Descriptive Transcript of Video: “Donna & Norman’s Medicare Affordability Story”
[Opening screen with picture of Donna and text: Donna & Norman’s story. Vermont Legal Aid logo and text: Medicare Affordability. “After we pay everything we have nothing left. They need to raise the level that people can make so seniors can live.”]
[Text: Donna and Norman lost the Medicare Savings Program in 2023. This was a terrible experience and Donna felt like nobody cared.]
Donna says: No one cares about the seniors.
You know, I'm doing it for myself.
Nobody cares about what happens to us, whether we're depressed or whether we have any money.
[Text: After losing the Medicare Savings Program, Donna called everyone she could think of for help.]
When you're working, you count for something because you're paying taxes.
When you get elderly, nobody cares.
And that's true, because I've called Bernie Sanders. I've called everywhere, and nobody cares.
That's what it makes me feel, that nobody cares.
[Text: The Medicare Savings Program used to put money back in Donna’s pocket so she could do other things for her health, like go to the gym.]
I take the money and I have a little bit and I go to the gym.
I need to go. I have rheumatoid arthritis.
[Text: Donna and Norman struggle to keep up with the cost of basic necessities.]
Our rent is $500.
Well, they put the rent down. It's $569 per month. We pay for rent.
For his Humana they just sent us another bill.
We have to pay another $25 on top of that.
$30 for the Vermont Pharmacy Program.
That's what comes out of our check every single month.
[Text: A Health Care Advocate asked: “What would you tell legislators?”]
They need to raise the limit.
[Closing screen with the Vermont Legal Aid logo and text: Vermont can and should increase the income limit for the Medicare Savings Program. Support H.118 / S.61]
End of transcript.