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Health Beat: Now That You Have Your Medicare Card
By Mark McNease
It finally happened: the great reward for living almost 65 years! I’ll be passing that milestone in October, and I just got my Medicare card in the mail. It was like Christmas in June. The good news is I made it this long, the not-so-good news is … I made it this long. While that means I have fewer days ahead of me than behind me, it also means I’ll soon be able to enjoy healthcare as a Medicare recipient. No more ‘paycheck jobs’ for the sake of having medical coverage. And let’s face it – that’s why I worked for most of the last ten years.
The instructions for what to do once your card arrives can be confusing. There’s Original Medicare (Parts A & B), Part D (prescriptions), and what is called Part C, Medicare Advantage – more on that in a moment. I am opposed to Medicare Advantage because it is not Medicare. It is private insurance that is allowed to bill Medicare for its costs, with the ultimate goal of privatizing Medicare and eventually bankrupting it as a government program. I know, I know … millions of older Americans love their Advantage plans! So much so that half of all Medicare enrollees now have them. But I will not be one of them. I want to make sure Medicare is around for the generations after me, and I trust privatized health insurance as far as I can through the nearest Social Security office. I will be buying a supplemental plan instead, which covers the percentage original Medicare does not. And I’ll be getting prescription drug coverage individually as well. You will need to consider all your options, preferably with someone who can walk you through them and who does not have a vested interest in you taking an Advantage plan. Be aware that your premiums will be deducted from you Social Security if you’re receiving it (I took it at 62). If not, you’ll have to pay them separately.
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This Week’s Mark McNease On Topic (Substack)
Click to subscribe to Mark McNease On Topic, a Substack original arriving every Monday
Well, it finally happened. Donald Trump was indicted, and not the kind of ‘nothing’s going to come of this’ indictment many of us thought was handed down in New York. This is some Espionage Act, serious prison time stuff, and it has left me … ambivalent.
As much as I loathe Trump (almost as much as I loathe DeSantis, and that’s more loathing than I can fit into a thousand Substacks), the idea of a former American president sitting in a prison cell still manages to shock my sensibilities. I felt no sense of joy, no thrill of revenge, when it happened. I felt like we were finally coming to the end of a grotesque tragedy America wrote, produced, and starred in for its own entertainment. American exceptionalism is all the rage, and what could be more exceptional than a trial-by-jury of the most catastrophic head of state we have ever had?
The only enjoyment I’m getting from this is knowing how absolutely out of their minds it’s making the right-wing nut-o-sphere. Their cries of weaponized justice and the criminalization of political opponents rings more than hollow, coming from people who chanted “lock her up” at Trump rallies, and who are currently passing vicious, cruel, draconian laws in Republican-run states in a brutal but doomed attempt to eradicate trans and queer people.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #60: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 19-21)
Happy June, 2023, for those who like to open time capsules and remember what the world was like when they first listened to this. It’s the real me this time, not Android Mark. I like my cloned voice, but it’s lacking that certain nuance and way of phrasing that colors the speaking when my mind is working in tandem with my voice.
I’m enjoying my retirement from the paycheck job, as I call it. I’m writing, publishing, podcast, and producing more than ever, and loving it.
Fasten your headphones for another three chapters of Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery. This was perhaps the darkest book in the series, in terms of its psychology. We have Kyle traumatized and seeing a therapist. We have a cold case involving the brutal, seemingly random murder of a teenage girl. But was it random? Follow along as Kyle and his friend, retired detective Linda Sikorsky, try to solve the case, for Kyle’s own well-being, and to provide answer to a grieving father. The shock waves from what they discover will reverberate all the way to the New York City’s District Attorney’s office and beyond.
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Health Beat: 5 Years with a CPAP Machine
I’ve used a CPAP machine for five years now. I consider myself one of the lucky ones: I’m able to use the ‘nostril pillows,’ which is probably the least invasive, most easy-to-adjust-to option available. Still, there are adjustments to using a CPAP that don’t go away. Traveling is a big one. Every time we leave for a trip, whether it’s overnight or a two-week cruise, I have to lug this thing around with me. That means I’m also usually taking a gallon of sterile water, since that’s the kind you’re supposed to use to keep the machine from being damaged by minerals. It feels like a dreaded appendage, or a third traveler I would prefer to drop off at the nearest crossroads.
Having said all that, the machine has prevented me from waking up with the headaches I often got from being oxygen-deprived. That’s one of the more serious side affects of sleep apnea: stopping breathing dozens of times a night creates health risks that can lead to stroke, heart attack, and those awful headaches. By keeping your breathing open and free, a CPAP machine is an effective way to prolong your life and avoid all these medical issues.
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The Weekly Readlines June 9
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines) offers news you can use every Friday.
Quote for the Week: “When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.” – King Lear, Act 4 Scene 5
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESThere is only one truly huge story: Donald Trump has been indicted. I’m still trying to digest this, and the possible consequences. It’s a sad day for America, and as much as I loathe the man and what his movement has done to this country, the thought of an American president in prison is chilling. Let’s think this through …
The manufactured debt ceiling crisis, that stressful Kabuki theater staged by Republicans every time there’s a Democrat in the White House, failed to materialize once Biden and McCarthy struck a deal. The empire lives to crumble another day!
Despite Florida Republicans’ efforts to stuff LGBTQ people back into ill-fitting closets, Disney’s annual Gay Days went on with glorious rainbow defiance.
And the Bible was removed from one school district’s elementary and junior high libraries due to ‘vulgarity or violence.’ What’s good for the goose …
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Savvy Senior: Best Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids for Older Adults
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend some good over-the-counter hearing aids for seniors on a budget? I’m not sure what to get or where to buy them.
Hard of Hearing
Dear Hard,
The new FDA approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids that hit the market last October have become a very attractive alternative to millions of older Americans with hearing impairment.
These new hearing aids can be purchased at pharmacies, consumer electronics stores or online without a hearing exam, prescription, or appointment with an audiologist. And the savings are significant. The average cost of an OTC hearing aid is about $1,600 per pair, which is about $3,000 less than the average price of a prescription hearing aid.
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Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources: The Benefits of Lifelong Learning for Senior Health and Well-being
Reprinted with permission from Kapok Aging and Caregiver Resources
By Donald Hollifield
Learning is all about keeping your brain active and engaged at every stage of life. It’s not just for kids or college students – it’s for seniors, too. In fact, continuous learning can have a big impact on senior health and well-being.
When seniors engage in lifelong learning, they’re doing more than just picking up new facts. They’re boosting their cognitive abilities, keeping their minds sharp, and even reducing the risk of dementia. They’re also expanding their social connections. Whether they’re taking a class, joining a book club, or volunteering, they’re interacting with others and strengthening their social network.
What’s more, lifelong learning can boost the overall quality of life for seniors. It gives them a sense of purpose, keeps them connected with the world, and helps them adapt to changes in society and technology. Simply put, it’s a fantastic way to stay active and engaged in later life.
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Rick’s Latest Listicle: Panda Handstands, Toothpaste Blobs, and Other Quirky Facts
By Rick Rose
Co-Host of The Twist PodcastI love a good listicle. It can be informational, educational, entertaining, or all of the above! Here are my top 5 quirky discoveries that tickled my fancy.
5. A “buttload” is an actual unit of measurement equal to 108 imperial gallons. This is roughly equivalent to 126 U.S. gallons. The term “butt” is thought to have originated from the Latin word “butticula,” which means “barrel.”
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #59: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 16 – 18)
I’ll be bringing you the audiobook edition of Kill Swtich: A Kylle Callahan Mystery, in three-chapters released over the next 12+ weeks! The narration is provided by my own WondervoxAI.
Kill Swtich is the 5th installment in the Kyle Callahan Series, and it finds Kyle dealing with the trauma of having ended the life of a vicious serial killer. Fasten your headphones, and check in every week for the next three chapters.
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The Twist Podcast #228 Encore Replay: Show 216 with Guest Brad Shreve, Author and Podcaster Extraordinaire
The summer crush continues! Rick is on assignment for another two weeks, I just got back from a two-night gorgeous getaway in Jim Thorpe, PA (read all about it), and we’re just getting started! Enjoy this encore replay of show #216 from February, when we spoke to Brad Shreve, host of the Queer We Are Podcast, and author of the Mitch O’Reilly Mysteries.
Brad’s life has been a series of adjustments.
He was 35 and had a wife and daughter when he came out, forcing him to adapt from living a lie to being who he is overnight. Freeing, yet difficult.
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2 Big Gay Book Reviews: The Celebrants, by Steven Rowley, and Big Gay Wedding, by Byron Lane
What better way to review two books by married writers Steven Rowley and Byron Lane than together? It’s the start of Pride month, so let’s check out these reviews from husbands Rowley and Lane. – Mark/EditorBy Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez
The Celebrants, by Steven Rowley
c.2023, Putnam $28.00 308 pagesEverybody will say nice things about you when you’re lying in a box in front of them.
They’ll say you were everyone’s friend, you were funny and wise, even when you weren’t. You were the greatest person ever, just the best – and don’t you wish they’d say those things now, while you’re alive to hear them? As in the new book “The Celebrants” by Steven Rowley, those sentiments might completely surprise you.
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On the Map: A Two-Day Getaway to Jim Thorpe (PA)
On the Map is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting travel and events of interest to readers.
By Mark McNease
It’s not surprising that so many people don’t know Jim Thorpe is a place. Named after the legendary Native American athlete, the town changed its name from Mauch Chunk when Thorpe’s widow agreed to have him re-buried here in exchange for the town being named after him.
This is our second trip here. We’d visited a couple years ago during the pandemic, and I wanted to come back when the weather was warm and things were normal – although we’ve learned that the old normal will never really return.