Medicare

Recent updates to the DOGE.gov ‘savings’ page now list Social Security Administration (SSA) office closures in the following Georgia cities:

Columbus
Gainesville
Vidalia
Brunswick
Thomasville

There is no rhyme or reason for these closures, other than it’s a simple checkbox on a computer screen and a complete lack of concern about the consequences.

SSA offices provide opportunities for people to get help about Social Security, disability, survivor benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicare. Not everyone has a computer or the skills to do everything online. In particular, if you’re a victim of identity theft, it’s likely you’ll have to visit your nearest SSA office at some point.

Most offices have so many customers, SSA initiated a pilot program for advance reservations in Florida and Georgia. Closing down this many offices is going to have a significant impact on Georgia residents. If the office closures are paired with a 50% reduction in SSA workers, the agency will not be able to meet the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable people.

And the savings? When you’re talking about 4 trillion in tax cuts, primarily for corporations and the wealthy that Trump and the Republicans want to pass, the office closure savings don’t even rate a blip on the same chart.

Columbus – $51,023
Gainesville – $506,527
Vidalia – $228,757
Brunswick – $215,383
Thomasville – $289,139

Today, Speaker Mike Johnson went on Meet the Press and stated that he and Musk don’t want to cut Social Security and Medicare, but want to eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse.” Yet SSA’s Inspector General found that only about 1% of Social Security payments were improper. And even then, SSA was able to recover 60% of that amount.

Also today, Elon Musk on Jeff Rogan’s podcast claimed that Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, and the real problem is not enough babies and we’re just living too long. What wasn’t said was an acknowledgement of the positive contributions immigrants make to Social Security.

So for there’s no indication that Savannah’s Social Security office is among those to be marked for closure. Yet. I will keep checking for DOGE cuts impacting on the Savannah area.

I was, and I was not, surprised by Trump’s re-election.

I knew there were too many men who would normally vote Democrat who balk at electing a women to be Commander-in-Chief; particularly a Black/Asian woman. I knew that thanks to the rebound from COVID that prices are high—aided and abetted by corporations using COVID as an excuse to squeeze even more profits from the masses. I also knew that the media had done a poor job of holding Trump accountable, while at the same time blowing up any and all perceived Democratic weakness.

Still, I was not emotionally or mentally prepared for Trump to win again. Worse, to actually get the popular vote, though he ended up with less than 50% of the vote.

So, OK. It is what it is. So what am I planning on doing about it?

Speak truth. Or, more comprehensively, tap into any and all changes reflected in Trump’s administration and be prepared to write about as many as possible. And to continue monitoring court cases, especially in courts tainted by Trump-appointed judges.

However, on the way to this writing goal, real life intruded. Suddenly, a month ago, I started getting a visual distortion in the center of my ‘good’ eye (the one that doesn’t have the cataract that needed removing).

I first saw my optometrist, since I had a previously scheduled appointment. She noted I needed cataract surgery but couldn’t tell, or hesitated to tell me, what was happening to my central vision. She referred me to an eye clinic.

When the clinic didn’t call by week’s end, I called up and said, this is something that can’t wait and I needed to come in. They got me in that afternoon.

Evidently, I have a hole in my macula (macular hole). This is a rare occurrence, impacting on 7.8 people per 100,000. It happens when the vitreous pulls aware from the retina—very common with older folk—but instead of pulling away cleanly, it rips a hole in the macula.

We caught it small and the usual procedure is to wait a few months to see if it closes back up naturally (unfortunately, unlikely to happen). In addition, I have to have cataracts in both eyes removed: the one because it’s pretty bad, the other because the retinal surgeon needs a clear view of my eye for retinal surgery (don’t ask for details on this one).

For now, I have my monitor set to 300% resolution, and I can read and write, but it’s not always easy. It should improve with the first cataract removal, but vision may be a challenge after surgery to fix the macula for a few months at least. We’ll have to see.

I still plan on watchdogging the Trump administration and the courts as much as possible, but I’m also adding in some coverage of our medical industry, particularly in Georgia. Knowledge is power, and it’s too easy to feel powerless when you’re hit with a serious medical condition.

Besides, there’s nothing more wonky than exploring the depths of Medicare, medicine, doctors, and health insurance. And I enjoy the wonky.