Your drug store, your pharmacy… choosing which one to use is a pretty important decision. Deborah Dolan, Advocate on Aging and Kevyn Burger, host of the show, discuss choosing drug stores, pharmacies and other medication avenues for getting prescription drugs for seniors. Your Part D plan can have a big impact on cost depending on whether you are using a preferred pharmacy or not. Find out the answers to your questions here!
According to an announcement from PRNewswire.com, a new addition to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act reveals that an annual wellness benefit will be provided for all qualifying Medicare beneficiaries beginning January 2011. This new benefit includes a “detection of cognitive impairment” that will be a mandatory part of the annual wellness visit. This screening can help detect early stages of devastating diseases that affect mental functioning, such dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The report emphasizes the great impact that this new addition will have on patients because the first wave of baby boomers will soon be turning 65 years of age.
“The spouse or caregiver of an aging person usually detects changes in cognitive functioning first and most often dismisses the changes as ‘getting older’ or ‘insignificant’. If you are a caregiver for an elderly person, make sure that you remain aware of that person’s mental functioning in order to detect signs of cognitive impairment,” said Deborah Dolan, Advocate on Aging. “Early detection is the best way to keep your loved ones safe so that they can get the help that they need as soon as possible. Ask a physician to screen elderly patients for cognitive impairment if you see any of the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s or other related dementias. It’s quick, non-invasive and will provide a baseline for future testing.”
Some changes ahead in Medicare! Deborah Dolan, Advocate on Aging and Kevyn Burger, host of the show discuss Medicare Part D, the upcoming changes for your prescription drug coverage and help for looking at your coverage. There is only one time each year that you can make changes to your Part D plan. This year (2010) that time is November 15 through December 31.
Links from Podcast:
Senior Linkage Line – counselors to help choose the best policy for your Medicare Part D plan.
Medicare.gov – formularies plan finder to check for the best plan for you.
We’ve been hearing so much about health care reform how is it effecting the elderly population? Deborah Dolan and Kevyn Burger discuss the health care reform, changes in Medicare, the “donut hole”, resources for more information and help.
Links from Podcast:
Senior LinkAge Line – 1-800-333-2433
Free to call! The Senior LinkAge Line® can help simplify the complex issues and decisions you face every day as a senior, Baby Boomer, Medicare beneficiary, caregiver or someone trying to reduce their prescription drug costs.
According to a recent article in the New York Times titled “12 Years Added to Medicare” there is still quite a bit of pressure on the Medicare program as a whole, and this problem is not simply the result of a down economy. Due to the aging population, health care costs continue to rise and the increase of the elderly population in the upcoming years will only add more strain.
Regardless of what changes take place, make sure that you’re staying informed about how you will be affected to ensure that you’re getting the care that you need.
One major reason that Social Security has taken such a hit is job loss. Because of the high unemployment rates, payroll tax revenues have been reduced for the program. Despite these problems, the trustees of President Obama’s health care legislation program predict the Social Security funds will dry up in 2037 –the same date that was projected last year. The Social Security Commissioner, Michael Astrue, believes that there is no reason to worry about total loss of the funds because continuing tax revenue will still cover more than 75 percent of all benefits even after exhaustion of the trust fund. What does this mean for the aging population?
“It’s never too late to sit down with a financial planner to discuss not only your finances, but also how today’s economic downturn will affect your children’s and grandchildren’s futures,” said Deborah Dolan, Advocate on Aging. “Take advantage of early warning signs of financial distress and make sure you have a financial plan that works best for you.”
The study revealed that Parkinson’s is more prevalent in the Midwest and the Northeast. It also found that whites and Hispanics are twice as likely to develop Parkinson’s disease as blacks and Asians.
A neurodegenerative condition, Parkinson’s disease causes tremors, stiffness, slowness, mood and behavioral disorders and sleep problems. The disease is characterized by loss of dopamine, a compound involved in communication between brain cells.
Genetic factors explain only a small number of cases of Parkinson’s disease. Researchers continue to evaluate environmental factors as likely common contributors. Risk factors may include exposure to herbicides and insecticides used in farming or to metals such as copper, manganese and lead.
Researchers note that the Northeast and Midwest are the two regions of the country with the highest concentration of metal processing and agriculture, and chemicals used in these fields represent are the strongest potential environmental identified as potential risk factors for Parkinson’s disease.
As I listened to President Obama define some of the changes created by the Affordable Care Act, my heart sang for the seniors I have worked with and currently work with who cannot afford their medications, who too often choose between food or their prescriptions. While there are many provisions that will aid our elders in obtaining quality care – annual preventive screenings and exams being another – closing the donut hole of the Part D Prescription coverage is pivotal to affordable healthcare for millions.
Important points I heard:
Benefits begin this month, the same year the bill was passed into law, to begin closing the coverage gap. Not next year or in two years, but in June of 2010! The rebate checks will be sent beginning June 18th!
The unspoken fact is that if a senior has dropped into the donut hole in June, this person has seriously high prescription drug costs. Many of the people I work with hit the coverage gap late in the year. For 2010 that coverage begins when prescription drug costs paid by you and your drug plan reach $2,830.01. According to CMS’ Medicare & You for 2010 (page 65), your yearly deductible ($310 for 2010), your coinsurance or copayments, and what you pay in the coverage gap all count toward this out-of-pocket limit. The limit does not include the drug plan’s premium or what you pay for drugs that are not on your plan’s formulary.
The coverage gap will close completely by 2020.
Guaranteed Medicare benefits you earned through employment will not change nor will eligibility requirements.
The law provides for expanded efforts to reduce by half waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system. We all have a role to play in this effort but few of us take the time to review our Medicare Summary Notices or to question what is being charged for services.
Reimbursement for the right services; quality instead of quantity; defining where are we getting value for our money and where are we not.
Working toward prevention of healthcare crisis through paying for proactive measures such as consultations with professionals who can help us manage our personal health issues.
Incentivizing more medical students to pursue becoming primary care physicians through loan forgiveness programs and increases reimbursements.
Subsidizing COBRA premium payments during this time of high unemployment.
As a nation, our government is given the responsibility of creating the greatest good for the greatest number of Americans. No one bill can cover every unique situation yet this bill has tackled some of the very large, costly healthcare issues. I am hopeful that through the Affordable Care Act, we have started to turn the tide of one of our nation’s biggest problems.
Watch and listen (live streaming) to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as they speak with seniors on health care reform through a presentation and question and answer session telecast live from a senior center in suburban Washington, DC.
On: CSPAN Date: Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 P.M.
The following information was taken from CMS brochure (Product N. 11467) recently mailed to Medicare recipients.
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health & Human Services writes:
“The Affordable Care Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama this year will provide you and your family greater savings and increased quality health care. It will also ensure accountability throughout the health care system so that you, your family, and your doctor – not insurance companies – have greater control over your care.”
What Stays the Same
The guaranteed Medicare benefits currently received by thousands of Americans will remain the same. During open enrollment this fall, beneficiaries will have a choice between Original Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan.
If you enter the “donut hole” in 2010, you will receive a one-time, $250 rebate check.
You must not be eligible for Medicare Extra Help
The first checks will be mailed in mid-June 2010
While you are in the donut hole, you will continue to receive a $250 rebate check in 2010
In 2011 if you reach the donut hole, you will receive a 50% discount when buying Part D-covered brand-name prescription drugs. (Please note that generic drugs are not included in this benefit.)
Over the next ten years, you will receive additional savings until the coverage gap (donut hole) is closed in 2020.
What Will Change – Important New Benefits in 2011
In 2011 you can get free preventive care services like colorectal cancer screening and mammograms.
You can get a free annual physical to develop and update your personal prevention plan based on your current health needs.
The new law preserves and strengthens Medicare through fighting fraud, reducing payment errors, waste and abuse. Savings from these efforts will be returned to the Medicare Trust Fund to strengthen Medicare for years to come. Whether you are a Medicare beneficiary or oversee a loved one who receives Medicare benefits, take the time to review each Medicare Summary Notice. If you suspect an overpayment for any reason, notify Medicare or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It is important to the future of Medicare that these funds are recovered.
For more information about the new health care law, visit www.medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
As a Medicare recipient, you have many choices in your community for your health care providers, both in the ranks of physicians and other professionals in the health care field.
Medicare is a part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. It has a website that is easy to navigate and can help you research and locate the providers who participate in Medicare.
Upon logging on to the website, look for the “find a doctor” tab on the front page or you can access it here. A quick click will take you to a list of physicians, including both those who participate in Medicare and those who do not.
There are a number of simple ways for you to find a participating doctor–you can begin a search based on your zip code, the doctor’s name, the doctor’s specialty, etc. The website provides the doctor’s address and allows you to access a map to the office. The website also provides other information, including the doctor’s gender, education, residency, languages other than English (if any), and hospital affiliations when available.
The same website will also help you connect to many other health care professionals who are not physicians. The website provides a list, and lets you know which of these professionals participate in Medicare.
Some of the other specialists include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, and physical therapists.
You can also find audiologists, psychologists, nutritionists, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, geriatric care managers and others.
Do you have a question that you want answered? Click the help button below and email your question to the Advocate on Aging, Deborah Dolan! Your question will be posted on the blog anonymously with an answer, allowing other to comment and ask for more information on a variety of topics. Thank you for sharing!
