Friday, June 29, 2012  As For Me  One Kaiser Plaza, Oakland, CA.
Headquarters of Kaiser Permanente.  I think I posted a while
back that today is the last day I will have comprehensive health
care coverage. For a little over a year when I am eligible for
Medicare, I'll be on my own.   I have been covered through
Kaiser Permanente for the last 25 years or so, very rarely using
their services but comforted by the knowledge that it was there
if I needed it. I didn't realize how costly it had become until
the COBRA statement came saying that to maintain the coverage we
have would cost close to $3,000 per month. Oh really. Isn't that
something. At Kaiser??? Eeek.  Well, after considering the
risks/benefits, the costs, and the fact that we would soon not
be anywhere near a Kaiser facility, the answer was "No thanks."
Other COBRA plans were available at $1,500 a month and up, but
they didn't seem worthwhile either -- high deductibles, limited
coverage, rather pointless, really.  Thankfully, while I've
faced some life