SSDI; Medicare; Etc.

Whoa!!! The roller coaster ride has begun. Filing for SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance). 98% of the time, the initial filing is always denied. Then we had to go through appeals, and I got scared at one moment. The last thing that I had was showing up at SSDI to meet with the Judge. If he didn't find me disabled that I would be left with only one more resource to try to get SSDI. But finally, the Judge did rule in my favor and found me disabled. That is only the beginning...I am married and when I was working, we are consider a middle class family. We had used everything with the exception of one thing. It was a family thing and I didn't know how the family would react. I know that I can sell it for my daughter's education, but other than that...I wasn't sure what to do?? I never was able to apply for Medicaid because my attorney knew up front that I would be denied. You basically have to be below poverty level to get Medicaid help. Now I am thrown into regular Medicare. Whoa!! Take a breath, a long one. Slowly release!! I was insurances under my husband's company sponsored insurance group plan. It was VERY expensive to say the least. But to have Medicare and all the little things I needed because I go to the doctor a lot and I take about twenty pills per day. I ended up with regular Medicare A & B. I had to buy separate drug insurance which shows that I would meet my limit and I would end up having to pay 50% of the retail price of the medicine to obtain, until I get to $4,300. Then the gov't will pick it up again. Yes, it sucks. Plus I pay a lovely premium for this too. Then there comes the medigap/supplemental insurance. It is insurance to help cover things that regular Medicare doesn't fully cover. I had to call about 30 places, spoke to 30 people (no kidding), which in the end - talked to about 50 people approximately for three weeks hounding me about their product and how much it would cost and all the little things, like ratings, the costs, etc. I went with a person, even though he was a company man - I went with this company because I felt really comfortable with him. The only weird thing is that he could never really send me actual confirmation about my policy over the internet???? I had to scan and send my Medicare card to him via e-mail. He stated "Privacy Issues" and that we didn't have secure e-mail. Then that kind of scared me. Does that mean that when I sent my Medicare card that other people would be able to see it? Or maybe they are being very cautious. I don't know. I hope I made the right decision. After everything, I even used a whole journal book from the calls and all the notes that I had to write, plus all the calls that I missed and I had to return calls to those people. Then we have my text messaging and e-mail. I guess we get all comfortable with this technology, soon we won't have to do anything, nor even move. It is crazy how far we have come in the last five years. I wonder what the next five years holds for us? All I have to say -- if I was an elderly person going through what I went through, I don't know how they do it or if they even understand it??? I think I can rest assured right now (Please God!) that everything is in place and that I will just have to deal with going to my doctors and everything just as usual. But after weeks of research, sleeping, discussing, - almost losing my mind. I think that I have some big relief! I am hoping to have a good night's sleep and not deal with that anymore! Yeah!!