Discussion Forum

“…I’m on Medicare and I’m also on liquid oxygen which is delivered here to my home company called [Gooles?] which is a local company and I had pamphlet, been told some information that when you’re on oxygen, you know, Medicare will only pay for so much or you’re limit what you can do. And I know a lot of people that are on oxygen where some of the companies will not provide full service for them. I’m lucky, mine does as a courtesy, anyways what they told me was a courtesy even though Medicare didn’t pay for all of it. I have a big tank of liquid oxygen which they come out and fill about every 2 weeks. The large tank gives me the option to fill a portable tank which I can carry on my back if I wanna go work, go hunting, fishing or whatever. In the past, I have completed my 6,000 of volunteer hours of Red Cross. I also committed a lot of voluntary hours to what we call the [???] Ministries which is Louisville which is gathers food or provide food and things for the homeless people that will work and adult day care which they have people to come in and Alzheimers and things like it where they watch and anyway, for the last couple of years, I have carried food or hold food on my car for my church to this ministries. And my understanding is, if they cut back on this and limit me where I cannot leave my house, I will not be able to do any volunteer work and if I even wanted to go to work, which I’m not disabled, I’m only on oxygen however I am limited in what I can do. I can’t cut grass or do manual labor, but there’s a lot of things I can do. If I want to go out and get a part time job, this would limit me from getting a job and I have been offered some work and I have do mostly volunteer work and I’m very concerned about it. My wife and I like to take a vacation every year for a couple weeks which they allow me a small tank which I carry in my van which I can get about 20 fills out of it or my portable. And then couple years ago, they bought me a thing to go to Disney World that made oxygen that I could pull behind me which was on wheels, work off batteries. My understanding is, you use that on airline if I wanted to go take my wife to Hawaii or some place I could take that on the airlines. That was only think that you can take on airlines. You cannot take bottled oxygen on plane, but they will allow the machine. Now this year, we want to take a vacation. That option was not provided for me unless I pay for them on pocket and which I could not afford. I’m on Medicare. I’m on Social Security and so I couldn’t find a work that can go anywhere else and do a lot of walking or anything whether that machine to go. But I did take the portable with me and small tank which I could fill. I have a small machine here at the house which works off electricity which makes some oxygen and then I sleep with it night along with CPAP machine which forces air into lungs because I have sleep apnea. I do take that machine with me. I plug it in at the motel where I can use it at night. But my understanding is, this company is the only company that has the small machines and all these machines are very large in homes and they’re not portable or just take in with you and I would like to know what the limit is gonna be. If this going to affect hundreds of thousands of Americans will have to stay in their home, where they won’t be able to volunteer work or they won’t be able to do sports or even get a part time job if they wish. I’m very concerned about it. Would someone notify me. Give me a some results. … I’ve also been told under the the Obama Administration doesn’t have anything to do with this oxygen but kinda makes me mad. But they’re going to provide cellphones to people that cannot afford that are on food stamps and you know, when get it to ’em to eat. I’m not on those things and I’m not on relief or anything like that. Just draw my social security. But, with that, well, I’ll be entitles to a cellphone. I don’t think the government should give me one. I do have wanna pay for myself, but I don’t think that government should get by cellphone just because I don’t have any money to pay for. That was a luxury and I don’t think I wanna pay for anything, they need to pay for people that can do work that are on oxygen that help them where they can leave their homes and work. So, if you could have someone notify me, fill me in or what the law is or what is going today, I’d appreciate it. Thank you very much.”

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