HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
9 cause he is not in need of 24-hour skilled nursing; and yet this man cannot do anything. And having taken out this supplemental insurance for nursing home care, we felt that he was covered, So he has put in an appeal. I do not know how far we are going to get with this appeal, but I am not going to pay it until there is an appeal. I do not have the money to pay it. Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Yelineck, there have been 7 years, then, of increasing health problems with your husband. Do I understand you correctly that you are now paying 30 percent of your income for health care, whether it is prescriptions or what-haveyou? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, sir. Chairman MELCHER. That is over and above Medicare and your insurance coverage? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, sir. The down payment on our home has all gone for that. Chairman MELCHER. If I understand you correctly, the costs have increased for your husband during the past 12 months; is that correct? Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, yes, you are very correct, sir. And this is all from his care at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic, and these are the bills from 1985 and 1986. Chairman MELCHER. Are they paid? Mrs. YELINECK. No. Thank God for an auditor on the Commission on Aging, who comes and helps me every 3 weeks go through these bills. There are terrible discrepancies in them. One bill will say you owe $3,000, another one says you owe $2,100. Chairman MELCHER. The 1985 bills are not paid yet? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, 1985 and 1986. Chairman MELCHER. Have not been paid? Mrs. YELINECK. Some of them are paid, and some are not. Chairman MELCHER. Now you have had some of your own health problems. Mrs. YELINECK. Those bills just started coming in last week. Chairman MELCHER. Do you mind telling us if you and your husband can financially cover the costs that you are facing right now? Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, no, there is no way, Senator, no. I would have to turn to my brother who is an old salt, living out on his boat in Key West, FL. I hate to do that. Chairman MELCHER. You would get help from him? Mrs. YELINECK. There would be the possibility. He is 77 years old. Chairman MELCHER. And your husband, I see, is 73; is that correct? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, he is 73. Chairman MELCHER. And you are 68? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, sir. Chairman MELCHF.R. Well, just tell us what this means to you, or what you recommend that we do, because you apparently will be able to pay these bills with the help of your brother; is that right? Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, I should not have said that; no, no. Chairman MELCHER. What do you mean?
10 Mrs. YELINECK. Well, it would be asking him to give up whatever he might have, and I do not think that is right to do that. Chairman MELCHER. What are the costs; can you give us a figure per month-- Mrs. YELINECK. Right now, which is outstanding? Chairman MELCHER. Well, outstanding first, yes. Mrs. YELINECK. That is very hard to do. I called the University Hospital Clinic where they issue the Medicare assistance and asked them if they please would send me an accounting over the last 5 years on what doctor and clinic and hospital costs were. They said, "We cannot do that." And I said, "Oh, but yes, you can." They said, "Well, you have to send in a written request." I said, "I will have it in the mail today," which 1 did. I specifically asked if they would please answer this at the latest by January 20. I had no response from them at all. Chairman MELCHER. Well, do you have any idea what is left to be paid? Mrs. YELINECK. Well, it would be so hard to say because there has been such an accumulation of it within the last 8 weeks. I would be speaking in the thousands. Chairman MEEICHER. $5,000? $2,000? Mrs. YELINECK. I would say around $3,000 to $4,000, perhaps. Chairman MELCHER. $3,000 to $4,000 is still unpaid? Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, yes. I was so hoping to have those figures for you so I could have been more accurate on that. Chairman MELCHER. How will you pay that? Mrs. YELINECK. Well, we made an agreement-this sounds ridiculous-we have had threatening letters from them when we could not pay and threatening telephone calls-so we made an agreement to pay $25 per month in good faith. Well, now, I have not been able to do that. Chairman MELCHER. Are all your savings gone? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, every bit. Chairman MELCHER. All of them? Mrs. YELINECK. All. Chairman MELCHER. And what are your remaining assets? Do you own a house? Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, no. Our home is gone. Chairman MELCHER. Your home is gone, also? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, and our car is 12 years old. Chairman MELCHER. The monthly costs for your husband, if not met by Medicare, are going to be around $2,000 or more? Mrs. YELINECK. The bill that I got last week was $2,990 from them. Chairman MELCHER. For how long a period? Mrs. YELINECK. Thirty days. And that does not include his oxygen or his medication. Chairman MELCHER. So it is something in excess of $3,000 a month, then? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, sir. This, I am just going to hold up, is the medication receives at 10 a.m., nine different ones; 4 p.m., 10 p.m., 4 a.m., 2.a.m., and then 4 p.m. and then 6 a.m., around-the-clock.
- Page 1 and 2: S. HRG. 100-69 CATASTROPHIC HEALTH
- Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Opening statement by Senat
- Page 5 and 6: 2 Second, I think the private insur
- Page 7 and 8: 4 So the question before us is how
- Page 9 and 10: 6 the elderly, long-term health car
- Page 11: 8 ments for our retirement. I might
- Page 15 and 16: 12 As I understand it, you have not
- Page 17 and 18: 14 Mrs. YELINECK. One does not expe
- Page 19 and 20: 16 Senator BURDICK. Well, thank you
- Page 21 and 22: 18 Mrs. YEL.INECK. No. I started ou
- Page 23 and 24: 20 Therefore-I am supposed to take
- Page 25 and 26: 22 Chairman MELCHER. Well, I am ple
- Page 27 and 28: 24 month. Let us assume it costs $1
- Page 29 and 30: 26 STATEMENT BY SENATOR PETE WILSON
- Page 31 and 32: 28 Mrs. RIEGER. We have; we have wo
- Page 33 and 34: 30 Four years ago this August was w
- Page 35 and 36: 32 she has only 50 percent vision i
- Page 37 and 38: 34 Senator HEINZ. So it is both a p
- Page 39 and 40: 36 rich. Indeed, in the academic co
- Page 41 and 42: 38 pointedly in the comment from Mr
- Page 43 and 44: 40 finding out is that it is very l
- Page 45 and 46: 42 industry's role in providing cat
- Page 47 and 48: 44 Senator HEINZ. So things are wor
- Page 49 and 50: 46 Chairman MELCHER. In exactly the
- Page 51 and 52: 48 plement policy, what should that
- Page 53 and 54: 50 - 2 - I am Robert Shapland, Vice
- Page 55 and 56: 52 - 4 - CATASTRIPC PROTECTION IiDE
- Page 57 and 58: 54 -6- MiCIGAP INSJRANCE: A RPL1C/P
- Page 59 and 60: 56 To ensure that all of these cont
- Page 61 and 62: 58 - 10 - The HJAA also endorses Me
10<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Well, it would be asking him to give up whatever<br />
he might have, and I do not think that is right to do that.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. What are the costs; can you give us a figure<br />
per m<strong>on</strong>th--<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Right now, which is outstanding?<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Well, outstanding first, yes.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. That is very hard to do. I called the University<br />
Hospital Clinic where they issue the Medicare assistance and asked<br />
them if they please would send me an accounting over the last 5<br />
years <strong>on</strong> what doctor and clinic and hospital costs were. They said,<br />
"We cannot do that." And I said, "Oh, but yes, you can."<br />
They said, "Well, you have to send in a written request."<br />
I said, "I will have it in the mail today," which 1 did. I specifically<br />
asked if they would please answer this at the latest by January<br />
20. I had no resp<strong>on</strong>se from them at all.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Well, do you have any idea what is left to<br />
be paid?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Well, it would be so hard to say because there<br />
has been such an accumulati<strong>on</strong> of it within the last 8 weeks. I<br />
would be speaking in the thousands.<br />
Chairman MEEICHER. $5,000? $2,000?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. I would say around $3,000 to $4,000, perhaps.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. $3,000 to $4,000 is still unpaid?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, yes. I was so hoping to have those figures for<br />
you so I could have been more accurate <strong>on</strong> that.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. How will you pay that?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Well, we made an agreement-this sounds ridiculous-we<br />
have had threatening letters from them when we could<br />
not pay and threatening teleph<strong>on</strong>e calls-so we made an agreement<br />
to pay $25 per m<strong>on</strong>th in good faith. Well, now, I have not<br />
been able to do that.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Are all your savings g<strong>on</strong>e?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, every bit.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. All of them?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. All.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. And what are your remaining assets? Do<br />
you own a house?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, no. Our home is g<strong>on</strong>e.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Your home is g<strong>on</strong>e, also?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, and our car is 12 years old.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. The m<strong>on</strong>thly costs for your husband, if not<br />
met by Medicare, are going to be around $2,000 or more?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. The bill that I got last week was $2,990 from<br />
them.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. For how l<strong>on</strong>g a period?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Thirty days. And that does not include his<br />
oxygen or his medicati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. So it is something in excess of $3,000 a<br />
m<strong>on</strong>th, then?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, sir. This, I am just going to hold up, is the<br />
medicati<strong>on</strong> receives at 10 a.m., nine different <strong>on</strong>es; 4 p.m., 10 p.m.,<br />
4 a.m., 2.a.m., and then 4 p.m. and then 6 a.m., around-the-clock.
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