@Larry Fisherman pontificates:
Unlike danfinn whom chooses to put everything as a political rant,
"whom chooses"? Being the person "of whom" you speak I might observe a certain challenge in the grammar department.
I choose to actually handle my issue.
In a rather non-conventional means to say the least. But I must admit, it is creative if not an expensive waste of time. But most of us handle our issues, right?
I too had the very same experience with Manil FBU/SSA contact. So, thanks to a person on this forum I was given the direct line US phone number to SSA office in Guam.
It is also readily available by googling it:
Key Information about the Barrigada, Guam office
Local: (855) 616-6393
Fax: (833) 950-2744
National: (800) 772-1213
I called it, got through to a real person within 2 minutes, and they informed me I could get what I needed done at the office within minutes on most days. So I booked a flight! Went from Cebu-Manila-Guam, went to the SSA office in the morning, was done in 20 mins. Took the flight out that night/early AM next morning Guam-Manila-Cebu. Was home 3 hrs south of Cebu city by 3pm. Very easy. Cost me roughly $600 usd, but since it was to cancel Medicare Part B which is $175 month, I've already started getting that money back.
Contacting the Manila FBU and communicating by email is difficult if not impossible I agree. But it is also possible to make in-person appointments on site IF you are going to go so far as to fly to Guam.
I have found that most of my and my wife’s SSA business can be conducted online at mysocisl security.gov. To avoid annual reports, which you probably still must do, I simply use our NC USA address and deposit benefit checks to a USA bank. I could also have removed our part B at the local office there during our annual visit home.
Actually, during my last visit home I paid less than $300.00 to have a heart procedure done in Raleigh, covered by part B and medigap (also very important). I had found out I needed the procedure done at Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu as a result of a 2D Echo. The cardiologist quoted 2,5M ($50,000) to do it at Chong Hua. $50K pays for a lot $177 monthly part B payments and even business class plane tickets home. I saw the US doctor and Hospital charges and they were astroncomical. Again, I paid $300.
Now, I would never judge the wisdom of going to such great extents to cancel what may be some of the best health insurance values with some of the best treatments and facilties on the planet. I will mention that when you are 70 and above, that is when the bad things begin to happen to ecpats here as I observe. I also understand that some people make the decision to accept their fate and simply pay what they can afford here and hope for the best.
But it is worth considering how you are going to survive IF you want to survive when you get into your 70s. I suggest people pay medicare and medigap, self insure for the emergency treatments and do your long term treatment in the US, and yes, possibly Guam.
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Bhavna 3 months ago
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