Navigating the Maze of Medicare Choices (Hour 2)

Transcript

Navigating the Maze of Medicare Choices (Hour 2)

Matenaer on Air · Mon Nov 10, 2025

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.

Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime, anywhere.

Jane Matenaer

and welcome welcome to Matt Nair on air.

Jane Matt Nair and Callan Butenough coming to you live from our studio and Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us, call or text the number is the same 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

There is a difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage and here to explain those different differences.

She is Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol Program Director Ingrid Kundinger is here.

Good morning, Ingrid.

Thank you so much for joining us.

How are you?

Fine.

Thanks.

How are you this morning?

I am great.

Thank you.

Lots of confusion, Ingrid.

Everybody thanks.

And I mentioned this as we were talking about you joining us.

I have a friend who's 87.

And I talked to him last over the weekend and he said he gets 22 calls a day on average for Medicare Advantage.

And again, they are not the same thing.

So can you explain just basically the differences between Medicare, which everyone becomes eligible for when they hit 65 and Medicare Advantage?

Absolutely.

And the reason probably that your friend is getting so many phone calls right now is because it is the open enrollment period for Medicare.

So we'll talk a little bit about what that means as well.

But as it relates to Medicare, as you mentioned, Medicare is the health care program that is available for people

who are age 65 or older.

Sometimes people do qualify for Medicare at a younger age, depending on diagnosis.

But in general, that is the health insurance program that is available for people in the United States who are 65 years of age or older.

So you become eligible for that or you sign up for that.

There's a seven month window.

So three months before you turn 65, the month of your 60

birthday and then the three months after your 65th birthday is what's kind of your initial enrollment period for that.

So once you are eligible for and sign up for Medicare, there's some decisions that you need to make about what you want for your coverage to be.

So you have kind of two options.

One is to stick with the traditional or original Medicare

which is the health insurance program that's provided by the federal government.

And that will pay 80% of most of your health insurance expenses.

And most people who choose to stick with original Medicare also then look for a supplemental or a Medigap policy.

To cover that

Jane Matenaer

20%, right?

which is the additional insurance coverage that would exactly, you hit that exactly on the head, cover that additional 20% so that if there was something catastrophic that happened between original Medicare

and your supplemental insurance plan, you should be at or close to 100% coverage.

Now with original Medicare, there are some things that are not covered or not included that sometimes are important to people.

First of all, original Medicare does not provide a prescription drug plan.

So if you

need or would like to have a prescription drug plan, you would need to seek that separately.

So that's one thing.

The other things that original Medicare don't cover directly that are sometimes important to older adults are hearing tests and hearing aids.

vision insurance and dental insurance.

So all of those things can be quite expensive for people to cover.

And so it's important to kind of weigh your pros and cons as it relates to that.

Now you can choose to, once you are Medicare eligible, instead of going with original Medicare, you can choose to privatize your Medicare coverage, which means that you would then

purchase a Medicare Advantage plan.

So that means that you're going to find another insurance company to provide all of the benefits that Medicare would provide to you, plus some additional benefits.

And what those additional benefits sometimes include are vision.

dental hearing aids, and then some Medicare Advantage plans include a Part D prescription drug plan, others don't.

So there's a lot of options, which is great.

It's always good to have options, especially when you're, this is something obviously that's really important to people is their healthcare coverage.

It can be a little bit confusing and complex.

And because of that,

That's an opportunity for people who do not necessarily have your best interest in mind to take advantage of you in some situations.

Jane Matenaer

They might try to sell seats.

In other words, they're going to try and sell you something potentially something that you don't need.

or that is not necessarily going to serve you well down the line.

If you're just joining us, Ingrid Kundinger is our guest.

She's with the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, and we're talking about the difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.

I understand too, Ingrid, that there can be some things that Medicare Advantage plans may not necessarily cover that folks might not be aware of.

until they end up needing it.

That can be true, especially sometimes people will see there's a lot of television commercials on right now for different advantage plans because it is the open enrollment period.

And so that's when there's all these extra benefits and people may be thinking, well, gosh, I would love to have transportation or extra money to spend at the pharmacy or

whatever that benefit may be advertised as.

However, there's fine print at the bottom of all of those advertisements, none of which we pay attention to.

No one reads

Jane Matenaer

that

stuff.

No one reads that stuff.

does outline exactly what you said.

You may or may not be eligible for that.

There may be different financial eligibility requirements that you need to meet in order to do that.

They're probably not going to take the time to explain that to you.

There might be certain provider networks that are in or out of that Medicare Advantage plan.

Oftentimes we hear from people who get caught up with

all these additional things and they sound like it's great and they can't live without it and they sign up and then when they go to the doctor for the first time in the new year, they find out that their provider is not any longer in that.

coverage period and that were in that coverage and that was something that was important to them they really wanted to stay within that health care stay with that health care provider within that network and now they're left to you know start from scratch with the new network or they didn't understand what medications were covered in this new plans formulary which is kind of the

booklet of all the different drugs that are covered and what the costs are.

And so when they go to the pharmacy for the first time in the new coverage year, they're suddenly leaving with a bill that they weren't anticipating because important medications that they are prescribed are no longer covered in that plan or under the same payment structure as they were expecting.

So, you know, in that case, people are kind of left to now what do I do and scrambling to either reestablish the coverage they had in the past or to figure out

the best way forward with the new plan that they have.

Jane Matenaer

We're talking to Ingrid Kundinger about the difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

The open enrollment period is going on right now.

And if you are of a certain age, you're probably getting 10, 15, 17 calls a day about the Medicare Advantage plans that you can buy.

Ingrid, what happens to folks say, I am 65.

And I decide I'm not going to go with traditional Medicare.

I'm going to go with a Medicare Advantage plan.

And I do that for a year.

And I decide I don't like this coverage.

I want to go back on regular government-funded Medicare.

Can I do that?

You can do that and that's something that you can do during the open enrollment period which is every year between October 15th and December 7th.

That's kind of the magic time frame where people who are on Medicare can make changes so they can change from

original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan.

They can switch Medicare Advantage plans or in your scenario, they can switch from a Medicare Advantage plan to original Medicare.

And so those are times that's the time that you can do those things is right now.

Jane Matenaer

Are there any penalties if I decide to do that?

Will I get penalized somehow if I don't take my Medicare when I'm when I'm eligible for it?

As long as you won't be penalized as long as you have a Medicare Advantage plan.

So you need to show that you have creditable coverage if you reach the age of 65.

Sometimes people are still working and so they enroll in Medicare but opt to continue on their employer's insurance and maybe Medicare becomes the secondary payer.

or there's other things in place.

And so you just need to be able to demonstrate to Medicare that while you deferred your enrollment in that you did have other coverage.

If you didn't have other coverage, then you could be subject to a penalty based on the amount of time that you didn't have what they call creditable coverage.

And that is also

part of a part D prescription drug plan.

So a lot of times people say, I don't need a prescription drug plan.

I don't take any medications.

But then a year later, you suddenly need to have medications for whatever reason.

And then you would carry a penalty because you didn't.

sign up for a part D prescription plan at the beginning.

Jane Matenaer

Well, and I just from personal experience, I had a family member who developed a very serious heart condition completely out of nowhere.

The medications were like $16,000 a month.

It was staggering.

It was just staggering.

And so again, a lot of times you're not, you don't think you're gonna need it, but something like that comes up.

And then unfortunately, you're out of luck.

But we only have a couple minutes before we have to go to break and then we'll continue.

But is there an average that people can expect to pay Ingrid if they are on Medicare?

Because this comes out of your social check, doesn't it?

Your social

security check?

It does come out of your social security payment on a monthly basis.

So oftentimes you don't even see what those premiums are.

I'm not certain what the premiums for next year are, but it's a sizable amount of money.

And you know, that's something that

You either pay that.

directly to Medicare or if you know you pay some of that to Medicare and then if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan there are also premiums and you know that sort of thing involved in that as well.

So you know as you're nearing the age of 65 it is important to start thinking about that and what those costs are going to be regardless of which path you choose as it relates to your health care because that does require some planning or just budgeting to make sure that you've taken those costs into consideration as you

move to Medicare.

Jane Matenaer

PJ on the live stream says my payment is about $180 off the top.

of my social security check.

So they're going to take it out from your social if you are on Medicare.

If you have questions for Ingrid, now is the time to send them in at 855-752-4842.

She is with the greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources.

We're going to continue our conversation with Ingrid Kundinger.

On the other side, stay with us.

You are listening to Matinair On Air.

This is the Civic Media Radio Network.

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

Jane Matenaer

Good morning and welcome back to Matt Nair on air.

Jane Matt Nair and Cali Tini on the board coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine where you can join us at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

Our guest is Ingrid Kundinger.

She is the Wisconsin Senior Medicare Patrol Program Director and we are talking about Medicare versus Medicare Advantage.

Now is the

the open enrollment.

The time to sign up is right now.

Ingrid, we did get a couple of questions come in on the text line.

I just turned 65 last week.

How do I sign up for Medicare from Jill in New Berlin?

Well, happy belated birthday to Jill in New Berlin and welcome to Medicare I guess I would say the Social Security Administration is actually the governmental agency that helps you get signed up for Medicare And so you would want to reach out either online or call your local Social Security Administration office to get that process started and you know You can certainly connect with your local aging and disability resource center or call Medicare

directly if you have questions about what your options are before you get ready to sign up for Medicare.

Jane Matenaer

I would pack some patients as well.

Jim from Appleton just texted in listening in Oshkosh and WISS.

I'll be 64 in early, I'm 64 in early January.

I turned 65.

I'm having a tough time signing up for Medicare.

What with the budget cuts and the government shutdown, any guidance is appreciated.

I would expect long wait times if you call Social Security.

Absolutely.

Unfortunately, that has been impacted.

They have staffing issues that they are working through.

So kudos to you who are not yet 65, but are already planning and getting things in order prior to your 65th birthday.

But if you do need to reach out to the Social Security Administration, to 1-800-MEDICARE, like Jane, like you said, pack your patients because it may take a while for you to get through.

I don't know about the Social Security

the administration, toll-free number, but I do know that Medicare.

answers the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

So you might not have to pack as much patience when you're connecting with Medicare as you might with the Social Security Administration.

Jane Matenaer

Yeah, even when the government reopens, let's not forget, Doge came in and blasted out a whole bunch of people from the Social Security Administration.

So be very, very patient if you're going to call.

John from West Bend listening on WAUK says, buyer beware with advantage plans.

My doctor told me not to go on an Advantage plan.

My wife's friend went on Advantage three years ago and is now stuck.

If you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan and you want to switch to regular Medicare, you can only do it after one year.

After that, you are stuck with Medicare Advantage for life.

Is that accurate?

I'm not certain that you would be stuck with that for life.

There may be, depending on how long it's been that you've been on a Medicare Advantage plan, to switch to original Medicare, you may be subject to underwriting, which may disqualify some folks, or the pricing structure might be such that you are not in a position to make those payments.

However,

If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan that you don't like, you don't have to be stuck in that Medicare Advantage plan.

So I would encourage people to really get more information about other plans that might be available to them and then to make that decision to.

to switch that plan.

Jane Matenaer

Ingrid Kundiger is our guest.

She's with the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, and we're talking about the difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

Greg and Rich Lynn Center listening on WRCE says, please spend a little more time on what Medicare doesn't cover and talk about how outrageously expensive Medigap coverage can be.

So as far as, I mean, I don't know all the ins and outs of what Medicare does and doesn't cover, but you know, some of the big things that were mentioned earlier were the vision insurance, dental insurance, hearing aids and that sort of thing, which seems to be pretty significant in terms of what older people or people on Medicare might be looking for.

Yes.

supplemental plans can be expensive as well.

And I think that that is just part of the research that people need to do ahead of time to look at what original Medicare is going to cost on a monthly basis versus a supplemental plan versus your party prescription drug plan and then compare those costs to the Medicare Advantage plan costs and structure.

And you will just have to then decide what's best.

for your pocketbook or what's best for your lifestyle or what networks are most important to you there.

You know, like I said, it's unfortunately it's not easy.

There are a lot of it's really complicated.

Jane Matenaer

Yeah,

it is very complicated.

And so we just really encourage people to be extra careful when that phone rings and it's someone that's offering you or Jane as your friend mentioned the 22 or 23 phone calls a day.

If you don't have to answer those phone calls,

Kathryn Lake

my

suggestion would be not to because the more you pick them up, the more they're going to keep trying to reach you and talk to you about things like that.

My suggestion is to not answer them at all or to hang up as soon as you realize that there's someone that you've never talked to before trying to sell you things that are

really important and that you really want to take the time to do research on and to seek out a local insurance agent or broker that you feel comfortable with that you've done business with and other aspects of your insurance life or

to reach out to the unbiased team at the Aging and Disability Resource Center in your area.

They can help you walk through all of the enrollment things and questions to answer.

Think about without pushing you and selling you one plan over the other.

Jane Matenaer

We will include that link in our show notes.

Ingrid Kundiger is with the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources.

Really important.

Thank you so very much, Ingrid.

Really appreciate your time.

Thanks for having me.

Jane Matenaer

News is coming up next.

When we return, we'll lighten it up with a little audio sorbet and winter driving peeves.

That is all coming up.

Stay close.

You're listening to Matt Nair on Air.

This is the Civic Media Radio Network.

Don't go away.

Good morning and welcome back to Matt Nair on Air.

Jane Matt Nair, our one, our only calzone on the board.

Coming to you from our studio at Radio Park in Racine, you can always join us.

Call or text the number is the same at 855-752-4842.

You can also leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream.

Good morning live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

Thanks again to Indra Ingrid Kundinger who joined us before we went to the bottom of the hour news.

We had a whole bunch of questions.

Calvin come in on the text line that we did not have time to get to.

So hopefully we'll have a chance to get Ingrid back on before open enrollment in Medicare.

ends next month.

If you have questions, send them in and we will compile them and then hopefully get Ingrid back on to talk more about Medicare, the differences, rather, between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

This is the time of the show that we call Audio Sorbet, where we get away from the news, talking about other things.

So we can laugh and take a breath and as Greg would say he's off today We clean your ears with fun.

That's the goal.

So our question today for audio Sorbet our winter driving pet peeves this after overnight lake effect snow dropped nine and a half inches of snow Yes in parts of eastern Racine and Kenosha counties

Here where Radio Park is located, what do you think, Calvin?

We have a good five, six inches, at least.

Yeah, it definitely took me by surprise.

In Walkshot County, we had a dusting yesterday that

Jane Matenaer

was

pretty much already melted.

And then, yeah, I got here and there.

There's several inches.

I'm not a good estimate of that kind of thing, but yes, there is more than a little

Jane Matenaer

yeah, I was I mean again I drive from the northwest side of Milwaukee down to Racine every day and there was not I mean I could see the front this big dark front hanging over the the lake short and There was nothing in Milwaukee County up until I got to highway 32 here in Racine and then we went from two lanes to one lane

Really quickly because the plows hadn't had a chance to get out there yet.

What is your biggest winter driving pet peeve?

Since we are now underway with winter driving 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 your biggest pet peeve for winter driving 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 that is our audio sorbet question for today for Sharon

Our receptionist here at Radio Park, Sharon's from Jamaica.

And that poor thing was, I talked to her this morning when she came in, she said, I just, I can't do this.

I don't know how you people do this.

But I told her, I said, Sharon, even though people have been driving in snow all of their lives, they're Wisconsinites and they, they still don't, we still don't know how to drive in snow.

We don't.

Yeah.

especially the first few times it snows for the year, I will say people in Racine were, and granted, it wasn't actively snowing anymore

Jane Matenaer

by the

time

I

was coming

in,

but people were driving reasonably well for the condition of the roads,

Jane Matenaer

I will say that.

I'm happy to hear that.

I didn't see any egregious misbehavior this morning, but again, it was the first time.

I will say this and

Bring on the hate if you want to dump on me It's you pick up truck drivers That drive me crazy Because for some reason if you're in an F 150 you seem to think that the laws of physics do not apply to you when it comes to I don't know sliding You're gonna slide if the physics affects all of us just because you're in a big fancy truck doesn't mean

You have different laws of physics and acceleration and deceleration and all those things.

What is your biggest pet peeve about winter driving 855-752-4842-855-75 Civic?

Ben from West Bend, joining us on the line.

Good morning, Ben.

What do you want to say about this?

Oh, God, what is in my pet peeve?

It's all about allowing yourself extra time being aware of your surroundings, but people who sudden stop and make a turn.

You cannot, you know, please, you know, make sure you know you're paying attention and be off your phone.

It's, you know, you know, make sure your tires are good and you got to allow yourself a little extra time, slow down, all that stuff.

It's just not a, well, I can drive.

55 and 40 because it's, you know, whatever.

Right.

You know, it's all that stuff.

I mean, you've got to be on your toes.

It's not so bad when it first starts though.

But once it starts piling up, the slush freezes.

It's just a mess.

It is.

It's, you know, the whole thing is, you know, like with me, it's timing, you know, I'm buying new tires soon.

So that will help.

But, you know, I get with people with

don't have all-wheel drive or forward or whatever, put some sand in your back, put two bags of sand or whatever.

It does allow yourself extra time.

Be aware of everything.

Jane Matenaer

Those are all great suggestions, Ben.

Really appreciate it.

And it is more than just one thing.

But again, if you know the roads are going to be bad, thank you, Ben.

Really appreciate it.

If you know the roads are going to be bad, you leave 10 minutes early.

So then you're not racing.

And I thought he made a real good point, too, about I had somebody pull in front of me this morning that should not have done that.

Again, when roads are slushy and roads are slippery, you wanna time things.

You gotta be careful about timing and merging and things like that.

Winter driving pet peeves at 855-752-4842.

855-75 Civic, what drives you crazy about the way other people drive because we all drive perfectly, right, Calvin?

Yeah, exactly.

Jane Matenaer

There's no

flaws.

Everyone's driving is based on our own driving.

Jane Matenaer

Exactly.

If everyone just drove like me, then there would be

everything would be perfect.

855-752-4842.

Is it the speeding?

Is it the passing?

Is it the stopping and starting?

Is it pulling out in front of you that makes you crazy?

Winter driving pet peeves is our audio sorbet conversation for today.

Richard from Waukesha joining us on the phone.

Good morning, Richard.

What do you want to say about this?

Well, about my years, I believe, and I had a relative too.

I think it's SUVs that are heavier than they look and too much speed.

Jane Matenaer

Driving too fast, right?

Driving too fast for conditions.

Driving too fast for the weight of the vehicle.

Jane Matenaer

Again, this is where the laws of physics apply equally to all of us, no matter how big your vehicle is, no matter how small your vehicle is, you're going to slide just like the rest of us do, no matter how big.

Your vehicle may be 855-752-4842.

Winter driving pet peeves is our audio sorbet topic for today.

Calvin, what makes you crazy?

I guess my isn't so much about other people's driving.

And I guess it's also an example of why local politics and governments matter.

So Walkshaw County does a fantastic job cleaning its roads up.

Jefferson County on the other hand not so much

Jane Matenaer

not

so much when I was in high school This my school district straddled the walk shot Jefferson County line and Actually, I went to school in Jefferson County and then I also commuted to UW Whitewater for two of the five years I was there

so I

am It's very clear even if the sign wasn't posted on the walk shot Jefferson County line you

Jane Matenaer

can just

tell you can just tell it's like

Nice and clean clear road on the walk show side and then boom it's like they just Rolled it smooth with the plows on the Jefferson County side.

Jane Matenaer

They have what would they have one plow truck in Jefferson County?

They just can't get around to

it.

They either they have less plow trucks They don't have as much salt in the budget.

I'm not sure but Jefferson County Does not do a very great job

Jane Matenaer

8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 winter driving peeves

is our audio survey subject for today, this after overnight lake effects snow dropped almost nine and a half inches in parts of eastern Racine and Kenosha counties.

And by the way, right across the street from us here at Radio Park, I want to give credit to the roofers who are out on the roof.

They're roofing somebody's house right now.

They just waited for the stuff to melt off the roof and they got to it.

You gotta give those guys a lot of credit.

That's a really hard job.

What are your winter driving pet peeves?

8-5-5, 7-5-2, 4-8-4-2, Mary and Eau Claire texting in, my winter driving pet peeve is winter driving.

Yeah.

It's a drag.

It's a pain.

Especially if you're on the freeway and it is still snowing and then you're either behind a truck.

or you're stuck in the middle of two trucks and all of that road spray comes up, it's blinding.

It's just blinding.

Along with what Ben had said about making sure you have good snow tires or good tires on your car, make sure you have good wipers.

Because vision is an important thing when driving.

I just spent 26 bucks.

per wiper, which I thought Calvin seemed a little expensive.

You know, Jane, I don't know how much windshield

Jane Matenaer

wipers cost.

It's not something I buy with any regularity.

Yeah.

I mean, not only make sure you have good wipers, I don't know how common of an issue this is, but also make sure your defrost works.

Make sure you're blowing hot air on your windshield.

Jane Matenaer

Always a good idea.

Always a good.

Idea talking about winter driving pet peeves John from West Bend listening on WA UK Not cleaning the snow off your windows and your lights that reminds me last year Calvin when we were still in Waukesha at our station in Waukesha and we had gotten a late spring dump and As I was heading to the station in Waukesha.

I could see a guy behind me who had a good two feet

of snow on the top of his SUV and it was warm enough so it was a little melty and he got up to the stop sign and when he stopped all of that snow from the roof of his vehicle landed on his windshield.

He stopped traffic because it was so heavy he couldn't use his wipers to get it off and he couldn't get out of the car because he couldn't see what was on either side of him.

So

He blinded himself pretty effectively by not wiping the snow off of his vehicle.

So that's one of those things that, yes, you do want to do.

And besides, it can drop off on the people driving behind you too, right?

Yeah, obviously.

That it's clean your cars off.

Luckily, my dad's truck is too big to fit in the garage.

So I pull the seniority card and I get to park in the garage.

So, I don't really have to clean my car off anymore, which is really

Jane Matenaer

nice.

That is the biggest drag in the world, if you have to park outside.

That is our audio sorbet for today.

If you ever have a suggestion, by the way, for an audio sorbet, or even if this shouldn't be a thing, we would love to hear from you.

You can always contact the show at janesaysatcivicmedia.us, J-A-N-E-S-A-Y-S.

at civicmedia.us.

When we return, we'll wrap up the show as we always do with This Shouldn't Be a Thing.

You can check out, but you can never leave edition.

Stay with us.

You're listening

Kathryn Lake

to Matt Nair on air on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Jane Matenaer

Good morning, welcome back to Matt and Air on Air, Jane Matt and Air.

And resident young person Kelvin coming to you live from our home at Radio Park in Racine.

You can always join us, call or text the number is the same at 855-752-4842.

Leave a comment if you're watching on the live stream on Facebook, YouTube and what used to be Twitter.

Greg has the day off today.

He will be back tomorrow.

Also coming up tomorrow, Todd Alba, our friend and colleague, host of the Todd Alba Show.

I will be joining Todd this afternoon at 2 30.

He will be here tomorrow after 9 30 and in our number two Kelvin tomorrow we're going to talk her to Representative Francesca Hong, who has thrown her hat in the ring to run for governor of Wisconsin.

So Representative Hong joining us in our number two tomorrow.

Find out what she thinks.

Are her strong points going into the gubernatorial race?

That's all on the way tomorrow.

Right now, it is heading towards 10.54, Calvin.

That means it's time for... This shouldn't be a thing.

If you ever find a thing you think this should not be, send it in to Greg and me at janesaysatcivicmedia.us J-A-N-E-S-A-Y-S, Jane says atcivicmedia.us

Calvin, you found this one.

This from valleynewslive.com.

Let's see who has the byline on here.

No one wants to take responsibility for this.

Headline reads Fargo Hotel under investigation after workers seen soaking bedsheets in guest hot tub.

The health division at Fargo casts public health.

Investigating a local hotel after an employee was seen soaking bed sheets in a guest room hot tub.

A family who was staying at Expressway Suites in Fargo said they watched a worker dump sheets into the hot tub and then mix them around with a broom.

They recorded the whole incident and then posted it to social media.

Guest Alex Ken Mill said quote at first,

I thought maybe the hub tub, the hot tub was down.

The drain was broken.

They were trying to soak up the water.

But then he started adding more sheets in there and I was like, what's going on?

The family said they were disgusted by what those they saw.

Are we sleeping on these sheets?

It's disgusting.

With concerns, Alex and family contacted Hotel Management for answers about this.

In a recorded phone call with hotel staff, a worker said the sheets weren't dirty.

They'd been washed beforehand.

The worker also said the sheets were put into the hot tub to remove stains.

This just gets worse and worse.

The sheets are put into the hot tub and it gets out tiny little stains.

Then the hot tub is drained.

It is really heavily cleaned by a huge

deep cleaner according to that employee.

Hotel management, however, declined to go on camera.

They said in a face-to-face conversation, this is a last resort practice.

For stained sheets, they're planning to throw out.

Well, if you're gonna throw them out, Calvin, why would you go through all the work of putting them into a hot tub to wash them?

Yeah, I...

Not totally understanding the rationale at all.

Jane Matenaer

They should have stopped talking early on.

Yeah.

Like, how is this better than a washing machine?

Jane Matenaer

I'm not sure.

They say this practice is typically done after the pool is closed.

The employee in the video was talked about doing this in front of guests.

Well, yeah, because if you're washing hotel sheets in the hot tub,

Maybe you don't want the guests who are staying there to watch that.

When asked if this is a city approved practice, management said they're going to check with the health department.

You may want to ask about that.

An official with Fargo Cast Public Health confirmed their health division is looking into the matter.

Hot tubs while heavily chlorinated.

but because of the high presence of bodily fluids can create a breeding ground for bacteria.

Just sitting in a hot tub, your skin will literally come off like your shedding, says guest Amy Vandal.

The family says they've contacted the city health department and will contact the state health department next.

Maybe Calvin, now on, from now on, when we go to hotels, we should just bring our own sheets.

Yeah, I hope I would like go down to the pool and make sure there's

Jane Matenaer

no sheets in the hot tub.

That wraps up today's episode of.

This shouldn't be a thing.

Thank you Calvin and all of our engineers and everyone at Civic Media because without you nothing works and thank you most of all for calling and texting and listening and watching on the live stream it means the world.

I hope you find some joy today even if it's just a little bit and you have the chance to share it.

Keep it right here we have news coming up next followed by

Tom Hartman, 11 to 2.

Todd Alba, 2 to 4.

Megadon, 4 to 6.

Pete Schwabba, 6 to 8.

Robert Pilite with Native Roots Radio and so much more.

We are the Civic Media Radio Network.

Have a great day.

We'll see

Kathryn Lake

you tomorrow.

Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.

With the Civic Media app, you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.

Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.