Cookie Doctor Encounters "Doughnut Hole" Recipe for Disaster

Hello my comrades.......it's been quite awhile since I've had the opportunity to visit this page and contribute.  Aside from a very ambitious fundraising cookbook campaign I've spearheaded for the CMTA,  a local support group I run for this association, and several other obligations I have to local non-profit associations, I've been a tad overwhelmed by a recipe for disaster........one that was not invited and one that apparently affects over 26% of those who depend on Medicare for their monthly income and existence.

This recipe.....the "Doughnut Hole", is not one that is fun, tasty or the one that originated with "Dunkin Donuts" and their "Time to Make the Donuts Guy".  But instead, this is a recipe for sure disaster, and is brought to you courtesy of our Federal Government. 

If you are a senior citizen and are on Medicare, it is one predicament that you are probably very aware of, dread with a passion and try like the dickens to avoid. (If your prescription medications exceed $2700.00 in a calendar year, your coverage is severed until such time as you pay out of pocket and additional $4350.00. Then you are tossed into the "catastrophic pool" where your coverage resumes. Only 5% of those who fall into this trap each year make it to the other side.  The rest languish in pain and suffering.)

On the other hand, if you are young, suddenly disabled and dependent upon Medicare and Medicaid for your existence, this is a nightmare straight from hell.  It is a calamity that continues to grow, fester and totally ruin your life. Many people who encounter this "dark hole" are forced to go without basic necessities, including paying their other monthly obligations.......food, rent, mortgage, telephone, electric, insurance, etc., and are basically told to contact Montelle Williams and his traveling drug bus.......The Partnership for Prescription Assistance. 

In the process, and......... the over the top wait for an answer - 6-8 weeks, you are supposed to go on as if nothing at all had happened.  In the meantime, the bill collectors continue to call, the list of unpaid and delinquent invoices continue to grow, and your self esteem and basic welfare begin to crumble like yesterday's shortbread crust.  In short, your life becomes a living hell, and trying to get from one day to the next is a huge challenge. 

I've written, emailed, contacted and solicited everyone I know who might have a contact, a clue or an answer for this dilemma, and so far I've come up pretty empty.  Recently I was given hope by a local health agency official that I might qualify for a special program that could provide some basic coverage.  I applied, was told I qualified, but now have to wait until they have the opportunity to process my claim - 2-4 weeks.  Give me a break!

In the meantime I've anguished about my loss of enthusiasm for this blog, the cookbook project and waking up each morning.  I'm sorry to vent, but somehow I felt that sharing this with all of you might just help, or at the very least provide some viable feedback from the few of you who still follow me.  

I thank you for letting me rant about some very important non-food issues, but felt it was time I come totally clean.  I LOVE the food industry, have spent over 30 years in sales and marketing promoting everything from Oreo's to Planter's Peanuts, and also adore the food blogging community. Please forgive my absence, but most of all........please bear with me as I try to resurrect myself and move forward.  

You guys are the best

Sincerely..........Mark