"if you present plan changes in any way, even if present change by $1, you are then eligible to changes plan without qualifying, therefore I don't see this as an obstacle to going with a lesser plan in the beginning. Doesn't every plan change at least in some form of coverage if not every year at least every two years?" Two points. A Medigap provider cannot, by law, change the extent of the year-to-year coverage of any of the plans it offers because the various plans and the benefit levels they contain are established by Medicare, not by the insurers. That is, the Plan F offered by all insurers must include the exact Plan F benefits Medicare has established, and the same is true for all the other Medigap Plans. Second, I don't think a change in premium cost, alone, would excuse you from the underwriting requirement if you decide to drop a lower benefit plan and instead buy a higher one. However, if the insurer decided not to continue offering that level plan in your state, that would excuse you from underwriting, as would also be the case if the insurer went out of business. But I agree with you that it's wise to run the numbers and buy the plan that makes the best financial sense for you. People who are in good health and have the financial resources to absorb increased health costs in the future should their health worsen, would often be better off saving money now by choosing a lower benefit plan. Being overinsured usually doesn't make financial sense, but a lot of people do it because it gives them peace of mind, which is nice, but be aware that it does come at a cost.

Although I love Miele products I find some aspects of Miele ownership more than just frustrating as in why do we have to pay for an authorized installer? Home Expo, of all places, needs to mandate that their delivery and installation crew take the Miele training courses and become a Miele authorized installer. I have to say that for $200 I would simply apply it to the five-year extended contract: MieleCare Rates. After you install them call Miele with your serial numbers written down and tell them the day it was installed versus the date you purchased them and have Miele enter your registration into their database. They will tell you that you can do it on the web, but the web form has no provision of when you took delivery. I am now returning to an issue (which I have had since I bought the double ovens 2 years ago) with the temp on the ovens so another repair guy is coming. Is a Miele Service Representative coming to service on your oven, or a third-party? I would contact Miele (800) 843-7231 and ask for Javier, here at the West Coast, Long Beach Miele service center. Tell Miele what you have learned, and see whether they will make a judgment call when they arrive (otherwise is will cost you $150 for the service visit). Miele can be very accommodating with its customers so it is worth a try.

Well, I stand corrected. I just looked at the box of Heartgard that I purchased from petsmegastore.au and found that it is made in the USA by Merck Sharp & Dohme in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, USA http://www.epa.gov/region02/waste/fsmsdq.pdf Site Description The Merck, Sharp & Dohme Química de Puerto Rico Ltd (MSDQ) facility is located at Road #2 km. 56.7, in the Municipality of Barceloneta, Puerto Rico. The facility is located approximately three miles south of the Atlantic Ocean and 38 miles due west of San Juan. The site is bordered by industries to the north and west, and "mogotes" (undeveloped large, round hills with steep sides formed by erosion of natural limestone) surround the remainder of the property. MSDQ is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merck and Company, Inc. and has existed at this location since 1971 as an operating pharmaceutical manufacturing plant. The facility currently manufactures human and animal health products such as anti-hypertensives, beta-blockers, diuretics, and anti-parasitic drugs. It was also distributed by Merial, Duluth GA. So this box went from the US to Australia to the US, and I still bought it cheaper than if I had bought it here to begin with. Pretty amazing how the drug companies can jack up the price of an item in the USA.

I believe companies that sell drugs into the US are subject to some level of FDA registration and scrutiny. I'm sure it's not enough whatever it is. Internet sellers can skirt this rule, that's part of where the danger lies. I think the biggest gripe with "Canadian pharmacies" online is that many of them aren't Canadian at all and sell mail order from Third World countries lacking any form of regulation. The percentage of shipments of phony or dangerous drugs, drugs that don't conform to what was prescribed or ordered, is very high, it's a big risk. Not only because many have been found with toxic and dangerous contents, but also that many don't contain the substances the patient wants or needs to take. Everyone can do Google searches, here's an article from Consumer Reports from last year. They advise against internet pharmacy purchases from foreign sellers and explain why: Per Consumer Reports, avoid foreign online drug sellers