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\ Past 65 by Carl Riblet Jr. Q. - "We learn something new every lime we read your column. Now we want to learn about our private echo . You probably will think my question is silly. Near here there is a little canyon that, when you yell out over it under certain weather conditions, your voice echoes back. We have been making the echoes for 40 years and it's lots of ifun, especially when our friends visit us. My wife insists that I he echo in our \canyon, which is called Deerslayer canyon, is the lastNword. T^atanecho always ha^the last word. I say it isn't because it's only an echo^ lhat the first yell at the canyon, before it becomes an echo , is really the last word. What's your answer?" - Dominic A. A. - At first thought I flinched from getting into a family discussion, but the question is provocative. So I changed my mind and now slick my neck out like the giraffe I somelimes imitate. The counterfeit in Mrs. Dominic's bit of philosophy is this: when the last word is an echo it is the caller's holler come back to him ~ or her. How's that for an an­ swer, Dominic? Sorry, Mrs. Dominic. Q. - I am 77. I was in the hospital for a vascular operation and recovered nicely. I have a touchy temper and it gets riled up every time I look at my copy of the hospital bill paid by Medicare. It's not that I'm not pleased that the bill was paid under my Medicare insurance. I like it. It's wonderful that I don't even have to think about my $4,200 bill for my recovered health, it what it amounts to. "I was in the hospital 10 days. Here's what the bill says in four different places - 'Pharmacy $46.13' 'Pharmacy $35.60.' 'Phar­ macy $28.70' and 'Pharmacy $43.20.' What medicine did I get? Did I get all the medicine I was charged for? Why isn't the medicine itemized? "My neighbor is a retired certified public accountant and he says that in his profession it is a rule of thumb that whenever anybody charges for many things in one lump sum without itemization or other verification, a C.P.A. always wonders if there has been fraud because there is op­ portunity built in for cheating. "If Medicare pays that way all over, I hale to think how Social Security is get­ ting ripped off. When I was younger, we said 'robbed." - - John V. VFW Ladies Go To National Convention The state of Illinois, Ladies auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars, will host the sixty-seventh National Ladies auxiliary convention at the Palmer House, Chicago, Aug. 15-21. Members of the Ladies auxiliary to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4600 who will attend the business sessions presided over by national President, Vona Houtz, are Eva'Snell, Mary Fergen, Ila Hogan and Gerry Kuck as delegates. Mary Kuemmel, Sue Wallace, Sally Bujak and Vi Abbink are alternate delegates. National directors of publicity, hospital, com­ munity activities, safety and cancer aid and research will conduct informative workshops on their respective programs. The annual military parade will take place Tuesday evening, Aug. 19, featuring Veterans of Foreign Wars color guards, Ladies auxiliary color guards and youth groups representing each state. Wednesday evening's "Million Dollar Pageant of Drums" will be presented at Soldiers field in Chicago. Competition of drum corps will begin at 7 p.m., the climax of the evening will name one corp as VFW national champions. The national president and her staff of newly elected officers will be installed at the close of the convention Thursday, Aug. 21. Fortunately, my kids are finally get­ ting interested in the serious economic problems facing our nation. Just this morning, one of them asked, "What do you wear to a recession?" The McHenry Plaindealer Newspaper Available At The Following Locations: •WHITE HEN PANTRY •MAYS DRUG •J ft I CAS •LAKEVIEW •BELL LIQUORS *SUNNYSIDE FOOD •McHENRY WALGREEN • JOHNSBURG FOOD MART •BOLGER'S DRUG STORE • ADAMS GROCERY •BEN FRANKLIN •LITTLE STORE •OSCO DRUGS •JEWEL •HORNSBY'S •HERMES ft CO. •LIQUOR MART •VILLAGE MART •J ft R STORE •McHENRY HOSPITAL •FRED ft IRENE'S TAP •McHENRY QUICK MART •SUNRISE GROCERY •STEINY TAP •McCULLOM LAKE GROC. •HILLTOP GROCERY •FOOD MART •BITS ft PIECES •NORTHWEST TRAIN A. - I went to the billing departments of two hospitals to see copies of some statements sent to Medicare for payment. John is right. Each statement had one or more pharmacy charges listed. None of them was itemized or otherwise ex­ plained. The hospital wouldn't let me see the original list of prescription items, explaining lhat I wouldn't understand them anyhow. I wonder if they even had them. At one hospital pharmacy the manager wouldn't talk to me. At the other a woman employee talked to me briefly but said nothing worthwhile either way. John's C.P.A. neighbor has a valid point. A criminal lawyer or county prosecutor, any fraud detail police detective, would agree. It is obvious that if a list of charges is lumped together without explanation, and does not have to be proved, temptalion to pad the bill can be expected. Ask any employer who to his sorrow has learned that expense accounts must be proved, with receipts and itemizaiion. Just think of all the hospitals on this continent, from Corpus Christi on the gulf to Yellowknife in North­ west territory, from Massachusetts to California and the Slate of Washington, that may be doing the same thing. You can imagine easily how U.S. Medicare and Canadian Medicare could indeed be ripped off, or robbed, of millions of dollars 'very year. ' Q. *- "If I don't have a rented safely deposit box at a bank, where would be the best place to store my valuable papers like in­ surance policies, deeds, will, birth certificates, military service record and things like that?" - George O'R. A. - Lock boxes in banks can be rented for small annual cost, but if George wishes to avoid lhat cost, he might think about the vegetable drawer in ihe family refrigerator. Presumably, the deed is registered at the county courthouse, so his copy, together with all of the other documenis listed by him, could be kept with the lettuce and scallions. That is not to say lhat a burglar wouldn't look ihere for valuables. There is no safe place in the house for valuables that can logically escape the sear­ ching eye of an expert burglar of detective. However, the refrigerator has one advantage over other places in the house. Unlike socks, dresser drawers, books and mat­ tresses, the refrigerator will be a safer place with protection against total destruction in case of fire. Also, the papers are ready at hand when needed. George doesn't ask about storing silver, gold objects, jewelry, bonds, stamps and coin collections and money. All such valuables except the money should be stored in a bank box. It is illegal to sock money away in a bank box. I know a lady who keeps packets of $20 bills in her deep freeze compartment with the meal. She likes to say that she pays in cold "ash. One day she returned home to find the house had been, ransacked. The package of once-frozen meat was thawing on the floor where the burglar had thrown it. The packet of $20 bills was gone. Q. - "I have a copy of the Pittsburgh Press newspaper dated in 1894 on its tenth anniversary. Does it have any value to a collector? It consists of five pages in fairly good condition." -- Joanna M. A. -- If Joanna's copy of the paper is five pages com­ plete, she has a collector's item that may be worth millions of dollars and that is solely because it has always been impossible, as far as I know and can judge, to print a newspaper in five pages. Six pages, or four, but not five. But, kidding aside, I doubt that the paper has much value, unless the newspaper company itself needs the copy. Joanna should write Pittsburgh. Q. -- "I am retired. Is there an insurance policy that covers nursing home care that is not a supplement to Medicare and lhat is not too expensive?" - Mrs. Kenneth W. A. - Nursing home in­ surance from private companies is so costly that most nursing home managements advise against purchasing it; especially because such policies usually include a clause lhat provides for no payment at all if the insured is not covered for nursing home care by Medicare. Management at a large nursing home told me they had no patients now on Medicare; that they had only- six such patients during-ftie past year. Medicare does not cover custodial care at nursing homes, which is what most patients in nur­ sing homes receive. Mrs. Kenneth should be very cautious. She should in­ vestigate by asking for in­ formation at nursing homes in her town. . „ Q. - "You sound like those Meeding heart liberals that are leading this great country to rack and ruin when you wrote that convicts have rights to receive Social Security benefits. Those bad guys ought to be on bread and water and not get benefits from our govern­ ment." - Jim H. A. --^Mine is not to reason why convicts are entitled to SS. It's the law. However, I asked the warden of a state prison. He replied that the number of convicts in his place *ho receive SS PAGE • • PLAINDEALER retirement checks is small, because ihere are relatively few convicts who are older than 62. He said, "In any case, most of i hem have arranged to have their monthly SS checks sent to their wives who need the money. Con­ victs of 62 and more are not past redemption. It makes ihem better prisoners when they know that their wives are eating regularly and living in a decent place." Q. -- "I am 73 and retired. I sold a small house. Will I have to pay a capital gains ~sax on the money I received?" -- Carl S.S. A. -^IKihe house was an investment and Carl didn't live in it, he may have to pay tax on the proceeds of the sale. If he lived in the house, then Carl should qualify for the once in a-lifetime ex­ clusion of gain that is granted to those of us who are past 65. Carl would do well to consult with a tax practitioner or an agent of the Internal Revenue Ser­ vice. Or he can ask at the offices of his city's Council on Aging. Q. -- "My husband is on Social Security disability and he also gets a small veteran's pension. He has cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. I also am on SS disability. If he should die first, my SS check would not cover my living expenses. Would I be able to return my monthly SS check and get more than I receive now, or FRIDAY. AUGUST IS. 1M» , would I have to go on welfare and keep my SS disability?" -- Louise H. A. -- Louise needs special advice from her local Social Security office. If she will telephone SS. they will either give her an answer or suggest she come in lo their offices for an interview. Write to Carl Riblet Jr. at P.O. Box 40757, Tucson, Ariz. 85717 for information and advice on questions you may have as an elder citizen, with self-addressed, stamped envelope. All questions will be answered, if possible, either direct lo you or in this column. No identities will be revea •veajiid J. I0HN I FKCUNO Freund Funeral Home Serving Wonder Lake and Chicagoland Area 815 728-0233 7611 HANCOCK DR. 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