Card carrying pensioner

It has arrived, back dated to the 18th July.

This is much more useful than the simple Health Care Card. There's a whole list of concessions that are available with this, whereas the Health Care Card wasn't much more than just cheap transport and prescriptions. This is all that, plus much more. I haven't sat down and done the numbers, but getting these concessions very likely puts me in a much better position than when I was working only 3 days a week and paying full price for everything. 

Just been on the phone with the phone company as they give a discount for pensioners, as well as the electricity company. I see there's "optical" on the list too, which means I'll be able to get some sort of concessional rate on glasses. Just as well I'm starting to get a bit blind. Also with dental, my concerns over the reform of the chronic illness dental scheme are no more as with being a pensioner it's guaranteed I'll be looked after. Just as well too as I have some front teeth a bit loose but there was no money left to do anything about it last time I went to the dentist. I've looked into the travel out to Lightning Ridge too, but I can't get a discount online yet as I have to go into the Countrylink office at Central Station to register. After which a return ticket to the other side of the state virtually will cost me only $5. Brilliant! I get two trips like that a year, and even after that it's still discounted and a lot cheaper than full price. 

Have also just noticed too, the last lot of prescriptions I got was on the 20th July, so with the card back dated for the 18th July I'll be able to get refunded a lot of that money. It will only be about $18. I can get a receipt from the chemist I went to and take it to the Medicare office and they will give me cash. This prescription thing ($5.80 I think instead of full PBS price) is much needed. I was getting really worried about when it came time to go back on HIV meds that I wasn't going to be able to afford it. Assuming it was another two prescriptions for the month, that would've been about another $70, bringing the total spend for a month up to about $140. Just too much. That's if I didn't need anything else either, like antibiotics or whatever. Now that will be only about $30 for the month instead, including two HIV prescriptions. *phew*

Um, actually got a bit upset last night. These pension cards haven't changed in years, and are the same as my wife was getting. Signing the back triggered the memory of having to get another pension card sent out from Centrelink for her as her address changed to the nursing home she was in. Remember asking her to sign it, and she could hardly do so her hand was shaking so much. Went to the box in the closet where her stuff that's left is stored, and it's still there, shaking writing and everything, with the nursing home address on the other side. Things like that stick in my mind. A few tears were shed.