Call CBS 60 minutes or ABC 20/20, they do stories periodically comparing the U.S. social security system/Medicare with Canada (and other countries) medical and retirement plans. For some strange reason, those who appear on the shows ususally end up with higher benefits afterwards...



>>(wisea** retort deleted)
>>
>>How is your wife doing?
>
>Thanks for asking.
>
>Helen fell a couple of months ago and has been moved
>to a nursing home. The only bed available was in the
>dimensia ward and she doesn't have dimensia. She'll
>be moved when a bed becomes available in an area where
>the patients are more lucid. She's pretty depressed by
>the situation but has no choice, because she can no
>longer walk, even with her walker.
>
>FYI - The monthly bill is $1400.75 a month. Canadian
>Medicare pays $751.26 and I have to come up with the
>rest. It has made me count the pennies, but it can be
>done if I'm careful with the budget. OY!!
>
>Here's a pension story for you. I applied for a service called
>involuntary separation to help me with the bills. But, because
>my income increased in 2007 all I was allotted was 93 cents
>a month by the government. About the increase . . .
>I save $200.00 a month to cover the municipal taxes I have
>to pay for living in this city. Each month I put the money in
>the money market. The interest I make on the money is about
>$5.00 a month, so that's $60.00 a year. That $60.00 is the
>wopping increase that was sited to cut my involuntary separation
>payment to help cover the bills. There is something wrong with
>the pensioner's rules in Ottawa (Canada's Capital city) and
>nobody cares.
>
>So here is first draft of the letter I wrote in reply to their payment.
>I hope is give you a chuckle.
>--------------------
>May 27, 2008 my wife was admitted to a nursing home.
>The cost per month is $1400.00 minus an Alberta Senior's Benefit
>payment of $751.26 leaving $643.74 outstanding.
>
>I recently was advised to apply for an increase in my pension
>through your "Involuntary Separation" feature as it would help
>with covering the outstanding amount each month.
>
>Having applied a month ago, today I called Service Canada and asked
>when the involuntary separation payment would be approved. To my
>delight, I was told that it had been approved and my monthy pension
>cheque would be increasing. "How much will the increase be", I asked.
>The Service Canada rep told me that my payment was $375.69 a month
>and it would be increasing to $376.62 immediately.
>
>I just want to take a moment say thank you for the 93 cent increase
>in my pension. Over the course of a year it will amount to a
>wopping $11.16 which will pay for a box of Tim Horton donuts
>for me and my wife, and we'll still have $4.91 left over to stick up your a*s.
>
>
>:)