Friday buskers, Saturday drug planning
Yesterday we went into Manhattan to see older daughter in the hospital. Long story but she has had a little setback in a chronic condition. What lightened up the day in a major way were the many buskers in our commute to and through the city.
In the main area of Penn Station there was a fairly unusual busker for NYC, a real hard core country and western singer, tall skinny guy in the required jeans and cowboy hat. He was cool and good, hated to need to just keep walking but we exchanged smiles. Then on the Penn Station subway platform uptown there was a steel drum player that was a cut above the usual, and a young guy as well. We waited through an unusual lapse in trains so had a serenade that was uninterrupted for four or five minutes. It was a welcome wait, and gave the chance to throw a few dollars into his case.
Changing underground to the cross town shuttle at west 42nd street, there was Delta Dave Johnson sitting in his wheelchair and playing an electric guitar and burning with the harmonica. Once again I needed to keep walking, but sure was smiling. At east 42nd station next at the end of the shuttle we came upon a really different act. One man playing a saw, yes a regular wood cutting saw, and whistling. He was an old man sitting in a chair. He had no amplification but the whistle was strong and the saw with his bow was searing. I watched in awe for a few minutes, this was history and I needed to slow down.
Walking through the tunnel to the uptown Lex line we reached the east side underground and there were two electric guitar players my age or older, long raggedy hair and tats, playing some really mean metal. They were good. This music buffet was one of the best in quite awhile and I pride myself on knowing the busker music that's in the city. This was a quality day.
Here's the second story of this post. Without going into detail, the doctors are suggesting that wonderful older daughter go on a rather new medication. The one that she has been using is gross and cheap but is losing its efficacy and is not curing her. I checked with my local pharmacist and the cost of this new medication is $3000 for ten pills and she would need to take one a day for at least a year. Yeah, try to digest that, BUT...
Thank goodness I worked for a good solid company that I enjoyed for many years but can't say that for the final three years. They were sort of tough, but getting through them allowed for full retirement benefits even though I was only 53. About this drug, after talking to the pharmacist I called our pharmacy provider under our retiree insurance plan and found out that it was covered and they would charge $250 for a 90 day supply, and continue as long as prescribed.
I'm not so sure about the possible side effects and benefits of this drug, but at least cost is not issue. Adult older daughter is so smart that she will ultimately make her own decision, but she is really thrift minded for all of us and it's reassuring to know that cost is not an issue.
In the main area of Penn Station there was a fairly unusual busker for NYC, a real hard core country and western singer, tall skinny guy in the required jeans and cowboy hat. He was cool and good, hated to need to just keep walking but we exchanged smiles. Then on the Penn Station subway platform uptown there was a steel drum player that was a cut above the usual, and a young guy as well. We waited through an unusual lapse in trains so had a serenade that was uninterrupted for four or five minutes. It was a welcome wait, and gave the chance to throw a few dollars into his case.
Changing underground to the cross town shuttle at west 42nd street, there was Delta Dave Johnson sitting in his wheelchair and playing an electric guitar and burning with the harmonica. Once again I needed to keep walking, but sure was smiling. At east 42nd station next at the end of the shuttle we came upon a really different act. One man playing a saw, yes a regular wood cutting saw, and whistling. He was an old man sitting in a chair. He had no amplification but the whistle was strong and the saw with his bow was searing. I watched in awe for a few minutes, this was history and I needed to slow down.
Walking through the tunnel to the uptown Lex line we reached the east side underground and there were two electric guitar players my age or older, long raggedy hair and tats, playing some really mean metal. They were good. This music buffet was one of the best in quite awhile and I pride myself on knowing the busker music that's in the city. This was a quality day.
Here's the second story of this post. Without going into detail, the doctors are suggesting that wonderful older daughter go on a rather new medication. The one that she has been using is gross and cheap but is losing its efficacy and is not curing her. I checked with my local pharmacist and the cost of this new medication is $3000 for ten pills and she would need to take one a day for at least a year. Yeah, try to digest that, BUT...
Thank goodness I worked for a good solid company that I enjoyed for many years but can't say that for the final three years. They were sort of tough, but getting through them allowed for full retirement benefits even though I was only 53. About this drug, after talking to the pharmacist I called our pharmacy provider under our retiree insurance plan and found out that it was covered and they would charge $250 for a 90 day supply, and continue as long as prescribed.
I'm not so sure about the possible side effects and benefits of this drug, but at least cost is not issue. Adult older daughter is so smart that she will ultimately make her own decision, but she is really thrift minded for all of us and it's reassuring to know that cost is not an issue.
posted by John Borden at 5:31 PM
1 Comments:
The discrepancy between this drug cost is sort of unbelievable raises many questions, not the leasat of which is with many companies cutting back on benefits in recent years, and even more so due to Obamacare concerns, how many people will really have access to these drugs. You realize I'm sure that if your daughter did not have your health care plan, and maybe when she outgrows it, this drug will cost $150,000 a year. After tax that requires $225,000 in earnings at least. Mind boggling, and a killer for some.
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