Quartzsite 06 Forum Rally

[Bob Buchanan]

You mentioned Kaiser.? Would thsat be Kaiser Permanente?? We are with them and are VERY concerned that there is no facility near Phoenix.? We think very highly of them as they saved my wife's life against prohibitive odds.

Yes, Smoky - I'm in their Senior Advantage program and have been very happy with them. I got into their system while doing some part time teaching in Sacramento, then continued after reaching an age that I didn't need to be employed by the college.

I assume your address of record with them is still in your service area. In CA, if that changes for 6 months, Bingo, they drop you. I leave the state for 2-4 months at a time, at times -- and if an emergency happens, just check into a local ER -- or whatever is needed. That did happen year before last while I was in Houston. I just gave the Houston facility my card and they billed Kaiser. So as you know, emergency care on the road is OK. But it must be an emergency.

Your closest facility is probably in Palm Springs -- about 270 miles from Phoenix. So if you have routine stuff you could drive over one day and back the next. There are some fairly nice parks in places like Banning w/very reasonable rates. From Yuma, the closest would be in El Cajon, CA -- about 150 miles.

I've considered changing plans -- but it will cost more plus I like the idea of my assigned physician making decisions on treatments vs. some administrator based on a physicians recommendation.


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

 

[Tim & Jan]

Hi Bob,

Tim & Jan Lynch will be there too.  Please add us to the list.

Tim

 

[Ron]

Hi Bob,

Tim & Jan Lynch will be there too.? Please add us to the list.

Tim

Glad to hear you guys will be there.  Looking forward to seeing you again.

 

[Smoky]

Thanks Bob for the VERY helpful information.  I will have to get out the map as it surprises me that what is closest for Yuma is not closest for Phoenix.  We have made our address of record for Kaiser at my son's house in Maryland, so we are still with the center outside of Wash DC.  I have often wondered if giving them the Livingston Escapee address would change anything, as our membership is paid for by the company I retired from (Verizon).  I did have them mail all my medical records to Livingston and they had no problem at all with that, but routine mailings still go to my son's house.

At any rate it is handy to know we could pop over to California if we need to get routine work done.  and with Southwestern Airline rates so low it is also possible for us to fly back to Maryland.  My wife did just that a few weeks ago.

We really love Kaiser and would hate to change, though I have to change next year when I become Medicare eligible.  My wife has another year beyond that.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

>> Thanks Bob for the VERY helpful information.? I will have to get out the map as it surprises me that what is closest for Yuma is not closest for Phoenix.
====
Palm Springs is on the 10 freeway whereas El Cajon is on the 8.? Blythe, CA on the CA border on the 10 is almost directly North of Yuma on the 8. From Yuma, you can throw a rock across the border whereas Phoenix is about 135 miles from Blythe and the CA border.

>> We have made our address of record for Kaiser at my son's house in Maryland, so we are still with the center outside of Wash DC.? I have often wondered if giving them the Livingston Escapee address would change anything, as our membership is paid for by the company I retired from (Verizon).? I did have them mail all my medical records to Livingston and they had no problem at all with that, but routine mailings still go to my son's house.
====
From what they tell me here in CA, I would NEVER let them know of ANY address outside of my service area. If they suspect you are "living" out of your service area here, they don't call you and ask what the story is -- they just drop you.

>> We really love Kaiser and would hate to change, though I have to change next year when I become Medicare eligible.? My wife has another year beyond that.
====
Why?? Kaiser "administers" Medicare. That's what their Senior Advantage program is. The monies taken from the SS check are forwarded to Kaiser and they administer the plan vs. the government. My brother was with Kaiser while employed by IBM in San Jose. When he retired and became eligible for Medicare, he just moved from one Kaiser plan to another -- as I did when moving from self employed to Medicare. Check it out . . .


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Hi Bob,

Tim & Jan Lynch will be there too.? Please add us to the list.

Tim

Great, Tim -- your names should be psoted by now.  Look forward to seeing you out on the desert.

BTW, looks like you are the 40th names to be posted. I hope others will take heed now as space is running out -- there are probably not more than 20 to 50,000 spaces left. 


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

 

[Ron]

Got an E-Mail from Paul & Linda DeMars indicating they will see us at the QZ rally so please add their names to the list.

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Got an E-Mail from Paul & Linda DeMars indicating they will see us at the QZ rally so please add their names to the list.

Have already posted, Ron -- what is their home state???  Helpful, but not required. 


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

 

[Ron]

Have already posted, Ron -- what is their home state???? Helpful, but not required.?


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

Connecticut.

 

[Lorna]

Bob

Please add Vic and Mo Wexler to your list, they are friends of ours from WI and will be there for a few days at the beginning of that week.  They would stay the whole week but have failed retirement 101 and have to be back in WI by the very beginning of Feb.

 

[BernieD]

Bob

We will also be bringing a number of tag along friends, maybe a couple of whom have been at QZ previously and a number of new ones. We will arrive on the 15th or 16th with a couple or 3 rigs in tow from FMCA-Indio, I doubt if more than one will stay until the end of the month with us. Then around the middle of that week (18th or thereabouts) another group will be arriving from a rally of our local RV club in Yuma. Don't expect most of those to last more than one week also. Can't give you names yet, nothing firm with most of them.

 

[John From Detroit]

Bob

We will arrive on the 15th or 16th with a couple or 3 rigs in tow from FMCA-Indio, I doubt if more than one will stay until the end of the month with us.

Well, Bernie.... I'll likely be in that caravan... And staying till the end of the event, but I'm already on the list so I don't count (From the viewpoint of your last post) or am I the one staying till the end of the month?

 

[Smoky]

Bob:

I think maybe I'd be OK but am afraid to test it.  The reason I think I'd be OK is that the contract is between Kaiser and my company I retired from.  They would have a tough time explaining to Verizon that they dropped me.  But next year I become Medicare eligible.  I will lose them anyway as Verizon requires a different company to be used for administering medicare.  The other company picks up the difference between what Medicare pays and my full benefit.  Kaiser has often told me it is OK to travel and use their other offices.  And they are fine using my forwarding mail service, at least so far.

 

[BernieD]

Well, Bernie.... I'll likely be in that caravan... And staying till the end of the event, but I'm already on the list so I don't count (From the viewpoint of your last post) or am I the one staying till the end of the month?

John

As you said, you are already on the list and I wasn't referring to you. I expect that there will be one or two rigs in each of the two groups that have been with us at QZ before (the Easts and Waxs) but also a number of non-Forumites who need to learn the pleasures of the desert  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

 

[Betty Brewer]

. I expect that there will be one or two rigs in each of the two groups that have been with us at QZ before (the Easts and Waxs) but also a number of non-Forumites who need to learn the pleasures of the desert?

Bernie,
I too have invited  a group of our Mexico Caravan friends to come see  the desert in Quartzsite.  Our scheduled "reunion" is from 1/18 to 1/22.  At last count there were  12 rigs.  We plan to go to the Blue Grass Festival in Blythe by car over the weekend.  Some may stay others have a caravan to Rocky Point Planned.

Betty

 

[BernieD]

Bernie,
I too have invited  a group of our Mexico Caravan friends to come see  the desert in Quartzsite.  Our scheduled "reunion" is from 1/18 to 1/22.  At last count there were  12 rigs.  We plan to go to the Blue Grass Festival in Blythe by car over the weekend.  Some may stay others have a caravan to Rocky Point Planned.

Betty

We may have as big a pre-rally as the main rally ;D ;D  Should be a great group.

 

[Jim Johnson]

We plan to go to the Blue Grass Festival in Blythe

Did not know you were "into" Blue Grass.  Tarry and I just returned from Florida where we spent 2 weeks working on a Habitat for Humanity house build.  One of the other guys there was named Leroy Mack, a Blue Grass musician, and according to one web site, he is considered one of the top Dobro players  in the country.  Are you familiar with him?

 

[Bob Buchanan]

Bob

Please add Vic and Mo Wexler to your list, they are friends of ours from WI and will be there for a few days at the beginning of that week.? They would stay the whole week but have failed retirement 101 and have to be back in WI by the very beginning of Feb.

Hi Lorna:

Thanks -- I will be updating the page within the next few days. Am in San Jose via toad to do Thanksgiving with my Brother and his huge family. Looks like we are going to be breaking attendance records again this year.

Hope you and Ned have a good Thanksgiving . . .


http://www.rvspacemanager.com/quartzsite06.htm

 

[Bob Buchanan]

>>  Can't give you names yet, nothing firm with most of them.
====
OK, Bernie -- I'll do a line item on the list when I get back to my rig, then update if/when you give me names.

My best to you and Marlene this Thanksgiving day . . .

 

[Pete]

Hi Bob,
Yes...I've been a lurker but still want to be added to the QZ list.
Thanks


Pete H