THE NEW ROYALTY

Another eye opener today.

I've mentioned before how advantageous it has been to us to have a new Medicare Plus insurance provider, Phoenix Health Plans. Last year, we had to pay co-pays even for generics through AARP endorsed United Health Care. That all ended at the first of this year, saving us a bundle, and they were going to sock each of us $28 per month for the "privilege" of having their plan.

Phyllis has to have a blood thinner and under our old plan, she got Pradaxa at a reduced rate of $185 every three months. Our new plan doesn't cover Pradaxa, so the doctor switched her to Coumadin, and we picked up the first supply today.

No copay! Absolutely free to us! That gives us over $60 freed up money every month!

I guess Pradaxa is better in some ways, but at least Coumadin is not Warfarin, which a former friend calls "rat poison" and blames for the premature death of his sister. I'm sure the doctor will keep on top of everything and make sure Phyllis is OK. He's very thorough.

Corporations are now the source of a new royal class in our society. Getting to be one of the privileged royals involves getting into the ruling elite of a corporation, where the CEO becomes the king or queen with a retinue of self-important lackeys sucking on the corporate tit. Exceptions, like Costco, are rare. I'm sure Phoenix Health Plans is another of those rarities.

I don't begrudge anyone a good living for hard work and expertise, but lets be realistic here. Nobody deserves or earns a salary that gives them thousands of times what an average hard working person earns. That piracy has warped our entire economic structure and is destroying the Ameriican dream.

WHOOOOPEEE!

I got a very heartening surprise this afternoon. My blood pressure medications were ready at CVS, so I stopped on my way back from Sedona to pick them up, debit card in hand. This was my first time picking up medications under our new insurance and I was astounded when the clerk informed me that there was no co-pay. THEY WERE FREE TO ME! That's because they are generic and this insurance covers them totally under their medicare plus.

Under the vaunted United Health care coverage we had last year, they would have cost me $3 each. Plus, they would now be charging both of us $28 each month for the privilege of being ripped off by them and we'd be paying $10 every time we visit the doctor instead of $5. I suspect the CEO of United wants another lavish vacation home or something akin. I think I'll draft a letter to AARP and tell them where they can shove their vaunted plan.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a staunch AARP member and take advantage of those discounts whenever I can, but they really need to look into this matter. We're blessed with having an insurance representative in Camp Verde who looks out for our interests. I called and left a message to thank him for getting us into this new plan.

Just had to share my joy.