10-09-2026, 08:12 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-09-2026, 09:33 PM by HereOnThePrimalEdge.)
Medicare plan reductions, as part of the Big Beautiful Cruelty To Fixed Income Citizens Bill take affect soon. NY Times interviews one of our neighbors in Pahoa, Emmy Award winning volcano photographer Mick Kalber:
In Pahoa, on the Big Island of Hawaii, Ann and Mick Kalber received a registered letter last week advising them their plan was being discontinued.
This year he was hospitalized twice in nearby Hilo. Together the couple is paying less than $300 in monthly premiums. Now they are bracing to pay hundreds more. A high priority for the couple is maintaining access to a Mayo Clinic surgeon in Florida who has operated on Mr. Kalber’s jaw.
Asked if they could afford any increase while living on a combination of Social Security income, an inheritance and savings from careers making videos of volcanic eruptions, Ms. Kalber said, “No — but we can’t afford not to.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/busin...-ios-share
For those who think this is just your government saving valuable tax dollars, here’s another look at what they’re willing to spend on a per person basis. For educational purposes only, not as part of the Puna Medicare discussion:
archive.is/https://www.wsj.com/us-news/immigration-arrests-police-trump-f0ca5253
In Pahoa, on the Big Island of Hawaii, Ann and Mick Kalber received a registered letter last week advising them their plan was being discontinued.
This year he was hospitalized twice in nearby Hilo. Together the couple is paying less than $300 in monthly premiums. Now they are bracing to pay hundreds more. A high priority for the couple is maintaining access to a Mayo Clinic surgeon in Florida who has operated on Mr. Kalber’s jaw.
Asked if they could afford any increase while living on a combination of Social Security income, an inheritance and savings from careers making videos of volcanic eruptions, Ms. Kalber said, “No — but we can’t afford not to.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/busin...-ios-share
For those who think this is just your government saving valuable tax dollars, here’s another look at what they’re willing to spend on a per person basis. For educational purposes only, not as part of the Puna Medicare discussion:
archive.is/https://www.wsj.com/us-news/immigration-arrests-police-trump-f0ca5253