Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[proserpina65]

49 minutes ago, smittykins said:

I remember banner ads of images of the pods that were Photoshopped onto pictures of women’s breasts to make people think that larvae were “feeding on breast tissue.”(freak-out alert).

I remember those too.  I think those are part of the reason I find lotus pods so horrifying.

[susannah]

On 1/30/2022 at 5:06 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

Also, you owe cat tax, @peacheslatour

 

What's cat tax? Do all proceeds go to the cats?😃

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

What's cat tax? Do all proceeds go to the cats?😃

I'm not sure if you don't really know, in case you are really asking, in internet forums where pet pix are posted, it's common to say that the poster must post a picture of his/her own cat or dog "for tax," that is for the privilege of joining in.  That's because we all want to see more pictures!

Edited February 3, 2022 by EtheltoTillie

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm not sure if you don't really know, in case you are really asking, in internet forums where pet pix are posted, it's common to say that the poster must post a picture of his/her own cat or dog "for tax," that is for the privilege of joining in.  That's because we all want to see more pictures!

Also if you're doing some kind of DIY remodeling job. You're supposed to post a pic of a dog or cat along with the before and afters.

[susannah]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm not sure if you don't really know, in case you are really asking, in internet forums where pet pix are posted, it's common to say that the poster must post a picture of his/her own cat or dog "for tax," that is for the privilege of joining in.  That's because we all want to see more pictures!

No I really didn't know, so thanks for the info!

[Prevailing Wind]

Medicare Advantage: Medicare PAYS the private insurers $800/month/patient to provide coverage. Some insurers may accept that as the premium, so that "adding MUNNEYEEE to your Social Security check" is just M'care not taking the premium out of the SS benefit. Some may not, which is why the amounts of MUNNEYEEE added to your check varies between insurers. You may still have to pay a monthly premium for the Advantage plan.

Apparently, it's worth it to Medicare not to have to administer all the paperwork & payments to docs. I swear, they are trying to steer ALL of us to an Advantage plan. Every time we get a COLA, the Medicare premiums and deductibles eat it up.

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Medicare Advantage: Medicare PAYS the private insurers $800/month/patient to provide coverage. Some insurers may accept that as the premium, so that "adding MUNNEYEEE to your Social Security check" is just M'care not taking the premium out of the SS benefit. Some may not, which is why the amounts of MUNNEYEEE added to your check varies between insurers. You may still have to pay a monthly premium for the Advantage plan.

Apparently, it's worth it to Medicare not to have to administer all the paperwork & payments to docs. I swear, they are trying to steer ALL of us to an Advantage plan. Every time we get a COLA, the Medicare premiums and deductibles eat it up.

I really wavered between a "funny" and a "sad" for your post. MUNNEYEEE! 🤣

[dleighg]

there are issues (as my elderly father learned) with switching to MA. He gave up his supplemental to go to MA, and then when he discovered after he broke his hip, that his MA plan "sucked" in casual language, next year he tried to go back to regular Medicare, which he could, but he could no longer get his old supplemental (which he really needed 'cause he was 89 years old and had tons of drugs/medical issues). So think carefully before you switch.

[Prevailing Wind]

10 minutes ago, dleighg said:

So think carefully before you switch.

That reminds me of the old Tareyton cigarette ads featuring people with black eyes... "I'd rather fight than switch."

[AnnA]

I thought those Medicare Advantage commercials would end on December 7th.  That's what the early ones said was the cutoff date.  The explanations I read in the other thread answered my question about zip codes.  I just couldn't understand why a Medicare benefit was dependent on your zip code.  The reality is that it's not really a Medicare benefit at all.  It's some insurance plan posing as Medicare.  I hate those commercials!  I'm sure there are many seniors who fell for their sales pitch.  I don't know why they're allowed on TV.  Shame on the celebrities who appear in them!

[CrystalBlue]

There are four parts of Medicare: Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D.
Part A provides inpatient/hospital coverage.
Part B provides outpatient/medical coverage.
Part C offers an alternate way to receive your Medicare benefits (see below for more information).
Part D provides prescription drug coverage.
Generally, the different parts of Medicare help cover specific services. Most beneficiaries choose to receive their Part A and B benefits through Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program offered directly through the federal government. It is sometimes called Traditional Medicare or Fee-for-Service (FFS) Medicare. Under Original Medicare, the government pays directly for the health care services you receive. You can see any doctor and hospital that takes Medicare (and most do) anywhere in the country.

In Original Medicare:

You go directly to the doctor or hospital when you need care. You do not need to get prior permission/authorization from Medicare or your primary care doctor.
 

Before you turn 65, you must enroll in something that will cover Medicare Parts C and D, which is not covered by the government.  That is what Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans are.  They are not trying to trick you into anything.

The commercials may be irritating and annoying, but they are not fraudulent "posing as Medicare" because they are SUPPLEMENTS to what you will automatically get when you turn 65.

[chessiegal]

23 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

The commercials may be irritating and annoying, but they are not fraudulent "posing as Medicare" because they are SUPPLEMENTS to what you will automatically get when you turn 65.

Well put. And I add that the FCC does not allow advertising of fraudulent products.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Medical care is limited by what's available in the local area, especially the Advantage plans.   I used to live in a high cost area, and many of the doctors only took Medicare patients who had a Medigap or other supplemental insurance, because regular Medicare didn't pay enough (I should have explained that better the first time).   I don't think they had the Advantage plans then, but that was a long time ago.  

You also can't live in one state, and belong in-network to a plan in another state.     That can cause issues with the Snow Bird crowd who live six months or so in another state.  (I'm talking about Advantage plans).   

However, the few times I belonged to an HMO, they were limited to in-network facilities, or you had to pay a lot more.   They were also by zip code.    

The Medicare Advantage plans can have extra benefits, but that is limited by the area they operate in, and by what facilities have contracts with that plan.   One of the huge hospital systems here had an issue with the contracts a couple of years ago with the big Advantage plans, and didn't sign with them so that wasn't still in network.    

I really can't see Broadway Joe having to worry about medical care, or rides to the doctor, etc.      I didn't miss JJ Walker on my TV, and I'm sick of seeing him.  

[Prevailing Wind]

34 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

Before you turn 65, you must enroll in something that will cover Medicare Parts C and D, which is not covered by the government.  That is what Medicare Advantage and Medigap plans are.  They are not trying to trick you into anything.

The commercials may be irritating and annoying, but they are not fraudulent "posing as Medicare" because they are SUPPLEMENTS to what you will automatically get when you turn 65.

This is mistaken.  You have to enroll for Medicare A & B 3 months prior to turning 65. You can, at that time, also enroll for Part D (D for drugs) with a private insurer. Government-administered Medicare does not provide C or D coverage.  You can also sign up for a "Medigap" supplemental plan that will pay the final 20% that Medicare doesn't pay (of their vastly reduced prices.) (That 20% is the "gap" that's being insured.) That, too, is through a private insurer (Mine is Mutual of Omaha).

Part C is a REPLACEMENT for A&B. It is not supplemental to A&B, It comes via a private insurer and is more like a PPO/HMO and is quite restrictive. Its price structure is even lower than A&B prices. Health care providers hate it; many of them do not accept it.  As I mentioned an above post, Medicare DOES pay for Part C (Advantage) by paying the insurer $800 a month per patient. What the insurer does with that money is up to them.

I've mentioned this before. It is a caution: If you do NOT sign up for part D and then want to later, there is a surcharge for late enrollment. They figure out how long you *could have* had Part D and then calculate a percentage based on all those months. It gets added as a surcharge to your premium IN PERPETUITY.  There is an exclusion for low-income people, but it does exist. If you think you're gonna have an expensive drug prescribed somewhere down the line, get the Part D "NAOOOWWWW."

Edited February 6, 2022 by Prevailing Wind
misplaced apostrophe

[peacheslatour]

Can you opt for A and B, then have supplemental (Humana, United Health) cover you on prescriptions and the additional 20% Medicare doesn't pay without it affecting your A and B distribution?

[Prevailing Wind]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Can you opt for A and B, then have supplemental (Humana, United Health) cover you on prescriptions and the additional 20% Medicare doesn't pay without it affecting your A and B distribution?

Yes, that's what I have (except I don't have Part D because my prescriptions are so cheap.)

ETA: It works really well. Doc sends claim to Medicare, who figures out what they'll pay. Then they pay that less the 20% that is your co-pay. If you have supplemental, they'll forward their calculations along with the claim to your insurer, who then pays the 20%  - that is, after your deductible has been met. M'care has the deductible, Supplement does not.

Edited February 6, 2022 by Prevailing Wind

[Prevailing Wind]

I remember when Part D first came out. My mom gave me a list of her drugs and I spent HOURS looking for an inexpensive, appropriate Part D insurer. I finally came up with the answer, told her, and THEN she goes to AARP for help. They came up with the same recommendation. I was so peeved. WHY did I do all that research if she wasn't gonna follow it?  Jeez, old people can be a challenge.  Ooops. I'm an old people now.

[SoMuchTV]

5 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I remember when Part D first came out. My mom gave me a list of her drugs and I spent HOURS looking for an inexpensive, appropriate Part D insurer. I finally came up with the answer, told her, and THEN she goes to AARP for help. They came up with the same recommendation. I was so peeved. WHY did I do all that research if she wasn't gonna follow it?  Jeez, old people can be a challenge.  Ooops. I'm an old people now.

Not to be all Susie Sunshine but couldn’t you look at it as, she got a second opinion that confirmed that you were right?

[madmax]

1 hour ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I remember when Part D first came out. My mom gave me a list of her drugs and I spent HOURS looking for an inexpensive, appropriate Part D insurer. I finally came up with the answer, told her, and THEN she goes to AARP for help. They came up with the same recommendation. I was so peeved. WHY did I do all that research if she wasn't gonna follow it?  Jeez, old people can be a challenge.  Ooops. I'm an old people now.

 

55 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Not to be all Susie Sunshine but couldn’t you look at it as, she got a second opinion that confirmed that you were right?

Sounds like my mom and no, I can't look at it as she confirmed I was right.  I couldn't tell you how often I researched things for my mother, taking lots of time away from my own pursuits, my own family, etc.  Then she turns around and does whatever because she got an email about a good deal or one of her friends told her to do this.  Inevitably, she bitches because she either got screwed on price or didn't get everything she wanted.

[Haleth]

It's so confusing.  The whole thing gives me anxiety.  

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

It's so confusing. 

Which is why you should call the number on your screen NOOWWW!!!!! [sarcasm]

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Obnoxious customer: I'm never shopping here again! *Storms out*

Retail employees: *Thinking to themselves* Really? You promise? 

I used to work in a custom paint and decor shop. The number of people we sent to other places was never in question by management. It's amazing how many people wanted things that we didn't carry but would flip out on us when we explained that to them. " I need nails!" "Well you should probably hit up a hardware store."  "Waaah, I don't wanna!" Jeez.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

[Annber03]

12 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I used to work in a custom paint and decor shop. The number of people we sent to other places was never in question by management. It's amazing how many people wanted things that we didn't carry but would flip out on us when we explained that to them. " I need nails!" "Well you should probably hit up a hardware store."  "Waaah, I don't wanna!" Jeez.

When my mom worked at Target she had a customer come in one time, wanting to return something. When my mom tried to explain to her that the item she wanted to return wasn't something they sold there, the customer seemed genuinely flabbergasted at this. Apparently she thought all the big stores like Target and Wal-Mart and such could just take any ol' thing back, regardless of whether or not they actually sold the item at their particular store, and that there was some center somewhere they all shared where they could store anything they returned. 

I mean, I know there are some aspects of a job you won't be familiar with if you don't work there, but...it's like some people have never been in a store before or have a general idea of how one works. 

[peacheslatour]

I don't know if I ever told this story here or not but here goes. My flower shop's phone number was one digit off of a hotel's across town. I would get these whackjob calls.

"Good afternoon Flowers By Irene."

"Connect me to room 123."

"Um this is a flower shop, you want the Milton, across town, their number is xxx-xxx-xxxx."

"Just connect me!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because I only have this phone line, I have no way to connect anyone to anything,"

"Look, just connect me to the front desk!"

"I"m across town from the Milton, I'm in a flower shop in Snotty Assed Towers. They are in a different structure in another part of town."

*CLICK*

This happened at least once a week.

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by peacheslatour

[madmax]

17 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I don't know if I ever told this story here or not but here goes. My flower shop's phone number was one digit off of a hotel's across town. I would get these whackjob calls.

The main line for my office is one digit away from a plumber.  You can imagine the calls I had to field when I was receptionist.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I've had my cable company based landline for over four years.   The people who used to have it have never stopped giving that out as their number, including to pharmacies, doctor's offices, and dentists.    When I get a call for them, and there's a call back number, I call and tell the office that it's no longer their number.   If I get a call again, I block it.   You would think that the people who used to have this number would wonder why they don't get phone calls, or calls to tell them prescriptions are ready, but they still give it out.     HOwever, a relative of the previous phone line owner was indicted for ripping off investors for millions, so I had a few phone calls from reporters, and blocked those, but the saddest are a couple of people who apparently hadn't heard about the indictment, arrest, and federal charges.   I told them that it wasn't the family's phone number, and to look up the articles about the business closing, and then I blocked them too.   

Google never takes an address or phone number out, so I still get the occasional call asking to talk to the business owner, but he hasn't had this number for over 15 years.     

[Prevailing Wind]

There's a phone number JUST like mine in a neighboring area code. I get calls all the time for Margie. Somebody finally mentioned Margie's last name. I googled her. Turns out, she died recently. (Most calls seem to be real estate agents wanting to sell her property for her.) So lately, when somebody calls asking for Margie, I just say, "She's dead," and hang up.  NOW I'm getting calls for Kathy, who apparently is Margie's heir.

[susannah]

2 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

There's a phone number JUST like mine in a neighboring area code. I get calls all the time for Margie. Somebody finally mentioned Margie's last name. I googled her. Turns out, she died recently. (Most calls seem to be real estate agents wanting to sell her property for her.) So lately, when somebody calls asking for Margie, I just say, "She's dead," and hang up.  NOW I'm getting calls for Kathy, who apparently is Margie's heir.

Maybe you can get in on it!

On 2/5/2022 at 3:01 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

That reminds me of the old Tareyton cigarette ads featuring people with black eyes... "I'd rather fight than switch."

I remember seeing pictures of women with those fake black eyes, yeah violence against women was always a great selling technique!

[madmax]

48 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

There's a phone number JUST like mine in a neighboring area code. I get calls all the time for Margie. Somebody finally mentioned Margie's last name. I googled her. Turns out, she died recently. (Most calls seem to be real estate agents wanting to sell her property for her.) So lately, when somebody calls asking for Margie, I just say, "She's dead," and hang up.  NOW I'm getting calls for Kathy, who apparently is Margie's heir.

The prefix on my  landline was one number off of another woman's number.  I'd get calls for Lisa constantly.  One time, I got a message from a friend that she was at the airport waiting for Lisa to pick her up.  Then a couple hours later, the same friend called pissed off, telling Lisa she owed her for the cab ride from the airport.  I finally realized that the number was off by one when Lisa's grandmother called me.  She was a very nice lady.

I actually recorded a message that if you were calling Lisa, you had the wrong number, that's how often they were.  A friend of my husband left a message asking for Lisa. 😄

[Prevailing Wind]

One of my email addresses is a word with a double O in it. Another woman named Regina has the same email addy except she uses 3 O's.  I get email for her ALL the time.  For some reason, this doesn't annoy me as much as the Margie phone calls do. I either reply to the people telling them about the extra O or I forward the email on to Regina.. If it's something relatively unimportant, I notify the sender. The announcements that her glasses are ready for pick up or she can get the results of medical tests by clicking on this link are the ones I forward to her.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, susannah said:

Maybe you can get in on it!

I remember seeing pictures of women with those fake black eyes, yeah violence against women was always a great selling technique!

Violence against women is so edgy and cool. *barf*

 

[Bruinsfan]

My parents' longtime phone number was the same as that of a local malt shop/burger stand except for two transposed numerals, and we used to get calls for them all the time until they closed about 15 years ago. Before that, at least some of the time, my parents would take people's orders and then call them in to the restaurant, since that was much less hassle than convincing callers they had the wrong number and getting them to call the correct one.

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, Bruinsfan said:

My parents' longtime phone number was the same as that of a local malt shop/burger stand except for two transposed numerals, and we used to get calls for them all the time until they closed about 15 years ago. Before that, at least some of the time, my parents would take people's orders and then call them in to the restaurant, since that was much less hassle than convincing callers they had the wrong number and getting them to call the correct one.

That was really nice of them. 

[susannah]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Violence against women is so edgy and cool. *barf*

 

No lie!

3 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That was really nice of them. 

Really nice! I hope they got a free burger once in a while for helping the shop.

[Haleth]

8 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Before that, at least some of the time, my parents would take people's orders and then call them in to the restaurant, since that was much less hassle than convincing callers they had the wrong number and getting them to call the correct one.

That is so sweet.

[Tom Holmberg]

11 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Violence against women is so edgy and cool. *barf*

 

Even worse than Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove" cover.

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, Tom Holmberg said:

Even worse than Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove" cover.

"What's wrong with being sexy?"

[janie jones]

My phone number growing up was one digit off from a local bar. In the evenings, we'd get people calling looking for people. No one was weird when you told them they had the wrong number though.

19 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I've had my cable company based landline for over four years.   The people who used to have it have never stopped giving that out as their number, including to pharmacies, doctor's offices, and dentists.    When I get a call for them, and there's a call back number, I call and tell the office that it's no longer their number.   If I get a call again, I block it.   You would think that the people who used to have this number would wonder why they don't get phone calls, or calls to tell them prescriptions are ready, but they still give it out.    

I don't know what people think happens when they change their phone number. At my store, we'll get people who "can't" put in their phone number for their rewards because they got a new phone number. It doesn't seem to occur to them that the phone number stays on their account until they update it. Stores, pharmacies, doctor's offices, etc. don't magically lose your old number when you get a new one.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

At my former office the IT help desk was ne number off from a phone sex line.  At least a few times a week someone would be on speaker, misdial, and we would all hear a low, throaty voice say, "Hello, sexy!"

[EtheltoTillie]

Coming in late to the Medicare queries, but note this now if you are confused or even if you are not.  Call the Medicare Rights Center.  I cannot say this often or loudly enough.  800-333-4114.

I am an elder law attorney, and I know a lot about Medicare, but I still have to call my colleagues over there to check stuff.  Medicare has some arcane rules!!!

They are amazing and they are a free service.  I cannot praise them enough.  It is a nationwide program.  They will help you figure out which plans are right for you.  Many people choose a Medicare Advantage program at 65 because they are relatively healthy and they don't want to pay the premium for the supplement or they can't afford it.  So they end up in an HMO type plan.  That is the basic concept.  The premium for a good supplement can run $250 a month, and the basic Medicare Part B is now running $170 a month. 

[luvmylabs]

I'm not sure who writes these commercials.  The latest stupidity imo is the Chevy commercial where the hubby asks his wife what she wants for lunch.  He suggests sushi but she says she had sushi yesterday.  A while later he suggests seafood and she replies," you know I don't like seafood.". Correct me if I am wrong but isn't most sushi seafood?

[janie jones]

I think some people say "sushi" when they mean "Japanese food."

[AnnA]

1 hour ago, luvmylabs said:

I'm not sure who writes these commercials.  The latest stupidity imo is the Chevy commercial where the hubby asks his wife what she wants for lunch.  He suggests sushi but she says she had sushi yesterday.  A while later he suggests seafood and she replies," you know I don't like seafood.". Correct me if I am wrong but isn't most sushi seafood?

Yes it is.  I thought that commercial was stupid too.

[Haleth]

13 hours ago, luvmylabs said:

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't most sushi seafood?

I yell this to her every time the commercial is on.  Idiot.

[Browncoat]

I yell at them too, and I think I posted about it in the Commercials that Irritate thread.  Or maybe the thread about confusing commercials.  I posted it somewhere.

[Prevailing Wind]

Dleighg mentioned Amazon selling just books in the Annoy thread...

When Amazon was relatively new, they'd send gifts to their customers, along with the orders. I got a pad of post-its with their logo watermarked on it, a magnet with Cicero's quote "A room without books is like a body without a soul," and (the one thing I still have) an insulated plastic tumbler with Amazon logos all over it - it's purple & orange.

[xls]

18 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

That's why I like to occasionally watch hoarder shows. Makes my house look so nice and clean!

I look at those piles of stuff & think 'don't throw out anything good; that laundry basket looks brand new ..'

[Moose135]

On 2/12/2022 at 6:17 PM, luvmylabs said:

isn't most sushi seafood

No, it's bait...

[millennium]

Does anybody here dip their pizza in Hidden Valley Ranch creamy salad dressing (as the commercial suggests)?  Or any salad dressing?   It seems kind of ... unappetizing to me.   Pizza costs a fortune now (average $20-30 in my area for a large depending on toppings), so I'm just wondering why would anyone want to smother the taste of the pizza with salad dressing.