More Medicare Thoughts From Readers

Medicare plans vary wildly from State to State!

The more I learn about Medicare, the more confused I become.  I finally signed up for a Plan G supplemental with BCBS and a Part D with Humana.  We'll see how well that works out.  Frankly, it is a crapshoot, I think.

 A reader from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts writes:

When you first posted about your medical condition, I thought that perhaps it was Parkinson's but I did not throw that out there as I did not want to be a Debbie Downer.  I am happy to see that the medication  is working for you and that you are back blogging.

Here in Massachusetts, when I signed up for Medicare I went to a SHINE counselor (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Elders).  In Georgia this program is called SHIP.

In Mass I could actually become a SHINE volunteer and be given a shitload of training so I could help people with Medicare. (which would also really teach me the ins and outs) they pay some people, who knows - could even be offered a job. In Georgia, I believe you can become a SHIP volunteer and get the training but I did not check.

At any rate when I signed up I went for Original Medicare Blue Cross Blue shield with the Supplement Medex Bronze and Part D.  Since I am on practically no meds (one low dose BP) the SHINE counselor told met to get online, punch in that med and it tells you what all the plans go for and to sign up for the cheapest plan.  Every year during the enrollment period you can change plan D based on your meds.  The cheapest plan serves as a placeholder for me -ie. penalties if you don't have part D.

Most times it is cheaper to buy the prescriptions I need using GoodRX or other online site and

take the coupon to CVS.  If I order it at CVS they jack up the price and bill the insurance, and

it still costs me more.

Its sort of like the eyeglass thing where they take you over to the eyeglass side and want to sell you $500 eyeglasses less the $150 medicare payment=$350 cost but buy online and you get the glasses for under $150 fully paid for.  What a shell game.

The reason I chose Blue Cross Blue Shield with Medex was that:

1) I can see any doctor who takes Medicare just about all of them and  I don't need a referral

from a Primary Care Doctor in order to see a specialist.  And there is no In Network Out of Network Nonsense, and

2) The Medex Supplement comes in two flavors: 

Medex Saphire  $212 premium  $257 deductible, and

Medex Core $130  with a ~$1600 part a deductible and a $257 part B deductible.

So you can save $984 in premiums, but if you need medical care you could end up paying it in deductibles.

I was on the Saphire plan at 65, had two total hip replacement and they paid all of it.

I went on the second lower plan the following year paid $1000 less in premiums and did not need much care so saved money, BUT here is the interesting part.  The SHINE counselor told me that even though I was on the CORE  plan, that if i found I needed an operation  I could call Medex and go back on the Saphire  plan which would kick in at the first of the month.  So if it was an operation that could wait 3 weeks that would be the thing to do, change plans and schedule for following month.  Of course it the operation were immediate I would not have time to do this.

Then after the operation when better, I can  switch back to the Core plan.

So I can switch back and forth month to month.  How messed up is that they let us do this?

Take quick look at the 2 screen captures attached explaining Saphire and Core-simply explained on the MA site.

The Advantage plans in Mass may be okay-I don't know but every time I look at them i remember something i read somewhere LOL "The more complicated you can make any financial transaction, the easier it is to fleece the consumer.

I looked the Blue Cross Blue shield medicare site in Georgia, put in your zip and lied about my age i.e. just signing up and thats when I saw plans A G and N - a little more complicated.   But when I clicked the plans and used Compare the chart that came up was simpler.

From AI: No, Massachusetts does not have Medicare Supplement plans labeled G or N. Instead, Massachusetts has its own Medigap plans, including the Core Plan, Supplement 1 Plan, and Supplement 1A Plan. 

All of this is enough to make you sick! LOL

As far as I know I can go off the medigap plan and could sign up for it again later but only during the open enrollment period, but I would not do that w/o verifying with Medicare and/or a Shine counselor. I probably should become a shine counselor and get the training-all the ones i talked to were old. Fyi 71 yrs

Explanation

• Massachusetts has unique Medigap plans because it's one of three states that can design their own plans. 

• The state's plans cover state-mandated benefits and some other benefits. 

• Massachusetts has some of the highest premiums for Medicare Supplement plans, but rates vary by person and zip code. 

• Massachusetts Medigap plans use community rating, which means that the monthly premium is set for everyone and doesn't vary by gender or age

To find the best Medicare Supplement plan for your circumstances, you can: Get multiple quotes, Do your research, and Work with a licensed insurance agent. 

Medicare v. Medicare Advantage

This is my last posting on Medicare, I promise!

A reader takes issue with my comment in the last posting that "Medicare Advantage Sucks!"   And he has a point - in some States, it is not a bad plan.   But in other States, it is expensive (in terms of co-pays and deductibles) and not many doctors or hospitals accept it.  That is a real issue.

Medicare Advantage is a traditional health insurance plan, funded (at least in part) by Medicare dollars.  As such, like any other health insurance plan, there ara "in-network" and "out-of-network" doctors, so you have to make sure your doctor and local hospital are "in-network" to get the best coverage.  Out-of-network providers are covered, just not as well and there may be high deductibles.

The nightmare for me - when I was on my own health insurance policy - was the idea of going to the Emergency Room and being treated by a "visting physician" who was out-of-network.  Suddenly, you have a bill in the thousands of dollars.  You hear horror stories about this sort of thing all the time, as well as ambulance or especially air ambulance trips being only covered in part, leaving the patient with a huge bill.

Where I live, few providers accept Medicare Advantage.  Like with my Dermatologist, who decided he no longer wanted to accept Obamacare, you are left with two choices.  First, you can find another doctor who will accept your plan.  Second, you can go to your old doctor and then submit the bill, along with the properly coded form, to your insurance company, for an out-of-network claim.  In just 90 days, you'll get a decision on whether they will pay at all, and if they do pay, it will be a fraction of the overall cost.

In other parts of the country, Medicare Advantage works, as most providers accept it, although it may not pay as much of the cost as traditional Medicare - although the premiums might be lower or even zero to start out.  Yes, health insurance and even Medicare (and Medicaid) vary State by State - another reason our system is whacked.  Try explaining this to a Brit - that "National Health" has different rules in Scotland versus Wales versus England.  Or in Canada, the plans being different in BC versus Quebec.  Maybe they are, if so, it ain't "National" Health, is it?

So for our reader, who doesn't live in Georgia (I am guessing) Medicare Advantage works out well for him.  My apologies!  But even if your doctor and hospital accept the plan, there are other factors to consider.  Like any private insurance plan (like my old Blue Cross plan I had for well over a decade) there are deductibles and co-pays to be made.  Yes, in traditional Medicare, there is a deductible, but it is a paltry $256 or so for Plan B, and similarly small (or zero) for the supplemental or Medigap polices.  

Co-pays with Medigap Plan G are also either very small or zero, as opposed to the $40 I am paying on Obamacare ($90 for Specialists).   Not a lot of money in the greater scheme of things, but it is funny how you have to see your primary three times before referral to a specialist and three visits to the specialist to figure out what is wrong with you!   BTW, in traditional Medicare, referral to a specialist is often not required.

And yes, you can opt for a "Plan G High Deductible" with a $7500 deductible.  There are other plans as well, with lower premiums and less coverage (higher co-pays, higher deductibles) such as Plan K.

What it boils down to is three things:

1.  What is the premium cost?

2.  Does your doctor accept the insurance?

3. What are the co-pays, coverage limits, and out-of-pocket max (deductible)?

And you can't have all three.  Traditional Medicare with Plan G is a Cadillac plan and everyone (here) accepts it, and it has low or zero co-pays and ridiculously tiny deductibles.  The downside is, with a part D drug plan plus the underlying Medicare premium, we are looking at $500 a month for coverage, and it will go up as you age.

You get what you pay for, as they say.  When I was younger and healthier (sort of) I had a cheap plan through Blue Cross that had a $10,000 deductible and various co-pays.   The premiums started at about $500 a month and went up over time to over $1000 a month at the end, at which point Obamacare came on the scene.

And Obamacare spoiled us.  The standard premium for my "Bronze" plan is on the order of $1800 per month.  Thanks to your hard-earned tax dollars, however, this is subsidized down to a few hundred or even zero dollars a month.  Don't quit your job!  Those of us on Obamacare thank you for your service!

By the way, if you have employer-provided health insurance, that $1800 number should give you an idea of what it is actually costing the company.  Your cost to your employer far exceeds the number on your paycheck!

Obamacare coverage was fairly decent - better than my private Blue Cross plan was.  Like I said, we were spoiled.  But the Traditional Medicare plan with Plan G?  Gold-plated Cadillac, man!  But at a cost, of course - $500 a month, just for me.  The old me - young and healthy and trying to save for retirement - was willing to take risks like a $10,000 deductible.   The new old me - who is actually old - doesn't want to take that risk.  Getting sick and going to the doctor are no longer a "what if" kind of deal but what time is my appointment this week?

Of course, this raises the question as to whether doctors find problems with you once you are on Medicare because Medicare pays, or whether old people just get sick.  I think it is a combination of the two.  Doctors, like Lawyers, have to bill, bill, bill to justify their salaries.  And subconsciously there is an imperative to find and fix problems if the client has the means to pay or good insurance.  I am not taking a piss on doctors here, it is just human nature.

I mentioned before a dentist who wanted to do $10,000 worth of work on my mouth because she thought I had dental insurance.  When I told her I didn't have dental insurance (who can afford that on their own dime?) suddenly these treatments were deemed unnecessary.

Or take my friend who had a diverticulitis attack.  When I get them, they gave me prednisone and an antibiotic and was sent home.  When my friend got it, she was hospitalized in a private room no less, as the hospital had empty beds and Medicare pays 80% even if my friend was indigent.  There's always room at the Inn if you have cash or good insurance - too bad Mary and Joseph didn't know that!

But as you get older, maybe it is a smart idea to get a more inclusive plan.  One reason I have been vacillating on this whole deal is that to be "stingy" it would make more sense to get a Plan K or at least a Plan  G with high deductible and hope I don't get sick or go to the doctor very often.

Problem is, I am already sick and go to the doctor or specialist twice a month in the last few months.  Fortunately, it has helped - as you can see, the Carbidopa-Levodopa has got my brain firing on all eight cylinders this afternoon - my typing speed is up to 100wpm!

So, I think I will go with Plan G.  I still am awaiting surgery for my torn rotator cuff and need to see a neurologist over the missing and dead parts of my brain.  The de-luxe plan makes sense if  you have illnesses, which most old people tend to have.

But that is the fundamental trade-off.  You can pay a little in premiums and then pay more for treatments, or pay a lot for premiums and less or nothing for treatments.  And Part D for drugs works the same way.  UHC has a $100 a month plan that would have zero co-pays for the five drugs I take.  Aetna has a $50 a month plan that would have me pay $50 a year in co-pays.  The latter is cheaper, provided that down the road, I don't need some esoteric and expensive drug.  At least with Part D, you can jump ship if that happens.

There are layers of confusion for this whole mess.  For the life of me, I don't understand how most oldsters figure this out, much less configure and install their new flat-screen teevee!

Reader's Comments on Medicare

Some of the best material I find is from readers.  There is an old saying that if you want to find out something on the Internet, post an obviously wrong answer and people will educate you!  Maybe that's why I have this blog - to get educated!

A reader writes with some interesting comments on Medicare.  You could write a book on this subject and I am sure someone has!  Anyway, I thought his extensive comments deserved a wider audience.  Republished with permission:

I am a long time reader of your blog and found your recent writings on the Medicare game most interesting.

I am "similarly situated" age-wise and other factors as you relative to Medicare and thought you might be interested in some additional information.

In addition to the Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare with a Supplement and Part D drug plan decisions, many states throw in yet another wrinkle to further complicate the matter.

Some states allow different pricing schemes that can cause massive Medicare Supplement price increases just as you can least afford it. Specifically, some states allow Attained Age pricing, Issue Age pricing, and Community pricing.

With Attained Age pricing, the cost of your Medcare Supplement goes up each year based on your age in addition to any increases for inflation and higher costs.  I know of several people who started out paying around $50/month for their Supplement at 65, and now that they are in their late 70's, are paying $400/month or more.  And it will continue increase significantly each year that they live.

With Issue Age pricing, the price is based on your age when you first took out the policy, and will increase based only with inflation and general overall cost increases and NOT on your advancing age.  The difference being that had the people mentioned above who are now paying over $400/month and increasing each year, had chosen an Issue Age policy, they would be paying around $150/month now.  So massive back-end loading price increases as your resources decline with 401K withdrawals and the usual failure of Social Security payments to keep up with *real* increases in living costs.

Community Pricing is where everybody in the same state and class pay the same rate.

If you go the Medicare.gov website and go to the "find policies" page where you can enter your zipcode, you can play around and see what others have to pay and deal with by entering zipcodes from different states.  When I did this, I entered some random zipcodes for Georgia and Florida, and it appears that those states and many others are Issue Age only states, where state law only allows Issue Age policies that provide important and valuable protections to their residents.

Comment: Yay, Georgia!  I noticed this on the Medicare website, but didn't understand what it meant.

If you then enter a zipcode from say Indiana, you will see that that the vast majority of all policies available are Attained Age pricing. These policies start out around 110 to 120 per month and the only viable Issue Age policy starts around 145/month.  So minimally cheaper to suck you in, then by the time you've had some health issues, are well past your 7 month guaranteed issue period at 65, and cant change your plan, they bleed you dry with massive price increases.

From what I can see, the best way to go is an Issue Age Plan G Supplement with traditional Medicare Parts A and B and whatever Part D drug plan you chose.  The Part D is the least concerning because you can change that every year with no penalty and based on the benefit level you want and the premium you want to pay.

Comment: I was not aware of this with regard to part D. 

As to Medicare Advantage aka Part C, run the other way, fast.  Don't even consider them unless you want a screwing for the rest of your life.  They draw people in by offering low or even zero dollar monthly premiums depending on the state you live in, and with low or no deductibles and low max out of pockets, Then, once they have you past your guaranteed issue point, they jack premiums, deductibles, and max out of pocket through the roof.

The place I happened to retire from, like most companies now, offered a so-called retiree health plan using a Medicare Advantage plan from who else but United Healthcare.  In this plan, they set aside a certain number of thousands of dollars based on your years of service that could only be used to pay the premiums on their chosen plan. 

The plan starts out at about a $70 monthly premium and a no deductible max 2000 annual out of pocket.  Sounds like a good deal, right?  Until you talk to other victims of this plan and find out the monthly premiums double or triple in a just two or three years and keep going up from there, AND the max out of pocket also climbs by 30% or more EACH YEAR.

End result is you find yourself in your seventies, the fund from the place you retired from is all used up, and you are stuck paying 500 per month in premiums and climbing rapidly, and your max out of pocket per year is in the many thousands and rising fast.  And since you are long past your 7 month guaranteed issue period at age 65, if you do try to change, any company you try to change to does not have to accept you, and if they do accept you, they can charge whatever they want.

Comment: Medicare Advantage (Part C) sucks.  Some agents push it for the commissions. 

One last point, from what I understand, it does not really matter what insurance company you choose for your Supplement because other than to pay your premiums, you really won't have any contact with them.  When you get medical care, your doctor etc. bills Medicare for the full amount and whatever Medicare does not cover is billed by Medicare directly to your Supplement insurance company, so no forms to fill out. So a plan G from company X will pay out exactly the same as a Plan G from company Y.

Anyhow, just a few thoughts that came to mind after reading your most recent posts on Medicare and Social Security.  I look forward to reading in your blog about what you end up doing as far a Medicare and whatever supplement company you choose.

Thanks for the feedback!  I think I have finally figured this out.  Now, to pick a company for plan G and a company for plan D.  MoO has the low premiums for Plan G ($160), although "Wooodmen of the World" (About Schmidt) has even lower at $130.  I think Aetna has Plan D at $49 a month or so.

Oddly enough, UHC offers a plan G at $170 a month and a "deluxe" Plang G for over $400 a month.  I guess that gets you gold-plated service or something.  While UHC is popular with the AARP set, I read something online about UHC recently, can't remember what.

AARP started out selling burial insurance.  I wrote about them before.  Twice.  Still, it is cheap to join ($55 for five years) and you do get a insulated tote bag!

Medicare for All? - More Medicare Follies!

The learning curve is steep!

I spent an hour with a local insurance rep at a card table at Walmart.  She was very well informed and gave me some other important information:

1.  You can go to Medicare.gov and compare supplemental plans and drug plans from every company in your area (and there are many!).  The prices quoted, however, are estimates (usually $5-$10 higher than what I have been quoted) and you may have to go to the company website or an agent to get the actual monthly cost.  There are discounts, for example, for automatic debit from your checking account or from Social Security.

2.  You have to (or should) get your supplemental and drug plans signed up before your birth month of your 65th year.  While there is technically a 7-month "window" to sign up for Medicare (three months before your birth month, your birth month, and three months afterwords) you may end up paying more if you don't sign up during the first three month window.

3.  Some agents push "Medicare Advantage" as they get a higher commission.  However, not as many doctors and hospitals take that plan.  The Mayo clinic, for example, will take my Medicare Plan A&B plus supplement (traditional Medicare) but not Medicare Advantage.  Some advantage!  But now I know why some agents push that plan.

4.  Agents get a commission on supplemental plans, but it is only a few hundred dollars at best - a lot of work for not a lot of payback.  It doesn't appear to affect the costs too much, although I noticed that MoO (Mutual of Omaha) offers a discount for signing up through their site.  Interesting.

5. The "silver sneaker" plan gives you free gym membership at participating gyms.  UHC offers thsi, but so do other supplemental plans. 

6.  The cost of Medicare to the consumer can be much higher than for Obamacare (ACA).  Right now, I am paying $0 for Obamacare.  Last year, we paid about $220 a month - it varies with income.  Between the plan B coverage ($185) and the supplemental coverage ($170) and drug coverage ($50) we will be paying about $400 a month.  Not only that, but drugs that cost me a few dollars per prescription will now cost me tens of dollars per prescription.

Which brings us to our second point.  Medicare for All?  Guaranteed Annual Income?  The Left has some screwy ideas that would result in a cut of benefits for most Americans.  Medicare is more expensive and may cover less than traditional insurance plans or Obamacare.  Americans would pay more and get less.

Guaranteed annual income (touted as $1200 of free money) would be a pay cut to the millions of Americans who are getting paid $2000 or more, every month, in Social Security.

These ideas have great traction with the very young, but really make no sense, when you think them through.  I still can't believe that Democratic candidates were seriously discussing handing out $1200 to every American, every month, as though it was a serious proposal.

No wonder we lose elections!

UPDATE:  Want to save on prescription drug costs?  Have your doctor prescribe a 90-day supply.  In many cases, the cost of a 90-day supply is about the same as, or the same as, a 30-day supply.  Filling the prescription is the largest cost.  For example, Allopurinol is $18 a bottle, for 30 tablets or 90 tablets. Which do you choose?

I also searched for participating Silver Sneaker locations, and it seems that Planet Fitness is the only one in my area.  Not enough to sell me on a more expensive plan!

Stop Feeding The Beast!

Protesting Twitter by posting on Twitter is stupid.  Stop feeding the beast!

I look back on life these days and wonder at all the changes that have occurred, for better or worse - mostly worse in the last few years, it seems.  When I was a kid, we were going to be a "great society" and had landed on the moon!  America, we thought, was the greatest country in the world (and still is, despite efforts to make it great "again").

When I was a teenager in the 70s, I had a front-row seat to the nascent PC evolution - and revolution.  We were warriors, we felt, bringing computers to the average American.  And with this revolution of information technology, we would liberate the world and start a new age.  Yes, we were that naive.

Funny thing happened.  Microsoft - a small, obscure software company whose claim to fame was a BASIC compiler that turned out to be vaporware - landed a lucrative contract to create DOS, as the owner of the then-prevalent CP/M system, Gary Kildall, told IBM to take a hike.

So Bill Gates had this opportunity land in his lap (no less after telling IBM to talk to Kildall in the first place!).  So he hires a guy to make a reverse-engineered copy of CP/M and called it DOS, or IBM-DOS if it came bundled with an IBM-PC, or MS-DOS if you bought your own copy.

Computer sales took off, and each computer needed an operating system.  That lucky IBM contract turned into a gold mine, as Microsoft had the rights, in the contract, to sell to third parties.  No one expected the generic PC market to be so huge.  Microsoft got rich, IBM no longer makes personal computers.

A lot of people saw this happening and wanted in the deal - rags to riches seemingly overnight.  Tech Bros have created this myth of instant riches, which is not so much a myth, but something that is not as common as many would think.  In the 1990s, I used to fly out to Silicon Valley every month to get Patent business.  Back then Silicon Valley was silicon - hardware.  Not so much in manufacturing chips (A "fab" they call it) but in designing a chip and then sending the design overseas to be manufactured.

It was a wild West and some companies did well, others struggled.  Like a casino, you could win big or lose it all.  Usually the little guy investor lost it all, while the Billionaires made money no matter what.  Computers (hardware) became a commodity and software was where all the money was.  Silicon Valley became Software Valley.  But that was just the start of it.

With all these PCs sold and internet connectivity becoming a common thing by the 2000's (remember all those Mom and Pop ISC's?  Heady days!) people wanted something to do with their computes, besides drafting dull memos or visiting government websites.  Internet commerce and Social Media was born.  And there were a few winners - and a lot of losers.  Timing is everything, it seemed.

For example, Sears offered an online service call Prodigy.  They also had the worlds largest and best known retail catalog.  But rather than combine the two, they discontinued the catalog and concentrated on physical stores as mall anchors.  You know how that worked out.  But to be fair to Sears, the world wasn't ready for e-commerce just yet.  An obscure used book seller would occupy that space and become a Billionaire in the process.

AoL had some social media-like features, with discussion groups.  Of course, UseNet newsgroups had been around since the 1980s, but by the 1990s, they were being SPAMmed to death.  A guy named "Tom" started something called "MySpace" and was very successful - at first.  In echoes of Gary Kildall, he decided MySpace should be some sort of indie band platform and not a social media site.

So instead, a Harvard dropout creates a Social Media monster - almost by accident.  A page for sharing pictures of incoming Freshmen turns into a colossus online.  And that was just the start - several other Social Media sites have sprung up since them.  You know their names.....

In those heady early days, many still believed that the Internet would make our lives better and we proselytized about how the world of the future would solve all the petty problems we have by providing transparent communication and data across the planet.  Google, back then, had a company slogan - "Don't Be Evil!" which was a dig at Microsoft's monopoly practices.  It was also a dig at the new Silicon Valley private equity investors who were not interested in the greater goo, but rather lining their pockets, often at the expense of the public.

Go big or go home.  Move fast and break things.  It had less to do with technology than with Business.  For a brief time, the Patent Office even recognized "methods of doing business" as Patentable.  Then they realized they had opened Pandora's box.

The new Silicon Valley investors weren't interested in hardware or even software (not a lot a money in that!  Requires effort and expertise, too!).  Rather, they wanted to create business that did things like taxi services or food delivery or scooter rentals - which were already "things" - and monetize them such that a big percentage of the profits, worldwide, finds it way back to Silicon Valley.  The consumer and the delivery driver get squeezed on both ends, while the CEOs of these companies rake in the dough.

Google abolished its "Don't Be Evil" mantra.  Most other "tech" companies were no so foolish as to adopt one.

And yes, there are upsides to the Internet, still.  You can get a lot of your work done online or do your finances.  Online prices can be far less than brick-and-mortar, with a better selection as well.  The downside is, the local merchant goes bankrupt in the process.  You also have to deal with shady suppliers selling substandard junk (Looking at you, Temo, Wish, etc.).  But we are so connected this way, it would be hard, if not impossible, to go back to earlier days and old ways.

So, technology, once thought to be our savior, becomes the enemy.  Instead of sharing truth and valid information online, we see myths, superstitions, misinformation, and outright lies being spread.  We are manipulated, sometimes by foreign forces, other times by commercial interests.  People are divisive these days because they are taught so by the Internet.  And we are all influenced this way, whether or not we want to admit it.  Sure, you can blame the maga-set for their idiotic beliefs they absorb from Inforwars or Fox News.  But many on the Left have similar wacky beliefs that they think are their own, but are  absorbed from their own echo-chamber.   The whole "pronoun" thing, for example, was the height of Democratic silliness and drove many independent voters to the right.  Of course, it was the Internet that made people think that the only issue they were concerned about was Transgender rights.  Both sides are painted as extremist by the other.

But I digress.....

In the early days of the PC, there were a plethora of manufacturers and many people assembled their own computers from parts.  There were few Billionaires, other than the Microsoft gang, but that was about to change.  We are in a similar situation as we had in the late 1800s - with "Trusts" controlling large swaths of the economy and controlling the government as well.  If you wanted to buy any sort of things, from food to coal to oil or minerals, you had to do business with the Trusts, and they could set prices as they saw fit.

The "Trusts" of today are information or technology related (if you agree to call a taxi service or delivering pizzas, "technology").  You want to buy something?  You go online and check out Amazon - it is kind of hard not to shop there than it is.  It is like trying to avoid WalMart - you can, but expect to pay 50-100% more for basic commodities.  And the competitor you go to may end up being as "bad" as the one you left.  People are calling for a boycott of Target because they cancelled DEI initiatives.  Funny thing, but no one let out a peep when Walmart did the same thing back in November.  I guess people expected that of Walmart, so it's OK.

People have similar reservations about Facebook, Google, and Twitter.   All the big tech companies bowed down to Trump, paid a million bucks for his inauguration, and Facebook forked over $25 million to Trump to settle a clearly specious lawsuit.  Say, that's another clever way to avoid campaign finance laws or bribery charges!  Just have the politician you want to bribe sue you and then you go "Mea Culpa! I'll settle! Here's a suitcase of cash!" Pretty slick!

But I digress again.  And yes, I am feeling a little better on the Parkinson's meds.  I just take a little pill when I want to use my brain for something.  Works pretty well - so far.

But getting to the topic of this posting (finally) the problem isn't - as I see it - the Billionaires, but the ordinary people (you and me) who fork over tons of money, directly or indirectly, to said same Billionaires.  Every time you use Facebook, you put a little money in the pocket of Mark Zuckerberg, who in turn puts some in Trump's pocket.  Meanwhile, you are exposed to all sorts of propaganda, both political and commercial.  You can't protest Zuckerberg in a Facebook posting.

Similarly, you can't go on Twitter to denounce Musk, as each time you go on Twitter, you put a penny or two (or dimes or dollars) in his pocket.  You are creating "content" for him to sell (laden with advertisements) by posting there.  Even providing a link to a Twitter post generates money for Musk.  Advertiser pay based on the number of clicks as well as "engagement."  So when you post something along the lines of, "Check out this outrageous thing Musk said!" and provide a link, and a thousand people click on that link, well, Musk wins.

And yes, I appreciate the irony of saying this on Blogger which was bought by Google in 2003 when they still believed, "Don't be Evil!"   And yes, Google is a case-in-point, as they have gone from being a search engine to being the only search engine (in practice) and along the way have gotten their hands into a lot of other businesses, from smart phone O/S to video hosting, etc.  It is kind of hard not to use a Google product and that is sort of the point of my posting.  We are stuck with these services, which, although not as necessary to our survival as food and shelter, nevertheless form a part of our daily lives.

And while Google abandoned "Don't Be Evil" long ago, until recently, they were fairly benign. But then someone decided they needed more money.  Unskippable ads started appearing on YouTube - and then more and more of them.  Google searches turned into advertisements for products, with the "real" search results way down the page.  And now, in recent months, we have Google AI providing all the (wrong) answers to your search inquiries.

They made it so easy to get into their "space" but then did a rug-pull as did all the other "tech" companies.  Like a drug dealer, they offer the first sample for free to get you hooked.  And one you are hooked, they set the hook.  I must note, however, that the anology is flawed - I never met a real-life drug dealer who gave away free samples.   That was only on television with those stupid "Just Say No!" ads, not real life.

I am not sure what the ultimate answer is, of course.  I was never on Twitter and when I click on something that links to Twitter, I quickly exit out.  There is nothing so important in this world that needs to be hosted on Twitter only.  I mean, for Chrissakes, you can cut and paste the text of a tweet or even do a screen shot if you wanted to.  Linking is just lazy.

As for Amazon, that is a lot harder.  eBay used to be America's garage sale, before it became all about power-sellers.  And much of what is on eBay is stuff that is sold through Amazon and then arbitraged onto eBay.  Then there are the Wish/Temu type products that find their way onto eBay on occasion (and Amazon for that matter).  For a lot of stuff, I find going to the manufacturer's (or distributor's) website to be cheaper than both eBay and Amazon, with the service just as good if not better.

Boycotting Facebook is a lot easier, other than having to deal with Facebook idiots.  I was on Facebook early on, but only for a few months. Something seemed "off" about it and it was very addictive.  Better off to blog, instead!  Mark was never on it, period.  The problem is, a lot of other people think that "everyone has a Facebook page!" and thus limits their online presence to Facebook.  This is problematic with businesses.

And I understand why they do it.  You want to update your website, it takes time to craft the HTML coding, even with editing tools such as those used here on Blogger.  But Facebook?  Much easier.  You want to update your restaurant's schedule of events, you can do it with a few clicks.  Your customers get the information, along with a lot of right-wing and Nazi propaganda.

We visited a campground the other day and our friend Juan was pissed that the theme that night at the bar was "funny hats."  Juan has a ton of funny hats but didn't bring any as he was unaware of the event as it was only posted on Facebook.  He's on Facebook, too!  But he didn't think to check.  Similarly, the next night was "Cowboy night" and here I am with my Stetsons sitting in a box on the shelf in my closet back home.  If I had only known!

It gets worse.  If you cross the border, you may be asked by an ICE agent for your social media account information (and even access to your cell phone!).  "What's your Facebook page?" they ask, and "I'm not on Facebook" isn't an acceptable answer.  Everyone is on Facebook, right?

Like with the Trusts, the Tech Bros have managed to get us dependent on them completely.  Going cold turkey is difficult, if not impossible to do. But protesting Facebook with a Facebook posting, or protesting Musk on Twitter seems kind of dumb.  The only answer is to not feed the beast.  Don't create content for sites you don't like.  Don't let them make money from your clicks.  It is hard to do, as alternatives are either obscure or hard to come by.  Some people are claiming "BlueSky" will eclipse Twitter as users flee the latter.  Perhaps, but since Twitter still has a critical mass of people (even after Musk killed off the bots /s), a message on BlueSky isn't going to resonate as well.

But why is it so important to send out messages on Twitter or post your updates on Facebook?  Beats me - probably the same reason I feel compelled to blog.