Reply #38: Actually I believe you are mistaken. [View All]

My father has basic medicare in Ohio and contracted a rare form of cancer. He wanted to seek treatment in California and was told his medicare is only valid in the state of Ohio - excepting basic emergency lifesaving care. He is not in any privatized Medicare plan. We took this all the way to his congressman (Steve Chabot) who's office very clearly told me, myself, that medicare grants are given to the states and the state itself runs medicare within minimal guidelines set by the feds.

I contacted the state of Georgia just out of curiousity and was told the state of Georgia's medicare laws allow only for basic lifesaving care outside the state of Georgia.....which, in fact, mirrors what we were told by the state of Ohio. I called Cynthia McKinney's office (my former Georgia Rep) and was told the same thing I was told by the Ohio Congressman.


Now, my mother joined Humana Medicare HMO and was very clearly told her coverage will be in her own metropolitan area only - excepting basic emergency lifesaving care.

Now if these 2 states and the respective Reps told me wrong then so be it. But I did spend quite a lot of time and quite frankly tears on this.

Eventually, his doctor worked with a doctor at the Texas facility to set up a treatment plan and to amend it as necessary -- but we had to do a lot of tripping over problems with chemotherapy drugs that Medicare in Texas has approved and Medicare in Ohio has not. My father has suffered more than would have been necessary with the "ideal" drugs but unfortunately my family is not wealthy enough to take him to Texas and pay cash for his treatments. -- It's clear now he will be a survivor but his treatment lasted more than twice as long as what it should.


Anyways, you have my rant...........