Tuesday, November 07, 2006
A Medicare Prescription Drug Primer, Part 2: Coverage Costs and Enrollment
(Below is part 2 of our two part article.) --Dr. Don Rose
--
How much will the plans cost?
Your costs will vary depending on which drugs you use, whether you get extra help paying your Part D costs, and which Medicare drug plan you choose. Most drug plans charge a monthly premium that varies by plan. You pay this in addition to the Part B premium.
Some drug plans charge no premium. If you have limited income and resources, you may get extra help to pay for your Medicare drug plan costs. Depending on what you can afford, you may be able to pick a plan with or without a monthly premium, deductible or coverage gap.
What if I have limited income and resources?
There is extra help for people with limited income and resources. Almost 1 in 3 people with Medicare will qualify for extra help. Medicare will pay for almost all of their prescription drug costs. You can apply or get more information about the extra help by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visiting http://www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/.
When can I get Medicare prescription drug coverage?
This year, you may sign up from November 15, 2006 to December 31, 2006. Your coverage will start January 1, 2007. Enrolling by December 8, 2006 can help ensure that you will be able to use your coverage as soon as you need it after it starts.
If you don't sign up when you are first eligible, you may pay a penalty.
After December 31, 2006, your next opportunity to enroll will be from November 15, 2007 to December 31, 2007. Note: there may be exceptions to this; call the Medicare 800 number to get more information (see Resources section below).
How do I enroll?
You can enroll in three ways:
· Sign up online at the Medicare website’s Enrollment Center (use this tool to join the Medicare drug plan you've selected)
· Call the plan directly
· Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and Medicare will help you enroll
(TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048).
Read New Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage - Who Can Help Me Apply and Enroll?
Can I change plans after I enroll?
Yes. You can change plans under certain circumstances:
· You can switch plans from November 15 to December 31 each year
· In special circumstances, Medicare may give you an opportunity to switch to another plan. For example, if you permanently move out of your plan’s service area; if you get help from your state Medicaid program paying Medicare premiums and/or cost sharing; if you qualify for extra help paying for prescription drugs; if the plan stops offering prescription drug coverage; or if you enter, live in, or leave a nursing home.
Read Quick Facts about Medicare's New Coverage for Prescription Drugs.
Resources
For more information, please read The Facts About Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.
Also, you can read other fact sheets about Medicare Prescription Drug coverage as it relates to the following topics:
- People with Limited Income
- Residents of Nursing Homes / Long-term Care Facilities
- People who get help from state pharmacy programs
- People with Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) Policies
- People who get Supplemental Security Income benefits or an MSP program
- Bridging the Coverage Gap.
For more details about Medicare benefits, contact:
Toll-free ................1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227);
TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
Online.....................http://www.medicare.gov/
Seniors can also read the Medicare & You 2007 handbook that was mailed to many homes in October.
# # #
This article is based on the “Medicare.gov - MPDPF: Supporting Information” webpage, and the “Prescription Drug Coverage: Basic Information” webpage; both are part of the Medicare website.
Dr. Don Rose writes books, papers and articles on computers, the Internet, AI, science and technology, and issues related to seniors.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Where to start when caring for your parents
We always think of our parents as smart, strong and independent people. We are not prepared to fac a complex issue with caring for them when they become old. It happens gradually, or sometimes at once - but we are always caught on a spot.
How should we care for them? There is no fit-it-all answer. What may work for one family, may not work for yours. What worked yesterday, may drastically change today. The only way to handle this is planning.
Existing rules will no longer apply, and the past lifestyles will not come back. What we can count on is the ongoing changes. Assisting elderly family members requires constant management of our attitutes and decisions.
You need to be extremely organized and keep everything in writing. Keep bills, receipts, contracts notes and other elder-care information in a safe but easily accessible place. Gather resources and information on eldercare services.
Most aging people would choose to stay in their own homes. There is a growing number of options that allow them to do so. Research all possibility, and get the credentials of the people and organizations that offer those services.
How should we care for them? There is no fit-it-all answer. What may work for one family, may not work for yours. What worked yesterday, may drastically change today. The only way to handle this is planning.
Existing rules will no longer apply, and the past lifestyles will not come back. What we can count on is the ongoing changes. Assisting elderly family members requires constant management of our attitutes and decisions.
You need to be extremely organized and keep everything in writing. Keep bills, receipts, contracts notes and other elder-care information in a safe but easily accessible place. Gather resources and information on eldercare services.
Most aging people would choose to stay in their own homes. There is a growing number of options that allow them to do so. Research all possibility, and get the credentials of the people and organizations that offer those services.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Bob's grandmother-in-law
I too was in a situation where I was overwhelmed. My grandmother-in-law has been the pillar of the family up until last year. She went from working a full-time job to needing help getting in and out of the car. She can’t leave the house alone.
My wife and I visit at least once a week and last time we were there, we noticed a bruise on her head. We asked her what happened. She said she hit her head on a cabinet door she had left open. We both knew better. It turns out that she fell and had to crawl to the phone to call her neighbor. She told her neighbor not to tell anyone, but her neighbor decided to tell us anyway. My grandmother in-law is a very strong lady and sharp as a tack, but her health seems to be getting worse.
When we ask her about her health, she just says “I’m okay.” She doesn’t want us to worry about her, so I suggested Life Alert. As anticipated, she said “I don’t need that.” I knew she would say that so I was prepared. I told her that she was right and that she does not need it, but we do. Knowing that we would worry less if she had it, she agreed. She still won’t let us clean her house or take care of her in any way, but she wears the emergency button at all times and I have her neighbor looking in to make sure she doesn’t take it off.
Bob
My wife and I visit at least once a week and last time we were there, we noticed a bruise on her head. We asked her what happened. She said she hit her head on a cabinet door she had left open. We both knew better. It turns out that she fell and had to crawl to the phone to call her neighbor. She told her neighbor not to tell anyone, but her neighbor decided to tell us anyway. My grandmother in-law is a very strong lady and sharp as a tack, but her health seems to be getting worse.
When we ask her about her health, she just says “I’m okay.” She doesn’t want us to worry about her, so I suggested Life Alert. As anticipated, she said “I don’t need that.” I knew she would say that so I was prepared. I told her that she was right and that she does not need it, but we do. Knowing that we would worry less if she had it, she agreed. She still won’t let us clean her house or take care of her in any way, but she wears the emergency button at all times and I have her neighbor looking in to make sure she doesn’t take it off.
Bob
Monday, December 19, 2005
At Home With Life Alert
Another great article - written by Virginia Marin.
"Would you like to live protected at home rather than in a retirement center for a few more years? Do you have health problems which prohibit your living alone? This article is about a life-saving advancement which may help to keep "Seniors on the Move" and at home.
The voice on the television says, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" No doubt you have heard it, but what does it mean? It means that there IS a way that seniors who live alone can now live at home for a while longer, rather than selling their home and going into one of the many retirement centers dotted across the land.
According to the American Health Care Association, the average age for a person entering a retirement center in the United States is 79 years. If there were a way to extend the time spent in one's own home, wouldn't that be better, financially and emotionally? But, what about accidents? For seniors who live alone and could not reach the telephone in an emergency, who would help them? Now, there is a system to meet the need- Life Alert . No, this is not an advertisement. It is an information alert to seniors, family, and caregivers that Life Alert is one system, among a few others, which can help families.
As the years pass, our health risks increase exponentially. We find ourselves more susceptible to injuries, falls, and fractures, especially those falls related to osteoporosis. There are also life-threatening police, fire, and medical emergencies--for example, every minute in the United States, someone experiences a stroke, with the risk doubling for every ten years over age 55. The American Heart Association tells us that four out of five people who die of coronary disease are 65 years of age or older. And fire? Most deaths from fire occur during sleeping hours between 11PM and 7AM.
But now there is Life Alert to help seniors. Life Alert is a small pendant worn on the person. It is activated by pressing a button which instantly activates a control unit located in one's home. The unit immediately notifies the Life Alert Monitoring Center, beginning a two-way voice exchange between the wearer and an operator. Should there be no response from the wearer, Life Alert immediately notifies the proper authorities, and help is on the way! The pendant also functions on a local 911 basis. The cost is nominal.
"Would you like to live protected at home rather than in a retirement center for a few more years? Do you have health problems which prohibit your living alone? This article is about a life-saving advancement which may help to keep "Seniors on the Move" and at home.
The voice on the television says, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" No doubt you have heard it, but what does it mean? It means that there IS a way that seniors who live alone can now live at home for a while longer, rather than selling their home and going into one of the many retirement centers dotted across the land.
According to the American Health Care Association, the average age for a person entering a retirement center in the United States is 79 years. If there were a way to extend the time spent in one's own home, wouldn't that be better, financially and emotionally? But, what about accidents? For seniors who live alone and could not reach the telephone in an emergency, who would help them? Now, there is a system to meet the need- Life Alert . No, this is not an advertisement. It is an information alert to seniors, family, and caregivers that Life Alert is one system, among a few others, which can help families.
As the years pass, our health risks increase exponentially. We find ourselves more susceptible to injuries, falls, and fractures, especially those falls related to osteoporosis. There are also life-threatening police, fire, and medical emergencies--for example, every minute in the United States, someone experiences a stroke, with the risk doubling for every ten years over age 55. The American Heart Association tells us that four out of five people who die of coronary disease are 65 years of age or older. And fire? Most deaths from fire occur during sleeping hours between 11PM and 7AM.
But now there is Life Alert to help seniors. Life Alert is a small pendant worn on the person. It is activated by pressing a button which instantly activates a control unit located in one's home. The unit immediately notifies the Life Alert Monitoring Center, beginning a two-way voice exchange between the wearer and an operator. Should there be no response from the wearer, Life Alert immediately notifies the proper authorities, and help is on the way! The pendant also functions on a local 911 basis. The cost is nominal.
Friday, December 16, 2005
High-Tech For Seniors
Today I came across an extremely interesting article on different things how technology can help seniors to improve their lives called "High-tech for seniors way beyond The Clapper and Life Alert. It is written by Randolph Schmid, The Associated Press. Here are some abstracts from it:
WASHINGTON — One day, people with Alzheimer's disease could have telephones that show them a picture of the caller and remind them who it is and when they last talked.
They might walk across a floor with sensors that check their gait and sound an alarm if they fall. Others might relax on a bed that monitors their pulse and breathing.
New technologies for seniors, supplementing conveniences like The Clapper and emergency warnings like Life Alert, are on display this week at the White House Conference on Aging.
The goal is to provide technologies that "help seniors and their families live happy and healthy in their own home," said Eric Dishman, chairman of the Center for Aging Services Technologies, or CAST, and general manager and global director of Intel Health Researh and Innovation Group...
There are four main focus areas for the new innovations, Dishman said: disease prevention, early detection, caregiver support and maintaining independence.
********
Then he lists interesting gadgets that already exist like
- Intel's phone which provides you a photo of the caller and tells you who they are and when they last talked to you (for those who have problems with their memory)
- Accenture medicine cabinet that can help traking what medicine should be taken. A voice can remind it's time to take a pill and warns if the wrong bottle is chosen.
- Floor sensors that can track the movement of a senior and beds that sense breating rate and pulse and call caregiver for help when there are suddent changes.
- A watch and computer system that tracks the movement of people in their homes. If they fail to go to their pills it can broadcast to a computer to provide reminders.
Well, I am sure that all these things are very expensive at this time and may not be fully developed yet. So let's stick to the proven services in case we "fallen and can't get up".
Kathy
WASHINGTON — One day, people with Alzheimer's disease could have telephones that show them a picture of the caller and remind them who it is and when they last talked.
They might walk across a floor with sensors that check their gait and sound an alarm if they fall. Others might relax on a bed that monitors their pulse and breathing.
New technologies for seniors, supplementing conveniences like The Clapper and emergency warnings like Life Alert, are on display this week at the White House Conference on Aging.
The goal is to provide technologies that "help seniors and their families live happy and healthy in their own home," said Eric Dishman, chairman of the Center for Aging Services Technologies, or CAST, and general manager and global director of Intel Health Researh and Innovation Group...
There are four main focus areas for the new innovations, Dishman said: disease prevention, early detection, caregiver support and maintaining independence.
********
Then he lists interesting gadgets that already exist like
- Intel's phone which provides you a photo of the caller and tells you who they are and when they last talked to you (for those who have problems with their memory)
- Accenture medicine cabinet that can help traking what medicine should be taken. A voice can remind it's time to take a pill and warns if the wrong bottle is chosen.
- Floor sensors that can track the movement of a senior and beds that sense breating rate and pulse and call caregiver for help when there are suddent changes.
- A watch and computer system that tracks the movement of people in their homes. If they fail to go to their pills it can broadcast to a computer to provide reminders.
Well, I am sure that all these things are very expensive at this time and may not be fully developed yet. So let's stick to the proven services in case we "fallen and can't get up".
Kathy
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Worries about my Elderly Mom
You know, the story about Ingrid can not leave me. I have an elderly Mom who lives alone. It’s not easy going to sleep at night thinking about my mother being alone. It’s even harder concentrating when I’m at work. I call her everyday at least 2 to 3 times. She doesn’t always answer the phone, and I feel like dropping everything and running over there to check on her. It is not an easy situation since I have a household of my own to take care of. I would move her in with me, but she will not even think about leaving her home. She would feel like she was being babysat. She would just about kill me if I mentioned the N word. (Nursing home) She worked hard all her life to pay for her home and she’s not leaving and that’s that.
I managed to make her home as safe as possible by putting in night lights so she can see where she’s going in the middle of the night when she gets up to use the restroom. I have cleared a path, tied up cords, and installed grab bars in her shower. I feel a little better, but there is always that thought in my mind: Is she okay? This is my life right now and it seems like it is only getting worse. I think I should consider getting her Life Alert one of these days.
I managed to make her home as safe as possible by putting in night lights so she can see where she’s going in the middle of the night when she gets up to use the restroom. I have cleared a path, tied up cords, and installed grab bars in her shower. I feel a little better, but there is always that thought in my mind: Is she okay? This is my life right now and it seems like it is only getting worse. I think I should consider getting her Life Alert one of these days.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
How to recognize a stroke
It is been some time since I wrote last time. A friend died unexpectedly. I still can not recover from this. I must tell you what happened - it may save lives of many people.
During a BBQ my friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally.. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize thesymptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking threesimple questions:
1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
Yes, it is very important to get help fast. This is why the service like Life Alert is getting used by so many people. If you pushed the life alert button and can not speak - they recognize the possibility of a stroke and send paramedics right away.
During a BBQ my friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally.. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize thesymptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking threesimple questions:
1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher. After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.
Yes, it is very important to get help fast. This is why the service like Life Alert is getting used by so many people. If you pushed the life alert button and can not speak - they recognize the possibility of a stroke and send paramedics right away.
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About Me
- Life Alert Emergency Response
- Life Alert is the leading emergency response company, dedicated to solving home safety issues. With a touch of a button, Life Alert sends help fast, 24/7, whether it’s for a medical, fall, fire, or home invasion emergency, even when you can’t reach a phone. Life Alert saves a life from a catastrophic every 10 minutes and has received over 25,000 testimonials from grateful customers since 2008, and was the ONLY company former Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop, endorsed until his death in 2013. Founded in 1987, Life Alert has become the industry leader in personal protection but also has become a pop culture icon with their classic slogan, “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” which was ranked #1 by USA TODAY in its list of the most memorable TV commercials. In 2008, “The Martha Stewart Show” featured Life Alert and recommend them to all of the patients at the Martha Stewart Center for Living while pointing out that Life Alert is "so inexpensive yet so vital for people." Life Alert, their slogan and/or pendant have been featured in many T.V. shows such as 30 Rock, Supernatural, The Goldbergs, and Jay Leno frequently referred to their famous slogan on The Tonight Show.