I did it!
I pulled the trigger and signed up for my Medicare card last week. Corey Latcham at Farm Bureau Insurance in Montezuma helped guide me through the process. All the fear of making a mistake or pushing the wrong button or signing up on the wrong website for the wrong thing is gone. Next, I need to choose to either go with the traditional Medicare Part A and Part B with a supplement or supplements or go with the Advantage Plan, which is similar in nature to most insurance plans these days. I’ve heard pros and cons about both. Some say to stay away from the Advantage Plan, which is an insurance-based plan. Others tell me it is great and covers everything. One fellow told me he loves it. A lady at a doctor’s office in Grinnell told me to stay away from the Advantage Plan. According to Latcham, about 75 percent of first-time Medicare signees go with the Advantage Plan. My folks had the traditional Medicare with supplements through Blue Cross and Blue Shield and they loved it. Their monthly premium was paid out of their Social Security earnings and Medicare covered everything. They had no out of pocket expenses or co-pays for doctor or specialist visits and medical procedures. The nice option for me is that I can change my plan at set times in the year if I don’t like it. There are some stipulations and time limits, but still plenty of opportunities to find the right fit. What’s more amazing to me than signing up for Medicare is the idea that I’m 65-years of age. I remember when I was kid riding my bicycle to school and tossing morning newspapers with my mom in the 1970s. I would like to believe that was just the other day, but it’s not. In four years, I will attend my 50th high school class reunion. It wasn’t that many years ago that Debbie and I made the trek to Van Buren, Mo., deep in the Ozarks near the Current River, to attend my mom’s 50thclass reunion. I’m four years away from reaching that milestone in my life. Outside of turning 65, Debbie and I have been trying to eat better of late. I’ve made some positive changes and have lost 70 pounds in the last 10-years or so. I’m walking and moving a lot more and trying to reach 40,000 steps per week. I don’t always make it and that is OK. I’m just glad to be able to keep moving. I haven’t drank a Pepsi or soda drink since February 2015. I have replaced soda with unsweet ice tea. I do need to do better in the water drinking department. My recent doctor visit wasn’t as good as I had hoped. My blood sugar levels were a little high and I need to make improvements. I think it had something to do with a few too many cookies and good eating on our vacation. In an effort to make some changes, Debbie ordered a diabetic cookbook on Amazon. She looked through the cookbook and found some recipes for us to try. I stopped at the grocery store the other day after work and Debbie texted me a detailed lengthy list of ingredients and foods to purchase. By the time I pulled into the checkout stand, I had visited places in the grocery store I had never been before. I purchased some foods I had never heard of or eaten in my life. I bought fresh fruit, salad, chicken, cottage cheese, yogurt, frozen meatballs, baked beans, beef sticks, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, cabbage and more. And I stocked up on some can vegetables, including a few cans of blackeye peas, a Southern favorite of mine. Debbie cooked a wonderful supper that evening using the meatballs. It was good and tasted a lot like lasagna without the noodles. It was nice change to leave the store without a box of cookies, several bags of potato chips, frozen pizzas, crackers, flour, sugar and pasta. I did buy a loaf of bread and some muffins. I like the English muffins with butter in the morning. I also did my part to help the economy with my grocery purchases. I believe the key to being successful in the dieting department is having a balance of fiber, protein and limiting carbs. It’s all about moderation. A doctor once told me some years ago that it’s OK to have a cookie or eat some ice cream, you just don’t eat the entire bag or enjoy a gallon of the creamy stuff at one sitting. I’m looking forward to more positive changes, better eating and new things to keep me young at heart. The best years of my life are just around the corner. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.
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