Don't get sick. EVER!!! I mean it. You need a plan. Heart attack, just die at home. Flu, just die at home. Ingrown toenail, yep you got it! Once your life is in the hands of the insurance companies you are screwed.
Bad idea #1 Getting insurance. We decided to get dad supplemental medicare insurance because it would save him $700/year, even after accounting for premiums, deductibles, and copays. We spent months pouring over plans and finally decided on one. Sounds good right? NOT. First of all dad was penalized for NOT carrying supplemental insurance since 2005. Now mind you, he has paid for everything himself, never asking for help, but now is penalized for 60+ months. The penalty will be added to his premium until he dies; not until he repays it, until he dies.
Bad idea #2 Honoring someone's wishes. My father was sure about what he did and did not want. Mom and I are both nurses (was in her case) and had some good horror stories. When, during this hospital stay, we had to make a choice on honoring his wishes or continuing on with something he clearly didn't want, we chose to honor his wishes. Mistake!!! Since he rather die than subject his insurance to thousands of dollars of cost, the insurance is going to reward him with refusing to pay his bill because there is no longer care being given to prolong his suffering.
So, all in all if we bring Dad home to die, Medicare will cover his meds and the administration of them, a bath, and some help while I do rest of the work for free and my kids get the trauma of watching Gpa waste away and die. If we stay at the hospital where the care is great and he is being taken care of well (WHICH HE DESERVES IN HIS LAST DAYS), it won't be paid for. We can go to a nursing home and pay the facility fee which is $200-300/day and Medicare will pay for the hospice portion whatever that is.
Sounds like I am screwed no matter how I look at it.
oh, and the kicker. He doesn't qualify for Medicaid because he didn't have the foresight to give away what is left of his money 5 years +1 day ago. All monies in a trust (which was made to protect his assets) are counted unless the Trustee, dad, is removed from his position as Trustee 5 years + 1 day before trying to qualify. But wait, he is a vet. yeah! God bless the soldiers, now bend over. Since he isn't established in the VA system, he will qualify but then goes to the bottom of the list. Even then, he makes too much in Social Security and would still have to pay $198/day for the substandard VA care.
All of this for someone to die with dignity. To be free of pain, to be fed, and to be loved.
So next time you ask me how my day was, I will direct you here.
Oh, and don't get insurance- doesn't seem to help anyway. Wait, maybe I could say he is an illegal immigrant- then he would get it for free.
