-
Dental Insurance or a Dental Savings Plan?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
I’m officially on Medicare now, as of October 1. In addition to the basic one-size-fits-all of Medicare parts A and B, I wanted supplemental insurance, vision coverage, and some kind of dental plan. I am a firm opponent of ‘Medicare Advantage’ plans, which are not Medicare. They are the privatization of Medicare, an insidious corporate takeover of the most successful social safety net program this country has ever enacted, along with Social Security. So … I have a Humana supplemental policy, an annual EyeMed discount plan that I already had, and now an Aetna dental save plan.
The dental plan was the one my husband and I most hesitated over. There are quite a few that offer the same basic benefit: significant discounts for the fees charged by participating dentists. It can be as much as 50 percent lower than the charge for the service. Until now, we’d had MetLife dental insurance, with a monthly premium for both of us at around $60 a month. It’s insurance, which means we had a $150 deductible for the year, with a $2000 cap from MetLife once the deductible was met. So, having estimated our needs in a given year, it made sense to go with a dental savings plan that cost (approximately) $199 annually for a couple. It’s a gamble: if I need a crown replaced or something major, it’s going to cost a lot more, but I’m not paying $720 (plus deductible) a year for it, either.
-
The Weekly Readlines September 30
Quote for the Week: “… we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator. We take an oath to the Constitution and we take an oath to the idea that is America – and we’re willing to die to protect it.” – Retiring Four-Star General Mark Milley
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Senator Diane Feinstein died at 90, leaving a legacy as the longest-serving woman in the U.S. Senate. General Mark Milley retired as the head of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, ignoring calls for his execution by one-term fiasco Trump and his toady, AZ Rep. Paul Gosar. And a government shutdown is all but assured after radical Republicans chose cult over country.
The Writers Guild reached an agreement with studios, ending a five-month strike. President Biden walked the picket line with autoworkers in Michigan, becoming the first American President to join striking union members. And Las Vegas’ Culinary Workers Union authorized a strike, threatening to cripple Gomorrah in the desert.
Possibly realizing it’s a violation of federal law while under indictment, Trump denied purchasing a 9mm Glock after a campaign staffer said he did. And the former President was found by a judge to have committed fraud for years in his real estate businesses. His popularity among the base jumped 20 points. Who says crime doesn’t pay?
-
Savvy Senior: Does Medicare Cover Second Medical Opinions?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does Medicare cover second medical opinions? The doctor I currently see thinks I need a knee replacement, but I would like to get some other treatment options before I proceed. What can you tell me?
Limping Larry
Dear Larry,
Getting a second medical opinion from another doctor is a smart idea that may offer you a fresh perspective and additional options for treating your knee so you can make a more informed decision. Or, if the second doctor agrees with your current one, it can give you some reassurance.
Yes, Medicare does pay for second opinions if your current doctor has recommended surgery, or some other major diagnostic or therapeutic procedure.
-
Savvy Senior: Best Stair Lifts of 2023
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Because of chronic arthritis, I have a very difficult time going up and down stairs anymore and am interested in purchasing a stair lift for my two-story house. Can you recommend some good companies?
Arthritic Andy
Dear Andy,
Yes, of course! A good home stair lift is a great mobility solution for anyone who is unable, or has a difficult time climbing stairs. To help you choose a quality stair lift that meets your needs and budget, here are a few shopping tips along with some top-rated companies.
-
RetireGuide Offers LGBTQ+ Elder Health Care Guide
RetireGuide has included a valuable Care Guide for LGBTQ+ elders that includes such topics as:
Why Do LGBTQ+ Elders Have Low Rates of Health Insurance?
What Health Care Challenges Do LGBTQ+ Elders Face?
Discrimination
Greater Risk
Medicare Bill Rejection
and more.
You can read the entire Guide HERE.
RetireGuide is a health and wealth website dedicated to providing accurate information and research on a variety of retirement topics. We do this through a stringent editorial process that involves fact-checking, attribution to reputable sources, insight from financial experts and original reporting from a team of experienced journalists.
RetireGuide offers a wide variety of information for seniors about housing, healthcare, insurance, and financial planning. Sharing this is not intended as an endorsement of their products or services. – LGBTSr
-
The Weekly Readlines September 7
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Burger King will have to face a lawsuit claiming it’s Whoppers are too small to be whoppers.
Bomb threats against public libraries are on the rise. Home insurers are dropping natural disaster coverage in light of the climate change we’re told isn’t real, and Hunter Biden is being indicted in one of the biggest ‘whatever’ media narratives of the modern era.
Ron DeSantis had his handlers man-handle a 15-year-old in New Hampshire whose question made him uncomfortable. And a Massachusetts teenager died after eating a spicy tortilla chip, attributed to the ‘one chip challenge’ TikTok craze.
-
On the Map: Provincetown Paradise with a Side Trip to Wellfleet
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr.com offering travelogues and recommendations. Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
As we come to the end of another annual trip to Provincetown, I’m reminded why we value our visits here. Frank has had a timeshare for 35 years or so, at a place called Eastwood at Provincetown. It’s like a sprawling motel complex on the far east side of town, and has been very lesbian-centric for years. Plenty of gay men, too, but a lot of women come here. This time I noticed several children with their opposite-sex parents, and I found myself hoping it’s not losing its edge. We’ll see.
-
The Weekly Readlines August 11
Quote for the Week: “I come from regular stock, and I prefer that — I prefer being around that.” – Clarence Thomas, in a documentary financed by one of his billionaire benefactors
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Maui has been devastated by wildfires, claiming at least 55 lives and destroying the historic town of Lahaina, once the seat of the Hawaiian kingdom.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has requested January 2 as the start date for Trump’s trial, possibly hoping to make him a convicted felon in time for Super Tuesday.
And The Band’s Robbie Robertson died at 80, having given us the most most famous and unfortunately enduring Confederate apologia ever recorded, The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down. If only it had stayed there.
LGBTQ NEWS
Milan To Resume Registering Children From Male Couples
ReutersDr. Fauci To Be Succeeded By First Openly LGBTQ Director Of NIAID
Washington Blade -
Book Review: Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America, by Krista Burton
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“Moby Dyke: An Obsessive Quest to Track Down the Last Remaining Lesbian Bars in America” by Krista Burton
c.2023, Simon & Schuster $28.99 320 pagesThe last stool on the left, over by the neon beer sign, is yours.
That’s your spot, the place where you can see almost the entire place. You hold court there, have a few drinks there, and you meet new friends. On that stool, you’re among your people but enjoy it while you can: in “Moby Dyke” by Krista Burton, watch how your seat is in a dwindling place.
A few years ago, toward the end of the pandemic, masking, and lock-downs, Krista Burton was asked what she missed most. Her answer was a surprise: she longed to be in a crowded “dyke bar,” shoulder-to-shoulder with people like her.
-
Mark McNease On Topic: Cowgirls and Alpha Gomers
Enjoy my weekly Substack, Mark McNease On Topic. Subscribe HERE.
Slavery as a career path
Among the most appalling things I’ve heard in 65 years was the recent “curriculum” in Florida that requires history teachers include in their discussions of slavery that some slaves learned useful skills (like how to cut themselves down from a tree?). When I was in the 6th grade, attending a private school, we had to read books every summer. One of them was called ‘To Be a Slave,’ consisting entirely of the lives of slaves described by the slaves themselves. This book would surely be banned today in many states. Slavery was ugly, brutal, vicious, murderous, and demonic (defended with biblical scripture, as we can expect). The images included in the book were searing: men and women with deep scars on their backs from being whipped. Perhaps it taught them the skill of endurance? Embroidery? Surely they learned something they could parlay into a small business after emancipation.
-
Interview: 6 Questions for Dave Hughes, Author and Founder of Retire Fabulously
By Mark McNease
I’m delighted to share a new interview with someone I consider a longtime friend, inspiration, and fellow go-getter. Dave Hughes started his website, RetireFabulously.com, ten years ago. We managed to connect, considering some shared demographics with LGBTSr.com. Since then we’ve had many communications and several interviews. I believe he offers some of the best advice on retiring and living in retirement, and he’s now a novelist as well. Can you say dynamo? Enjoy the latest ‘6 Questions’ interview with Dave, and hopefully he’ll inspire some readers to pursue their goals as well, whether you’re retired or not. – Mark
Dave Hughes Congratulations on 10 years of Retire Fabulously! What’s the 411 on Dave Hughes for readers: who/what/where/why.
I enjoyed a reasonably successful career as a software engineer. That’s a broad job title, but at various times in my career, my responsibilities included writing code, customer support, training, and management. Overall, it was very enjoyable. It certainly paid better than being a jazz musician, which was my true passion (and still is). I spent the last 17½ years of my career at Intel Corporation where, in addition to my regular job, I was very active in their diversity and inclusion initiatives, primarily on behalf of LGBTQ employees.
I’m originally from Ohio. I lived in the Washington, DC suburbs for 11½ years before moving to warm, sunny Phoenix, Arizona in late 1995, at age 38. At the time, my motivations were to move to someplace where it doesn’t snow and freeze, and where the cost of living (especially real estate) was much less expensive. At the time, I wasn’t considering where I’d retire, but as it turns out, Phoenix is an excellent place to retire – at least for me.
-
On the Map: Bethany Beach and Rehoboth, Dalaware
By Mark McNease
We’ve been making annual trips to visit our friends in Bethany Beach for quite a few years now. The pandemic cramped our style for a couple years, but we still managed to get there. And now it’s full-steam ahead, with strolling on the boardwalks in both towns, browsing in Browseabout Books, enjoying the ice cream at Bonkey’s, and having the regularly-scheduled time of our lives. Enjoy the pictures and some travel info about this wonderful part of the country.
A Top Ten Beach Vacation: Bethany Beach and Rehoboth, Delaware
If you’re searching for a destination that combines relaxation and fun, you’ll find it visiting the beautiful beaches of Delaware, including Bethany Beach and Rehoboth. These two destinations offer something for everyone, whether you’re a family looking for a quiet retreat, or a group of friends seeking a vibrant nightlife scene.