"Donut Hole"

9/29/2017

I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking about those wonderful, delicious bites of sugary dough that can be eaten in two (okay maybe one) bite.  But today, I'm talking about the donut hole you possibly fall into with regard to your Part D (prescription coverage) that you select along with with other options you select during open enrollment.

Up until this year, Jeff and I had read about the donut hole, which is where you find yourself after you have spent more money on prescriptions than Medicare allows.  While in the donut hole, you get to pay 100% of your prescriptions, until you get to the catastrophic level.  

Unfortunately, I take a lot of medicine and the cost of some of the prescriptions are not cheap. You pay a small co-pay up until you reach $3,700.  Then you pay a larger portion of the cost of prescriptions until you reach $4,950, which puts you in the catastrophic level.  Both Jeff and I find ourselves in said donut hole.  My prescriptions are written for a 90 day supply.  Since we are so close to October, it's possible that we might squeak by for most of my medicine.  It takes a lot of medicine to keep me sane(er)!

I've checked with AARP, and they tell me that Medicare sets the amount each year that allows you to get your prescriptions for relatively very little money.  I'm not a fortune teller, but something tells me that next year Medicare will move the $3,700 amount to something higher.  Unfortunately, they also tell me that it doesn't matter which company we choose for our Part D coverage, because the same limits are the same across the board.  Gads, it's tough getting old.

Yesterday, I worked up enough energy to bag up some of the clothes that Stacey had brought me.  Some of the clothes were given to her by a friend, whose mother had passed away.  I stuffed three bags of clothing that I would not wear.  Some of the dresses were quite pretty, but I'd have to be six foot tall to wear them!

Today's challenge will be to take the clothes upstairs that do now or will shortly fit me, and find room for those clothes somewhere.  I guess I can't really use the excuse of "I've got nothing to wear"l at least at the moment.

Happy Friday everyone.

P