All about Xeloda
Comments
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@katyblu since I have been on Xeloda for over 6 years, I had to change my diet. But I can still eat moderate amounts of the high-folic foods. I have always tended to eat a lot of vegetables, so that was my downfall.
I can eat about 5 broccoli florets twice a week with no problem, which is a normal portion. So it is a trial and error thing. I just found out that arugula is low in folic acid, so I will grow that in my garden, along with iceberg lettuce. I have learned through the years that there really are a lot of veggies that are okay.
I also quit taking my multivitamins since they have folic acid.
Creams are good for the dryness, but the folic acid problem comes from inside the body, not the outside, really. I will look up my list of allowed foods and post it below.
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Cookie - Here is the article I read awhile ago - was able to find it, because I had sent it to a friend. I would still recommend googling for a lot more info though, before making a decision.
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@katyblu I can't find my list of low-folic foods, but I can eat pears, apples, watermelon, peaches, plums, iceberg lettuce, red lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, green and yellow beans, onions, squash, peppers, olives, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes.
When in doubt, I just google to find the amount of folic acid in something that I would like to eat.
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My switch from a Medicare Advantage Plan to a Medicare Medigap Plan when I turned 65 was seamless. No problems at all. I went to a “healthcare marketplace” insurance agent for the Advantage plan. She was highly recommended by people who live in my neck of the woods. When Dh and I turned 65, we went to a different insurance agent, also highly recommended, where he signed up for and I switched to a Medicare/Medigap plan. I felt both agents were very professional and had my best interests in mind. The key for me was going to agents who were frequently recommended by people who had used their services.
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@threetree I believe this would be correct if you picked an advantage plan at 65 and wanted to change, but my insurance guy told me when I turn 65, I will be able to switch to a supplemental. They are just so much more expensive under 65, it wouldn’t be worth it.
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@threetree @divinemrsm @kbl All great info to research and consider,I truly appreciate it!
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In Ohio (where I live), if you are on disability and under age 65, you can only get the Medicare Advantage Plan. At age 65, you are eligible to get a Medigap Plan. A few other states have the same law/rule, tho I don't know which states those are.
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Kbl - Good info to know, thank you for explaining it.
Divine - That's another new twist and good for me to know. I'm not sure just what my state does, so might look it up, just to be informed.
Cookie - Good luck with your research and decision making. I still just don't understand why they make all this as complicated as they do, especially because so many signing up for Medicare have serious problems of one sort or another.
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threetree, I agree, Medicare is ridiculously and unnecessarily complicated. It usually starts to make sense as you go along and use it, but sifting through all the information and stipulations can be frustrating, overwhelming and nerve-wracking. That’s the main reason I went to an insurance agent. Some people figure all this stuff out on their own using the internet but I did not want to go that route.
Btw, in case anyone needs to know, the insurance agent does not charge a fee, at least neither of the ones I used; their services were free.0 -
I am so glad that I am poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. However, I am always $20 below the maximum amount allowed.
I do sell items online which helps to pay my bills, and the allowable deductions keep my totals under the limit.
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Thanks ladies, yes it's definitely much to sift through. I try to understand it first myself by researching and speaking with others then see what the professionals say. In NJ it seems I can get a Medigap plan ,only D.Apparently there is a law that the insurance company has to offer me the same rate as they give to medicare age clients. I will be weighing it all out and taking lots of notes to see what route is the best for me
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Our hospital system dropped all Medicare Advantage plans last October, so 38K patients were scrambling for coverage during open enrollment. I had been on a group Medicare Advantage (retirement) plan, and tried during Open Enrollment to move to original medicare and get a MediGap plan, which was a total pain. First the agent on the phone told my husband and I that we couldn't do that and should look for another hospital that takes MA, but then we got in touch with a different agent who said we absolutely could move because we were leaving a group plan, so it was considered like a first signup for Medicare situation. She was right about that. Then I signed up for MediGap with an Aetna agent on the phone and got a letter five days later that denied us coverage, with a total BS excuse (we both have Stage IV cancer, so you know it was that). Then an agent on the phone for AARP told me I was not eligible for the (preferred) Group G MediGap plan, and suggested a less-coverage plan, which if I had taken thatI would have been permanently stuck with it, you can't transfer out later. Instead, I called the more experienced agent (she was hard to reach, was why I was trying this without her) and she said of course I was eligible for Group G, that the other agent is wrong, and, she signed me up and the coverage went right through. It took weeks and was profoundly stressful, but its also shocking that you cannot even trust what the agents are telling you on the phone, probably they get very little training…
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In addition to what Curious is saying I also want to add that while the Advantage Plan brokers don't/can't charge a fee, they get their money via commissions made on the plans the sell. Some plans pay higher commissions than others, and I have been told by "people in the know" at continuing ed programs I've been to for work, that it is not uncommon for a broker to push a plan that pays them a higher commission.
That said, I have a friend who worked through a broker, and she "sold him" on the plan she herself supposedly has, and he is completely happy with it, so again, many do like their advantage plans. The only thing here is that my friend is in his mid 60,'s and doing well health wise right now. He had a bout with kidney cancer years ago, and I am wondering what might happen with his insurance as he ages and possibly becomes more unhealthy.
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I’m on a group Medicare Advantage plan that I got when I retired. I got to keep all my same doctors. My plan is super affordable and I’ve never had coverage denied. I never have to pay for scans, my Xeloda is covered at 100%. I get mental health therapy for no additional cost. It’s a perfect plan for me. So when people say not to get an advantage plan I get a little defensive. But I’m sure that some of them are crappy. Mine is really good though. Most of my friends that I used to work with also have the same plan and love it.
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AJ - I wonder if a group advantage plan is different from the ones individuals obtain on their own. The fact that it is a group, and maybe offered via an employer might make a difference. I'm just learning so much more about all of this than I knew before. It's great to have so many sharing their experiences and what they know.
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@threetree, it’s through the PEBB, Public Employee Benefits Board. They probably have a lot of people on the plan, which makes it more affordable.
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@cure-ious Sheesh so sorry to hear you had such a debacle! People don't realize how stressful it is for people that have chronic illnesses to deal with. So glad you finally got someone knowledgeable
@AJ Glad to hear you are happy with your plan and it has been good to you!
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AJ - From what I know the PEBB plan is really good - it's the state plan, right? I have a friend who just started with that, but she too is looking at all the Medicare options, so I'm not quite sure where she is with it all. All of her former co-workers have told her to just do the state plan, because it's as good as any plan will get you.
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@threetree , yep, that’s the one
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Thanks, AJ. I'm going to ask my friend more about this, as she's trying to decide what she wants - she retired from the state about a year ago. I too considered looking into this program as I get a portion of my former spouse's pension from that system, and when I became Soc Sec/Medicare eligible I wondered if I wouldn't also qualify for the state medical program, due to the pension connection. I think it would have required him putting me on as his dependent or something though (we've been divorced for years and years now), so I just decided to "not go there" and save both of us some grief, since I think I have the equivalent with my traditional Medicare and supplement, etc. I think my friend was wondering if there was anything better outside of the state system, but I don't think there is. I think what I have is about the equivalent, and all of her former work colleagues, etc. are telling her that what she's getting via the state, as good as she's going to get. I think that's true from the conversations we've had, and now from what you say also, so I agree with her old co-workers, that she should stay with that program. I also assumed it would be a good plan and it looks like it is. I think she just wants to make sure she's explored everything and truly has the best available. She and I compare notes and we pay about the same every month for what we get and we get what looks like the same coverage. I just didn't know that what they have is a "group" advantage plan. That's interesting.
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@threetree , let me know if she has any questions. It’s been a few years since I signed up so details are fuzzy. The only problem that I can see is that I wouldn’t be covered if I wanted to go to the Hutch unless I was referred by my team. So far that hasn’t been a problem. From research I’ve done it seems like I wouldn’t get anything different or better at the Hutch.
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AJ - Yes, I'll let my friend know that you are open to any questions she might have. Thank you. Interesting that you would need a referral to go to Fred Hutch. I think that is an "advantage plan" sort of thing. With my traditional Medicare, I can just go anywhere, anytime, if they take Medicare. Since I started at Fred Hutch I don't have to consider that, but I have considered going places other than Fred Hutch sometimes when I get frustrated with some of them there. I totally agree with you though, I think that treatment isn't all that different at any of these places, as it's all pretty much standardized now. I actually wound up at Fred Hutch simply because it is close to me. Back in the day I probably would have headed to Swedish, but I just don't want to drive that far (or ask anyone else to) anymore. I'm not sure if my friend knows that the state's plan is a group advantage plan. I am going to tell her about what you've said. Maybe that's why she's had so many questions of late. She asking all of us friends and her family what they have and what the differences are, etc. She's running into the usual where some love their advantage plans and others swear by traditional Medicare.
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@threetree I don’t know what different plans they offer. I just knew which one I wanted. So my information might be incomplete
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AJ - I'm going to ask my friend more details about what the state offers. I'm learning a lot here too.
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@threetree , Just go to the PEBB website. I tried to link it here but it didn’t work. They offer regular Medicare plans too.
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@kbl I was reading back and saw that you got very emotional with the Xeloda. Yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t stop crying for about two hours. I’ve been on antidepressants for over a year and thought it was weird that I never cried. Well it all came out yesterday!
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AJ - Thanks. I might check out the website. I get all the DRS news and have an account, etc. somewhere, so I can find it. If they offer both regular and advantage plans, that might be why my friend is trying to sort the two out.
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@threetree if you are talking about applying for Medicaid, you can see the limits online. I am in PA and my limit per month is 1,171. But medical payments and co-pays can add to that. I can't have any savings, IRA, etc.
It sure isn't a lot.
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Denny - Thanks. I'm not personally talking about applying for Medicaid, but there was another person here who I thought might be in that situation, but I don't think they are. It is good to know that the limits are online though. I might take a look at them, just for my own general information/education.
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