Descriptive Transcript of Video: “Pam’s Medicare Affordability Story”
[Opening screen with picture of Pam and Frank and text: Pam’s story. Vermont Legal Aid logo and text: Medicare Affordability. “I’m barely making it, but I make too much to get help.”]
(Silence)
[Text: Pam has Medicare and a Medigap plan, but the premiums and co-pays make it hard to afford care.]
Pam says: I have it. I have insurance, but it's a fortune. You know. Over.. let's see.. $175.. and.. $165.. What's that?............... almost $400 per month.
That's a big chunk of my income.
[Text: Pam is over the income limit for Vermont’s Medicare Savings Program. She struggles to afford prescriptions.]
What seems to me to be simple drugs that could help someone and can keep them from getting worse and needing more expensive treatment.
They aren't helping with those.
And consequently, people get sicker.
If they could help them in the beginning maybe they wouldn't have to spend so much later.
[Text: Pam and her late husband, Frank, thought they were doing everything right. They worked and saved for retirement.]
But it just seems like when you've worked all your life and paid into the system, you've paid into Medicare.
You paid into Social Security. Um... and then all of the sudden it's like well if you want any help you're going to have to be dirt poor or filthy rich.
[Text: Pam left the workforce early to care for her sick husband. She now faces financial hardship as a surviving spouse. Pam’s story is like many older women in Vermont.]
And I'm worried about that with me now. What's going to happen when I need some help.
I don't have.. I no longer have my husband around. So I don't have his income.
Am I going to have to literally go broke so I can get help.
It just doesn't seem right the way older people, men and women. Women Especially get treated, get treated.
You know like I said, when you've worked all your life and paid into the system.
I hopefully have years before I need assistance but..um I already am thinking about it.
Because having gone through it with my husband at such an early age. You never know.
[Closing screen with the Vermont Legal Aid logo and text: Vermont can and should increase the income limit for the Medicare Savings Program. Support H.118 / S.61]
End of transcript.