MEDICARE COVERAGE IN A NUTSHELL

[jsuber]

The phone rings and the lady of the house answers, "Hello."

"Mrs. Ward, please."

"Speaking."

"Mrs. Ward, this is Doctor Jones at the Medical
Testing Laboratory. When your doctor sent your
husband's biopsy to the lab yesterday, a biopsy from
another Mr. Ward arrived as well. We are now
uncertain which one is your husband's. Frankly, the
results are either bad or terrible."

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Ward asks nervously.

"Well, one of the specimens tested positive for
Alzheimer's, and the other one tested positive for
AIDS. We can't tell which is your husband's."

"That's dreadful! Can't you do the test again?" asked
Mrs.Ward.

"Normally we can, but Medicare will only pay for these
expensive tests one time."

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?"

"The people at Medicare recommend that you drop your
husband off somewhere in the middle of town. If he
finds his way home, don't sleep with him."