A lost ballcap and signing up for Medicare

            I lost my ballcap on Saturday.
            It’s not just any ballcap. It’s my OU Sooners ballcap.
            I love that ballcap and wear it faithfully.
           I attended the play “The Big Five-OH” at the Brooklyn Opera House. I was there to take photos and write a story for this publication.
           I found my way to the balcony for a better vantage point to take photos. I laid my ballcap on my camera backpack, I think, and that is the last time I knew its whereabouts.
            After the play, which by the way was a hoot, I made my way to the lobby to interview some of the guests and cast members.
            The play was written and produced by Brian Mitchell of Grinnell. I talked to Brian and plan to interview him soon.
            He asked me what I thought of the play. I said it was hilarious and I never knew from one scene to the next what was going to happen.
            Brian smiled, saying that is the way it’s supposed to be.
            Anyway, at one point, I wondered where my hat was, but I didn’t go back upstairs to check. I thought maybe I had left it in my Suburban and didn’t realize where it was.
            I got home and there was no ballcap.
            Debbie looked in the Suburban on Sunday and I looked again, too. No ballcap!
            I wrote a cast member who had contacted me about coming and taking photos and told her that I had lost my ballcap. She said that she would check for it on Sunday.
            She wrote me later to tell me that she didn’t find my ballcap. She even asked the custodian and was told that no one left a ballcap or turned one in.
            I paid $30 for that hat and now I don’t have it anymore.
            Maybe I’m becoming absentminded? Or disorganized?
            I don’t know!
            I will be 65 in late September and will go on Medicare.
            Losing my ballcap is awful, almost depressing, but going on Medicare is even worse.
            I was just a kid the other day.
            I’ve been out of high school for 46 years. I remember going to my mom’s 50th class reunion in 2005 in southern Missouri. My 50th class reunion is just around the corner in 2028.
           To put it all in perspective, the original Star Wars movies were released in 1977 in the summer between my junior and senior years of high school.
            Well, back to Medicare.
          In early June, I attended a public session at the Grinnell Library regarding signing up for Medicare. I then went and met with a SHIP councilor in Grinnell a couple weeks later.
            SHIP offers one-on-one assistance, counseling and education to Medicare beneficiaries, their families and caregivers to help them make informed decisions about their care and benefits. SHIP is part of the Iowa Insurance Division and the service is free.
            Anyway, I’m more confused now than I was before.
            I think my next move is to get a Medicare card. Even signing up for that is confusing. 
            Do I get a Part “A” and Part “B”? What about a drug plan? The SHIP councilor said I get a drug plan for .50 cents per month.
            That’s either a testament to living a good life or is a blessing from God. I think it is the blessing part. That’s where the credit goes.
            Maybe I’m a little stubborn. I hate taking medicine.
            I will eat a couple Tums when my tummy hurts or take an aspirin if I need one, but that is about it.
            And there are all these other parts that I can chose from. There is Part “C”, Part “D”, Part “G” and so on. And I can’t forget about the Advantage plan which, unlike the traditional plan of Part “A” and Part “B”, is offered directly through insurance companies.
            It’s all crazy, confusing and expensive!
            Why do I need all these parts?
            How does that help me?
            I think to start, I’m going to go with the least amount of coverage I can to get by. I think if I understand it right, I can make changes to my plan every year.
            First things first, I have to find my lost ballcap.
            Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.