Testimonial
... CONTINUED FROM COVER
Did he take any pictures during the operation? It would be funny to share photos in a surgeon-Facebook group of unusual things in the surgery theater. “Look at this guy. I stood him on his head!” After my shoulders, my midsection definitely felt as though he had “hammered” the mesh down. He didn’t want a second failed surgery, so he really did nail the mesh to my pelvic bone. My second hernia surgery was easily double the pain in recovery. Hydrocodone didn’t even touch it.
“Chris does an excellent job of listening to your
needs. He uses that information to help you choose the best plan out of many options. Very happy about all his help.” –Doug & Vicki K.
I’m six weeks from the operation and moving back into running and lifting weights. It is incredible how much strength you lose in a short period.
My point is simple. It is not “if” some medical problem will happen to you. It is “when,” “how often,” and “how severe.”
So, when clients tell me they are “healthy” or “never go to the doctor,” I say: That was then. This is now. You will be going when you go on Medicare at 65. There will be issues, and you can’t avoid the inevitable effects of time and gravity on your body and mind. I don’t say that to discourage anyone from considering or being on a Medicare Advantage plan. Still, it is naive to think you will pay the low monthly premiums and pay low copays, even a lot of copays. At some point, you will pay hundreds of dollars in copays. I guarantee. Some years, you may even pay thousands, so you need to understand that and be prepared. You can prepare by saving. When you have saved your maximum out-of- pocket amount, it is then that you have a level of “bulletproofness” from the inevitable financial effects of health care costs. When copays arise, your savings account will be your warm, comfortable security blanket. I have run and exercised regularly since I was 12. I never had any indication that I had a left-dominant heart. That means I have an artery in my heart that is inordinately small. I have always had it. I didn’t find that out until I was 56. Enough plaque had built up to clog the blood flow sufficiently to put me into cardiac arrest. You don’t know what’s in your body until it has been stressed by decades of wear and tear. A Medicare statistic that has always stuck in my mind is that 25% of the total Medicare expenditures each year is to pay for the last year of life. The average Medicare beneficiary is usually on Medicare for around 12 years, but 25% of the total Medicare budget goes to pay for the last year only. Incredible! I will only consider changing cars once I have driven them for 200,000 miles. I drive Toyotas, so they will run until Jesus returns. But even Toyotas need repairs, even serious repairs.
Apple Tart With Rosemary and Honey Syrup
Inspired by Delicious.com
Level up your dessert game with this unique apple tart! Covered in rosemary-infused honey, this recipe combines the sweet flavors of pink lady apples and the peppery depth of rosemary, all atop a flaky crust. Ingredients • Frozen puff pastry, thawed • 3 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened • 1 egg yolk • 1/3 cup almond meal • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste • 3/4 cup runny honey, divided • 2 pink lady apples, very thinly sliced • 1 rosemary sprig, leaves picked Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. Roll pastry to a 12-inch-diameter circle, 1/8 inch thick. Place on a tray lined with baking paper. 3. In a bowl, place butter, egg yolk, almond meal, vanilla, and 1/4 cup honey. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. 4. Spread over pastry and arrange apple slices on top. Drizzle with 1/4 cup honey. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and crisp. 5. In a pan over low heat, place rosemary and remaining 1/4 cup honey. Swirl to melt honey. Pour over tart, and enjoy!
Don’t fool yourself that you will not have copays on Medicare Advantage in the future. No matter how healthy you have been and are now, you will.
–Christopher J. Grimmond
402-614-3389 • 3
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