DanZemke

Travis,

Thanks for your clarification and reminding some of us about the membership directory.  I haven't used it in many years and forgot about it.

I'd be interested in your and/or your wife's descriptions of some of your most interesting memories.  

Thanks,

Dan

Yes, apparently I was wrong.  I'm still amazed that Travis appears to be a first-time poster and an Escapees member for more than 30 years.

I also sent him a nice message and included my email address, but have not heard back from him yet.  If I do, he or I will update this thread.

My original post was meant to be sarcastic, not an attack.  My recollection is that it was a very short post.  Agreeing with another skeptic and pointing out that Lifetime Member is a field controlled by the user, not Escapees Club records.

IMO, time to move on, unless Travis decides come back and accept my welcome and apology for being too skeptical.

A short clarification for all.  

According to Travis's profile, this was his first post and his Escapees membership number is 319 (indicating he has been an Escapees member, for more than 30 years).

That didn't seem plausible to me, but I was wrong.

It turns out this first-time poster may be Travis Carr, President of the Escapees Club.

Travis, thanks for the helpful review.

Welcome!    😄

p.s.  This isn't really his first post,  he's just used a different ID in the past.

" that really doesn't do a thing for the growing problem of texts."

Texts to my phone aren't a significant, or growing, problem for me.  The vast majority of the text spam I receive appears to be automated robo-dialing.  I have two phone numbers, one in Connecticut, and one in South Dakota.  Both are linked to the same phone.  I get about the same number of texts from both phone numbers.

None of them appear to be associated with purchases I've made.

I guess I'm fortunate.  Voice spam isn't a significant problem for me.  I realize the original topic was text spam, but this seems like it may be relevant for some.

Android has supported a function named Call Screen for a couple of years.  I have it on my Google Pixel 4a phone.

When I get a call, that is not in my contacts list, the app takes control of the incoming call and provides the caller with a message something like: "The person you have called is using a call-screening service.  Please leave a voice message about the reason for your call."

Most callers (robo-callers) immediately hang up.  Some dumb robots continue with their recorded message and then automatically hang up.  The call is added to my phone calls log and I'm not interupted.

When a potentially legitimate caller, from someone that is not in my contacts list, leaves a voice message, I'm notified. I can then decide whether to return the call, mark them as a spammer or just ignore the call.

https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/9118387?hl=en

On 12/25/2021 at 9:29 AM, Jack Mayer said:

Thanks Kirk. I'm still around but have not been frequenting these forums. Mainly because I get grief from some people if  I post anything related to trucks. Since we now own a company that builds them, some people seem to feel that any mention of a truck from me means I'm posting commercial things.

Jack,

You've immensely helped me, and MANY others, over the years.  You don't appear to have a thin skin, so I suspect there is a back-story which you would prefer not to disclose.

BTW, I expect to sell my house this spring and will give you a call about building me a bed for my Volvo 770 when I'm close to putting my house on the market.

I too, embraced a Volvo 770, without participating in the sins of pulling a trailer that was too heavy to be controlled.  Alas, I am still in the pubescent stage.  But I will emerge, in 2022, as a late bloomer.

BTW, I recently watched a Ridley Scott video entitled The Last Duel.  I enjoyed it, and I suspect you and perhaps Mark, would too.

Best Wishes

I've flown into Texas about a dozen times, but only for a short times in Dallas or Austin.

Thanks to all, who posted about various sections of Texas - naming and especially winter weather.

14 hours ago, phoenix2013 said:

Before I expound on the "incredible" significance of this picture I invite the veterans to offer opinions and pose questions .

Hi old goat.

Does he still have the Volvo and SpaceCraft trailer?  Is the Super C his?  Is he about to move to the Grey side?

Kirk,

docj appears to have started and ended with the  same underwriter.   That's why I asked for a clarification from him

16 hours ago, Blues said:

Oh, when I said "plan," I meant a particular policy within a plan.  Like don't all Plan F policies provide the same coverage, and the only difference is the company and the premium?

For Medicare supplements, I think that's right. That's the reason, that after selecting the Plan type I wanted, I chose the lowest priced contract available to me.  Some sources will say that your insurer's AM Best rating is important.  In theory, possibly, but it practice, Medicare's financial regulations and take-over processes are so well thought out, that if your insurer went out of business, it would just a minor blip.  You, in effect, are granted a new open-enrollment period, with no underwriting required.

But I haven't really answered what I perceive, was your primary question: "why would the company matter"?  

Trust often trumps price, especially for complex services/products. 

Insurance companies pay the highest commissions to folks that are most effective in helping folks make the right choice.  Especially if it is for their most profitable policies.

docj,

Thank you for the description of specific questions you were asked.  That was illuminating to me, and I suspect many others.

It wasn't clear to me why those questions needed to be answered.   Was it because you switched from an "attained age" policy to a different one?

1 hour ago, Blues said:

I've wondered why anyone would choose anything other than cheapest one,

Because you're basically stuck with what you chose for the remainder of your life.

IMO, market segmentation differences like attained-age and community based are marketing drivel.

When you first sign up for a Medicare Supplement, all people are treated equally, regardless of their health status.

If later in life, you want to switch to a different plan and/or company,  the decision will be all about whether you would be profitable.

So, IMO,  pick the plan you want to be insured by for for life.  If you don't become afflicted with a health problem that would make you unprofitable, you may be able to change plans in the future.  But if your health/prognosis gets worse, you probably will not be able to change plans.

11 minutes ago, Dutch_12078 said:

Have you tested your sky view using the Starlink app?

Yes I have/did.  I order a week or so after it was first available.  After my order, I used the app and it said my site was not acceptable.   I stopped the FedEx shipment before it arrived as my house telling FedEx I would refuse shipment if it arrived.

Congrats on successfully shopping for a significantly better price, and finding it.

Many never try.

I described my situation poorly.   There's a stream at the rear of my neighbors houses across the street from me.  I'm in a small valley.  Most of my trees are over 25 foot tall.  My "hills" immediately behind my property are about 100 feet high. 

I am truly happy that a mast will work for you.   But the size of one required for my situation is not practical.

43 minutes ago, docj said:

I was notified this morning that my Starlink kit will ship this week.  My account has been charged for the $495.  I've even located an installer who should be able to mount it above the treeline at my location. 

Congratulations!  I'm envious.  I have too many hills and trees around my house for Starlink to work for me at this location. 

Kirk,

The article seems to be about how to get everyone else to pay, for end of life medical costs, for people that have the means to do so themselves.

Glenn,

In my opinion it's VERY unusual for a new phone.  

My intent is to help if I can.  A few clarifications would be useful to me, and I suspect others.

Who did you buy the phone from.  When did you purchase it.  Did you buy a new, phone?

Added question:  Are they pointing the finger at the charger or charging cable you're using?  If so, which charger/cable are you using?

But, your pioneering install inspired me, and I suspect many others.

Thank you!

Glenn,

Thanks - great video.

One of my roof-top ACs is not cooling.  I hope it's just a capacitor in need of replacement.  If not, I'll probably get a lot more interested in mini-splits.

Blues,

The two most popular Medicare Supplement Plans are F and G.  Both provide coverage for in-hospital and doctor visits.  So Plan A and B supplements seem to have substantial overlaps with Plans F and G.  I don't remember doing any research on A and B supplements.  I suspect I went with the wisdom of crowds.

17 hours ago, docj said:

What I was saying is that the CT table is misleading because it cites prices for plans without noting that the prices can change significantly depending on a person's age.

docj,

You're right, I forgot that most States don't have two of the benefits that my State (Connecticut) provides.  Although Medicare Supplement Plan coverage is identical across all States, purchase terms vary.  Blues was correct. All CT Medicare supplements are "community-rated".  As I understand this, identical, or similar, rules apply for residents of Arkansas, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington.  

The other benefit I enjoy, is that I can freely change Medicare Supplement Plans once a year. without any penalty or requirement for underwriting.  New York residents enjoy a similar privilege.

Why do some states have these privileges and others do not?  I don't know, but I suspect it was part of the horse-trading required to pass the original, or perhaps a lfollow-on, Medicare bill.

And of course, what I've described as a privilege, probably raises the cost of all Supplements for me.  That, and the fact that the cost of living in CT is much higher, on average that Texas.

2 hours ago, docj said:

Some plans are community rated, some are based on your current age.   The Connecticut table doesn't appear to have a reference age which makes me question its value in helping you make a selection.  

That was my initial impression too.  But when I compared policy prices for ages much older than me the cost-effectiveness stayed about the same.  High price plans remained high-priced for folks 20 years older.

2 hours ago, Blues said:

Look at the Colonial Penn plans on that site.  The premium for Plan A (why oh why do they use letters for plans when they were already using letters for the parts of Medicare????) is $1,519.42 per month, which is $18,000 per year.  Why would someone choose get that instead of that same company's high deductible Plan G, where the premium is $66 per month and there's a deductible of $2,370, and once that deductible is met, the plan pays 100% of "covered services" for the rest of the year?  Is the "covered services" a gotcha?  Seems to me the total exposure of the high-deductible Plan G is $3,162 per year ($792 in premiums plus $2,370 in deductible), compared to $18,000 per year for the Plan A (assuming the premium is all you have to pay).

Or for that matter, Colonial Penn has two types of Plan G--regular and high deductible.  The regular Plan G is $630 per month.  A year's worth of premiums is $7,560, while the high deductible version of that plan is $3,162 for a year's worth of premiums plus the deductible, after which the plan pays 100%.  Why choose the non-high deductible version? 

And if plans are standardized, why are the premiums so different?  For Plan A, they range from $204.17 up to $1,519.42, depending on the company. 

You missed the foot note about Plans A, B and C : "Plans for Disabled - All companies must offer Plans A.  If a company also offers Plan(s) B and/or C, then it must also offer the plan(s) to disabled Medicare beneficiaries. However, Plan C is only available to disabled.

The Plans are standardized.  The reason for the difference in premiums for Medicare Supplements, is principally due to marketing costs and profit goals.   Some plans spend lots of money on marketing, which must recovered in the premiums.  The coverage of every Medicare Supplement Plan F and G is identical.