Calming Down
The family drama is thankfully under control. Both nephew and BIL are not really speaking, but they have been visiting her and times are overlapping and all remain civil. To me this is progress. Sad thing is not all is getting communicated back and forth. I actually posted an update on facebook for concerned friends as well as many sending prayers. I heard from my nephew that his wife saw the latest and was glad to hear it. I thought he already had some input. At any rate, they are giving 3 options for placement for her.
My nephew did warn me though of something. They cut him off their family plan. I also have AT&T and mentioned it to him. I said about adding another line but it really doesn't make much cheaper (save an extra $5. yipee) It would still cost him $60 which before he said he did not want to pay. When nephew found out he warned me not to do that because he thinks he won't always pay me plus he uses up So much data. My plan is unlimited texts and calls but not endless data. Nephew says he could rack up phenominal bill with extra data costs. He said let BIL just do his own plan. The more I think, the more I believe he is right. I can't afford MORE bills if I wind up paying them.
I am very worried and stressed as I have a home health check scheduled for Friday afternoon. It was set up by United Health Care. (my medicare advantage plan) supposedly to see if there are other ways they can help. To me when I here of setting up a health visit it feels like I am halfway to the home or else they are looking for ways to deny me coverage. It's just because it is something I am unfamiliar with I guess. Anybody have any suggestions?
Replies
yes I have a suggestion on home health visits.....I said no then they said they could do it virtually and there was a benefit of $50 gift card....so I said yes....now they want to come in home.....no money just invade my private home....say no cancel it without a reset appointment it is worthless.....do not do it call tomorrow and cancel....unless they offer money and a virtual telephone video call I would never do it again.....the doctor just asked about my meds and stuff when I was on phone no video just telephone....so I got $50 gift card....done with that....no money no home health visit....give that as the excuse say you heard of companies that pay in gift cards and without them doing that your not interested
see what happens....Nothing will happen but they will bug you next year if your still with same insurance.....it is a new thing with medicare advantage they want into your home....see if you live in goat path homes like some kind of hoarder
I agree with Bill. If it’s not required as part of your coverage cancel the appt. I don’t have med adv but even with my health plan, they try to contact me about utilizing programs they offer. I just say if I’m interested I’ll let you know.
It’s your health plan, not the boss of you.
No offense but why would you entertain adding your BIL to your phone plan, if I’m reading that right. Don’t get involved in that. Support your sister and nephew right now and focus on being a caregiver to yourself. Priorities.
When I was in country caring for parents they were on plans that were similar. Staff would come and make about the same suggestions I had for my parents that were simple safety suggestions like considering parting with some runner rugs that could be hazards for tripping, considering a special oven timer for the stove so it turned off automatically if they forgot that it was on (not needed since I unplugged their stove prior because of repeated close calls and introduced them to their microwave, and they became microwave junkies instead of burning the house down), and they suggested outside ramps, etc. which my parents had resisted thinking that would be an excuse to place them in a nursing home. Ramps made it possible for them to be in their home about 8 years longer than would have been possible without them. The home visit team also suggested possibilities for better lighting, which might have prevented some falls, but wasn't something my parents wanted because of their quite frugal values.
My sense was that they came hoping to make sure my parents had information on home hazards that could be useful, and they left my parents and me as a care giver with me a nice packet of some local agencies able to provide a whole range of services. I didn't have a concern that the insurance people were there with hidden aims to move to a higher level of care or give penalties for not following through with a particular suggestion. The visit was sort of win/win: we older folks are vulnerable to home hazards and can end up with accidents which impact where or whether we live, and the insurance company can mitigate their expenses with our policies by giving us information that keeps us healthier longer.
I now have a yearly Medicare required in office depression/mental health check, which like the home visit is a bit lame, but at least lets me know that someone is aware my ability to recognize my one needs may change over time, and I like the idea that if I opt to have people who part of my chosen support system made aware with my permission, that can be a good thing.
I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying about this visit. If you want to do it virtually for your privacy and and can get about the same information, go with what is most comfortable. Gift cards? If you have to miss work to do this appointment and they have that option to help, I suppose there is no harm in asking.
Thankyou Bill and Veggie for mentioning that. I have had calls from Nurses who want to come into my house and give me a health checkup. That's not why I buy insurance. I just want them to pay the bills when I see my doctor. They tell me my insurance will pay for it but then I tell them, I have a Nurse practioner who I see on a regular basis. I don't need to duplicate that with an in home check-up. I have a car and am perfectly capable of driving to the doctor's office. Besides, my time is valuable, and there is nothing wrong with me.
~~~Cheers~~~
That is such good news about your sister. You can go visit her at the facility. She will be unhappy for 1-3 months and talk about home. Do not argue with her or say you aren't going home. Make something up, this is her vacation because the house had a flood and it will take two weeks. Then next time, say something else. Be empathetic to her fretting about going home when she is in the facility. Eventually, she'll see the facility as home. My in-laws argued and argued with my dementia parents-in-law and all they had to do was play along. I used to do fake work conferences with my MIL from when she worked 50 years ago. I used to talk medicine with my FIL when he thought he was still seeing patients. I did a lot of "oh, yes, I understand and then what did you do?" phrases. Their kids argued and argued with the parents, no you are not at work, no this didn't happen, no there are no people on the ceiling and guess what? The parents got more and more agitated and upset. With my technique, the parents stayed calm and then fell asleep and woke up alert to right now in their facility room. You are a good sister, remember that. She feels your love.
I've had people come out to check on me, once or twice, by my insurance. We even had a psychiatric nurse practitioner come out to talk to my suicidal daughter and we found out so much more than we already knew. So these can be very good.
They do your blood pressure, listen to your heart, ask you questions like can you remember a string of three words and tell me in ten minutes what that string was? I had to repeat repeat repeat that string in my head I was so nervous.
It did me no good to have this lady come out. I am younger maybe but have chronic illness and now am on Medicare Original. I do not do Medicare Advantage because I worked with older adults and then in hospitals doing discharge planning and the MA plans sucked trying to find aftercare. Like you said, deny, deny, deny. I am right now working on which Part D I want. The cheaper plan for last year as per the Medicare website has been a deny deny deny plan. When I call for them to override the denial with my medical reasons, they don't want to. My doctor added one more low dosage of a med for me and they would not pay it. I have been using Good RX for those denied drugs. Denial in health care insurance is real.