Hi Cathy. I'm sure this isn't of burning importance in the face of all you and Eric are going through, but wanted to answer your medicare question. It's available only if you've payed into the system a base amount of earnings in a certain number of quarters out of a time period before diagnosis. I had stopped working and was a kept woman one year before I'd have needed to have worked. It's fine for me--my husband has good insurance, but not good if you were a caregiving spouse who didn't get a paycheck for that amount of time but who then became sick. There are many scenarios (self employed and not paying in is another) making the commonly held rule not true. My prayers are with you. Hugs, Ann