I had to visit the Social Security office today. Here’s the long version (because that’s the only way, really):
I’ve been receiving Social Security Disability Income for a full two years now. After you’ve received benefits for two years, they automatically enroll you in Medicare. I have health insurance through my husband’s employer, so I wasn’t real interested in Medicare, but if it’s free, I guess I can’t complain. What I learned, however, is that Medicare comes in different forms, and the two I was enrolled in were Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). Now Part A is free, but Part B is not.
Now Part B could be advantageous, if it covered what my current health insurance doesn’t, and saved me more than I would be paying for the premium. But I never looked into it, because I learned that my participation in Part B would deem me ineligible for another program I’m part of. I currently receive assistance paying for my monthly Tysabri infusions (for MS, $20,000 before insurance PER infusion), and if I didn’t receive that assistance I would be stuck with about a $5,000 deductible. (I did warn you this was the long version.)
So basically, I could pay $120 per month for Part B Medicare and possibly $0 deductibles OR I could pay $0 premium and definitely $0 deductible. Now I was a straight A student, and I went to college. I chose the latter.
Simple, right? Not so. In March, when they sent me my Medicare welcome packet, I returned the card stating I was opting out of Part B. Then June came, and with it a welcome letter – and a statement of my insurance premium for PART B. I called to say W-T-F and they told me that was just a standard letter and that I would receive another one telling me it had been cancelled. Another month went by and my benefits came, less the $120 for Part B premium. I was not so happy, and I called again. They acted like they knew nothing about my opting out, and told me I needed to sign a form requesting cancellation, and that they would mail it to me.
At this point I didn’t believe a word they said, but I gave it a week to see if the form showed up. It did not. I called once again, but this time made the call to the local office, in case I needed to make an appointment. They said an appointment was not needed, but that I should come down and they would get it all straightened out. They made it sound so easy but I was still doubtful. I made arrangements (thanks Grandpa!) to get to the office today and guess what? It really was easy. The hardest part, literally, was signing myself in at the kiosk to get in line, when they asked me this question:
Are you….
1) Blind/low vision
2) Deaf/hard of hearing
3) (to be honest, I really don’t remember what was after those first two, but I was looking for an “all of the above” option)
I waited for about an hour, which is what they warned me it would be, and when they called my number I had to ask a few of the people waiting where #10 was, but they were all happy to direct the obvious newbie to her station, and I found it just fine. The gentleman was exactly that, a gentleman, and immediately put me at ease. He reassured me that cancelling was a simple process, and showed me where to sign, and before I even had a chance to ask, he was telling me they would be refunding me the two months of premium I had already paid, and the check will be on its way within the week!
I was so pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went and I felt pretty silly for having been such a nervous wreck. No worries though, it’s done now and I can move on with the rest of my week. Is it really only Monday still?
shared in this appreciation, and over the years have used the image and logo as a genuine reminder of not only the strength we each possess and the unique struggles we have each survived, but the joy we choose to hold onto in spite of all that. So, guess what we did? We got some matching Wonder Woman tattoos to make it super official. We chose to get them on our legs because she is a runner and I am becoming one. My calf is on the left… see how the calf segue makes sense now? A little? Anyway, I think they are awesome, don’t you?
e, and makes baking a lot more fun. I’m not quite sure what the white arrow on the top was supposed to be for, but maybe I could do some internet research and find out. It’s entirely possible that it wasn’t supposed to go on the mixer at all, and that it was just some random decal included with zero purpose. But oh well.
y. A couple weeks ago I saw a woman at Panera Bread walking around in a flowy pair of pants covered in black and white paisley and I could not stop staring. She probably thought I was some kind of a freak. I probably am; I took this picture of my daughter, with the pants in the background, hoping to get a better look at them, but you really can’t see them all that well. It’s a cute picture of my goofy girl though!
wn collection of them and I can’t seem to let them go. One of them I think I actually stole from her, and it’s by far my favorite. It’s a sage green color, with paisley of course, and it’s been used so many times it’s super soft and cozy. It makes me happy just to touch it. And maybe that’s the one that started it all, I don’t know. I just know that I am a sucker for paisley. I put it everywhere I can, my phone, my keychain, my purses, my clothes. Heck, I even have a giant splash of it tattooed on my arm. It’s a wonder I didn’t name my daughter Paisley. Oh geez, why didn’t I think of it then? What a missed opportunity. Maybe I’ll save it for our next dog.
Little M.S. Runner 