. It must be so stressful for people who can't afford needed prescriptions. Here in Queensland, our elderly and people on pensions, or people with low incomes, are entitled to medical prescriptions (usually the cheaper Pharmaceutical companies) for only $5.30 each filled prescription. The government funds the difference which can be quite substantial depending on the medication. My preventer inhaler is normally around $80-$90 but I only ever pay $5.30 for it being that I'm on a Carer's pension.

Rita said...

Iggy,
Karma says hi!

You are so sweet! I like to toot Leah's horn for her--hehe! :):):)

Rita said...

Reba,
At least with the ground freezing it helped with the harvesting--but this is too early and too long to be this cold, right?

I think everybody agrees that something should be done--but they can't agree about what and how. *sigh*

You stay warm, too! :):)

Rita said...

AliceKay,
I am lucky to have a few people like that in my life. My dear friend, Ruby, in Wisconsin is another one. Just knowing them reminds me to be a better person. :):)

You got the snow and we got the deep freeze up here. I lived in a trailer for a year--so I know the sounds. :)

Rita said...

Leah,
You ears must have been ringing! Say--does that mean that with tinnitus I have people talking about me constantly? ROFL!

I know you appreciated the fact that when you worked for FoxRX that they didn't push anything on people. Not too often you work for companies like that. I sure hope you can find another job soon--a place where you can be proud of where you work again. :) Think positive, right?

I don't tell you often enough how much I love you and how proud I am of you. And Dagan, too. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you both in it. Love eyes! Love eyes!! :):)

Rita said...

Serena,
Yes--Leah really is an earth angel! :):)

Our system with prescription drugs is really complicated--for sure! The people who hurt the worst are the ones with expensive drugs they need to take to live. Once the company has spent such and such amount on you in a given year--you reach this donut hole where you have to pay it all for such and such a time (often thru the rest of the year for some people, I've heard). Funny how they didn't debate the heck out of THAT new program and it was passed pretty quickly. Good for the drug companies, I guess?? Medical care is a big messy, very touchy subject these days over here. D&L&I joke about how if we win the lottery we'd like to move to Norway. (Being 100% Swedish, I keep holding out for Sweden--ROFL!)

Leah said...

I bet you don't even have tennitis, people are just always talking about you and thus your ears are always ringing... ;)

We can move to Norway, Sweden, wherever they have great "universal" healthcare for all of us, and a full 4 season climate like here. Those are really the only requirements. ;)

Thank you kindly,
Leah

Rita said...

Leah--
Quit talking about me! ROFL!! (We are so silly!)

I agree--have to have the seasons! I would miss snow! The winters could be milder, but I'd really miss snow. :):)