Winter and Holiday Health Tips
Winter and Holiday Health Tips
Even though Thanksgiving is over, the season of unhealthy temptations is still upon us. From large, carb-filled family meals to all the shopping you have to do, it’s hard to stay healthy during the winter and holiday season! Plus, it’s the worst time of year for airborne illnesses like The Flu. Medicare Plan Finder can help you. These are our best winter and holiday health tips.
Stay Active
It’s hard to find the motivation to go to the gym when it’s cold outside. Consider working out at home instead! You don’t need fancy equipment to do it, just a little bit of room to move and willpower to get it done. Take the stairs whenever you can, take 10-minute walking breaks at work, or consider these other sneaky workout tips.
Eat Healthy
If you’re planning a big Christmas dinner or if you’re having a hard time staying away from candy canes, there are alternatives! Reach for dark hot chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is high in antioxidants. Consider drinking mint tea instead of reaching for a candy cane. Always provide healthy side dishes, like creamed spinach or sweet potatoes.
Travel Safely
Whether you’re going to visit family for the holidays or going on a ski trip, December is a big travel season.
Germs spread incredibly easily through airports, and even more easily through planes. You’re stuck breathing the same air as a lot of other people for the duration of your flight. Plus, the airport common areas and the planes themselves aren’t exactly thoroughly cleaned very often. Bring mini hand sanitizers (small to pass through security) with you and wash your hands thoroughly before eating or touching your face. Bring your own pillows and blankets.
If you’re driving, be sure to check road conditions first. Look out for bad weather and heavy traffic! Keep an emergency first aid kit, jumper cables, and a toolkit in your car. Make sure everyone is buckled in and there are no distractions.
Avoid The Flu
Illnesses like The Flu really do spread more easily in cold weather, so bundle up! Keep yourself warm, wash your hands often, and drink plenty of water. Avoid touching your eyes, ears, nose, and mouth – especially if you’ve been in a public area. Eat plenty of foods with antioxidants, like berries, pecans, and dark, leafy greens.
Also, take advantage of your health care! Your plan probably includes preventative care. Be sure to attend your yearly wellness visits, and go to your doctor as soon as you feel sick. Remember that Medicare includes one free well visit every year. Contact us for help with your health care. Call 1-844-431-1832.
Have a happy, healthy, and safe winter and holiday season!
Sign Up For Paperless Medicare
Sign Up For Paperless Medicare
Paperless Medicare will help you save time, money, and paper – benefiting you and the environment you live in!
MyMedicare.Gov
Medicare hosts its own free and secure digital service for account management and information. It will allow you to access important data quickly, easily, and cheaply and avoid problems like lost or stolen mail. If you’re still not convinced to switch and start using this digital system, remember that it also benefits the environment. No more paper bills and notices!
The service is easy to use – clicking a big blue button will download your Medicare information. You can also access your eligibility for discounts and Extra Help as well as details about your current plan. There’s even a video to help beneficiaries like you through the process of registering and using the service.
eMSNs (Electronic Medicare Summary Notices)
The biggest draw to electronic MSNs is the shorter wait time. Normally, these notices take three months to arrive by mail, but eMSNs are always accessible online. It’s also a good way for you to keep track of older MSNs. You won’t have to search through years of paper documents or stand in line at the Social Security office to access them. Just sign up for eMSNs by logging into your My Medicare account, then click “Email and Correspondence Settings” under the “User Information” tab. Then, just opt in for electronic Medicare Summary Notices!
eHandbook and eBooks
Every fall, you should receive a physical “Medicare and You” handbook, but the information will only get more and more outdated until the following fall. With electronic handbooks, you can always check online for the most updated information. Now, you don’t have to receive the physical copy. This will save a lot of paper and government money. Just enter your information here.
Access other electronic Medicare publications here.
Still confused about paperless Medicare? Speak to an agent! Call us M-F, 9-5 at 1-844-431-1832.
Understanding The Benefits Of Medicare Supplements
Understanding The Benefits Of Medicare Supplements
Medicare Supplement, or Med Supp plans, are designed to help you pay for your Medicare. Original Medicare is comprised of two parts: Part A, hospital care, and Part B, medical care. Some seniors opt to purchase a Medicare Advantage plan, which adds perks like prescription drug coverage, dental coverage, and more, but Medicare Advantage can be pricey. You may be better off with a Medicare Supplement plan.
Med Supp plans are called Medigap because they help to close the gap between your coverage and your out-of-pocket costs. They don’t provide any extra benefits like Medicare Advantage plans do. However, they will help you pay for copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.
How Medigap Works
Medigap coverage is arranged by letter. Options are A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Each letter represents a different amount of coverage, as well as different costs for coinsurance, deductibles, and out-of-pocket limits. The confusing part of this is that Medigap A and Medigap B are not the same as Original Medicare Part A and Original Medicare Part B. Make sure to confirm whether you are discussing Medicare Part A or Medigap Plan A.
The letters apply to every state except for Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Massachusetts and Minnesota separate their Medigap Plans by only two options, and Wisconsin has one basic plan. Clients will still have options with these plans for different amounts of coverage and costs, but the arrangement is different from the other 47 states (speak to your agent for details).
Medigap Qualifications
To qualify for Medigap, you have to have Original Medicare first. You cannot own both a Medicare Advantage and a Medigap policy, so you’ll need to pick one – but you can switch under certain circumstances. Once you have Original Medicare, all you need to do is pay your premiums and you’ll be eligible. Your spouse may not be automatically eligible because every individual needs to purchase his or her own Medigap policy. Those with a Medicare Savings Account (MSA) are not eligible.
Don’t wait too long to purchase a Medigap plan! Otherwise, you may find yourself excluded or up-charged for pre-existing health conditions. Buy as soon as your eligible.
Buy Now
AEP (the Annual Enrollment Period) runs from October 15 through December 7. Set up an appointment to speak with an agent about Medigap or other changes to your plan by calling 1-844-431-1832.
Your Mood Affects Your Health
Your Mood Affects Your Health
Did you know that stress and depression can weaken your immune system? Your mental health affects you physically as well as emotionally. Thankfully, Medicare provides benefits that can serve as “mood boosters” to help keep you both physically and emotionally healthy. Learn how emotions affect the body and how you can stay healthy.
How Your Mood Affects You
Depression is all-too common among seniors, and it often comes from the stress of aging. The feeling of stress is triggered by the release of the hormone cortisol, which slows down motivation and metabolism. This means that stress can cause you to not only lose the motivation to eat healthily and exercise, but also lose the metabolism to break down fatty foods, ultimately leading to unhealthy weight gain. Aside from weight gain, the influx of cortisol can inflame the immune system, weakening it and making it easier for you to catch infections and get sick.
On the same side of the token, a positive mood will allow you to heal more quickly. If you take a positive attitude with your illness or injury, your immune system will stay stronger and you’ll have less cortisol holding you down.
How To Heal
What makes you happy? All the little small things that you enjoy can help you heal emotionally and physically, as the two are connected. Consider starting with your senses – do you have a scent that makes you happy? Light a candle or spray a fragrance. Do you have a sound that makes you happy? Play some music. When it comes to emotion and mental health, the senses are a great way to start.
If your home remedies aren’t helping, consider taking advantage of your Medicare plan.
Medicare Mood Boosters
Medicare’s SilverSneakers® program promotes healthy social and physical behaviors for seniors like you. The program revolves around group exercise programs hosted within gyms and YMCAs. The programs include activities like strength, flexibility, walking, and yoga classes. The group setting gives you an opportunity to socialize with other seniors in your area, and the activities will help strengthen your physical health. If SilverSneakers® is a benefit included in your Medicare plan, you should receive a list of participating facilities. Then, all you’ll need to do is bring your SilverSneakers® card with its 16-digit member number to the facility.
If you feel your mood slipping often or if you are experiencing symptoms of depression, it may be a good idea to consider joining a SilverSneakers® class.
If you aren’t sure whether your plan includes SilverSneakers®, or if you’re looking for another Medicare benefit that can help you, one of our agents can answer your questions. Call today at 1-844-431-1832.
Holistic and Natural Health Care with Medicare
Holistic and Natural Health Care with Medicare
Medicare provides coverage for services with doctors, pharmacies, and hospitals that have legally agreed to serve Medicare clients. Holistic and natural health care providers are usually not legally equipped to support Medicare. In 2017, if you’re over the age of 65 you have to purchase a Medicare plan. But what if you only use holistic and natural methods and don’t plan on actually using Medicare?
Medicare Is An Investment
If you have Original Medicare, your premiums can be less than $200 per month. That’s a better deal than paying a fee every time you visit a holistic doctor. More importantly, if you have to rush to an emergency room one day, you’ll have to pay the total cost of your visit and care. An emergency medical professional is not going to drive you to your holistic care facility. A Medicare plan will help you pay for any potential emergency.
If you don’t purchase a plan now, you’ll be charged a penalty fee later – so it’s financially smartest to buy a Medicare plan as soon as you turn 65.
What To Buy
If you truly believe that you won’t use your Medicare plan, you’re still better off purchasing a small plan than not having coverage at all. If you prefer, you can enroll in Medicare Part A alone. It will only cover hospital services (no prescription drugs, no doctor’s appointments, no long-term, dental, hearing, or vision care). Additionally, you can enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan, which will help you pay for your coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.
We’ll take your holistic health care needs into consideration and help you find a plan that best fits YOUR needs. Call today at 1-844-431-1832.
Health Care Around The World
Health Care Around The World
With all of the coming changes to health insurance, are you curious what other countries do for health coverage? Let’s take a look at health care around the world.
The U.K. & The Commonwealth
Essentially everyone in the U.K. has access to free health care. Even visitors receive free emergency care! That comes with a different kind of price, though. As the U.K. tries to cut costs, quality of care decreases.
Australia’s health care system is called Medicare, but it is available for all citizens, not only seniors. It is almost entirely government-funded. 25% comes from the Australian government and 43% comes from the Commonwealth.
France
In France, doctor’s appointments essentially cost one euro, which is currently worth a bit more than one American dollar. Patients pay with a card and receive 100% reimbursement later, minus one euro to help fund nation-wide health care activities. Special care and drugs are reimbursed at about 70%. Also, patients can purchase additional coverage.
Belgium
Belgium has one of the most efficient health care systems worldwide. Care facilities, much like in the U.S., range from privately owned to government-run and non-profits. Citizens can choose whatever facility they want to visit, with no limitations on insurance.
Like in France, all Belgian patients use a care card at all of their appointments. Belgian cards will later provide reimbursement of up to 75%. Charges will come through payroll or a bank account.
Germany
Germany may be most similar to the U.S., since patients pay about 13% of their income to what is essentially health insurance. Uniquely, Germany often bundles accident and long-term insurance with their traditional health care plans. Germans can choose any health care facility they like because they are all federally funded. The unemployed (about a third of the German population) are funded separately.
Sweden
Since the Swedish system is 70% tax-funded, there are 21 regulating councils throughout the country. The councils determine health care, social welfare, and water supplies. There is a small fee for treatments and prescription drugs. Additionally, drug costs cannot surpass the limit of the equivalent of $163 per year.
Our system is fundamentally similar to European systems in some ways. It’s easy to wonder if we may head towards a Universal, U.K.-like system or at least a more centralized Belgian-like system. We could also head in another direction entirely – it’s hard to say. All we know is that right now, your Medicare is safe. For help with changing, upgrading, or purchasing a new plan, call one of our licensed agents today at 1-844-431-1832.
Are You Eligible To Have Your Penalty Fee Waived?
Are You Eligible To Have Your Penalty Fee Waived?
Did you miss your enrollment period? Are you living without health insurance?
Under Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, everyone is required to have health insurance. Your window to sign up is from three months before you turn 65 through three months after your birthday (unless you have a Special Enrollment Period). If you miss that period, you’ll be subject to a penalty fee. The fee will be added to your premium once you enroll. This means that the longer you wait to sign up for Medicare, the higher your premiums will be. Thankfully, you may be eligible for an exception.
CMS (the organization that oversees Medicare) decided that the ACA rules are not clear to many seniors, and most probably didn’t even know they were required to enroll when they turned 65. Many citizens with marketplace health care mistakenly assumed that they would automatically be enrolled.
If you did not receive the required information which tells you about the penalty fee, you can have your fee waived. You may qualify for the waiver until September 30th, 2017.
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You can find the following instructions to file for your waiver with more information on your eligibility at MedicareInteractive.org:
How To File A Waiver
- Gather appropriate documentation. You will need proof of your QHP enrollment. Bring a Part B enrollment form (Form CMS-40B) and your Medicare card. You can also fill out a Part B enrollment form at your Social Security office. Examples of proof of QHP can be:
- Letter about your enrollment in both Medicare and a Marketplace plan
- QHP premium bills and proof of payment
- IRS form 1095-A that shows months of coverage and/or cost assistance amounts
- A Marketplace eligibility determination notice
- Access through your Marketplace account
- Receipt from first premium payment you made to your QHP (also called a premium binder payment)
- Call the Social Security Administration (SSA) at 800-772-1213 or go to www.ssa.gov to find a local Social Security office that you can visit in person.
- Once at the office or on the phone with a representative, ask to use the time-limited equitable relief to enroll in Part B and/or eliminate your Part B LEP. Mention that you were enrolled in both premium-free Part A and a QHP. If you are calling to eliminate an LEP, you must specifically request that you want the LEP eliminated.
Are looking for more information about your Medicare? Interested in switching plans or adding coverage? Speak to one of our highly qualified agents! Call today at 1-844-431-1832.
How To Talk To Your Doctor
How To Talk To Your Doctor
Talking to doctors is harder for some people than others. Do you ever go to your yearly exam and forget to mention something that’s been bothering you? Do you ever find yourself struggling to answer your doctor’s questions about your health? Use this guide to prepare yourself for your next appointment!
Bring Notes
There is no shame in bringing notes about your health to your doctor’s appointment. In fact, it may create a higher interest level in your doctor. Though doctors should treat all patients equally, they are more likely to spend more time with you if you show that you care about your health. You may not need all of this information, but it’s better to be overprepared than underprepared!
Here’s what you should write down:
- A list of all medications you’ve taken in the past few months, as well as how often you take them.
- An idea of how often and how much you eat on a typical day as well as what your diet typically consists of and how much water you drink each day.
- Your general sleeping habits.
- Reminders to yourself of ANY health concerns you’ve had since your last doctor appointment.
- If you have any symptoms, write down how they make you feel and anything that makes you feel better or worse.
- Contact information for your other doctors.
- Your family medical history (especially if you’re seeing a new doctor).
Additionally, bring your glasses or contacts and hearing aids, if you have them. Don’t forget to bring your Medicare card!
List Your Concerns
Your doctor likely has multiple patients waiting at any given moment, so make sure you list your biggest concerns at the forefront of your appointment, so you can be sure that they are addressed. Don’t assume that feeling tired or achy is normal.
Tell your doctor about ALL health concerns, so that you can get the most out of your appointment.
As your doctor addresses your concerns, take notes then, too! Don’t be afraid to write down what the doctor says. It’s easy to forget, especially if you’re talking about multiple concerns.
Ask Questions
Part of your doctor’s job is making sure that you know how to take care of yourself once you leave the office – so ask all the questions you have! For example, if a doctor tells you to take your medicine with food, does he mean before, after, or during your meal? No question is a stupid one. If you had the answers, you wouldn’t need the doctor. Ask about side effects of your medication, reasons for testing, etc.
The only thing your doctor may not have answers to is whether or not your insurance covers something – but that’s what we’re here for. If your doctor can’t answer those questions for you, give one of our agents a call at 1-844-431-1832.
All You Need To Know About Your Medicare Diabetes Care and Coverage
Are you a diabetic Medicare beneficiary? Are you concerned that your diabetes care and coverage won’t be enough? Medicare Part B covers most diabetes care, and any corresponding drugs will fall under your prescription drug coverage.
Coverage
Most of your diabetic care will require that you pay just 20% of the Medicare-approved amount. This includes blood sugar testing strips and monitors, lancets/lancet devices, glucose control solutions, therapeutic shoes, and DMEs, or Durable Medical Equipment. A DME is a medically necessary device used in the home that is not harmful to others and is durable (can last at least three years). For your diabetic care, that includes insulin pumps.
Though Medicare Part B covers insulin pumps, it does not cover insulin. Insulin is a prescription drug, which means that it, along with insulin pens, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, and gauze instead fall under your prescription drug plan. That can mean Medicare Part D or a MAPD plan (Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug Coverage).
Services
Your diabetes coverage with Medicare is not limited to home care devices. It also includes some services. With Medicare Part B, you’ll only need to pay 20% for DSMT (Diabetes Self-Management Training), yearly eye exams for diabetic retinopathy, foot exams every six months, and regular glaucoma tests. You’ll also have access to 100% free MNT (Medical Nutrition Therapy).
As with any other medical treatment you receive, you’ll need to be sure that the doctor you visit for treatment and the pharmacy you get your prescription drugs from accept Medicare. Make sure you’re getting the diabetes care and coverage you deserve. If you need help figuring out what doctors and pharmacies are in your network, speak with your carrier or agent. To speak with one of our reputable agents, call 1-844-431-1832.
How Much Should You Be Spending on Ancillary Insurance?
Ancillary Insurance Costs
How much should you be spending on ancillary insurance policies? The short answer is, it depends. It depends on a lot of factors.
Everything from your weight to your gender matters when determining your health insurance costs, and ancillary products like vision coverage and life insurance vary drastically.
Dental, Vision, and Hearing
If you have Medicaid or a Medicare Advantage plan, you may already have dental, vision, and/or hearing included in your coverage. If not, you may want a separate plan. Keep in mind that these plans are commonly bundled, so you may not need to pay three premiums.
Dental coverage costs will average at about $350 per year or $30 per month. That may seem like a high cost for one type of service, but consider that one crown can cost about $1,000, and a dental plan will cover anywhere from 80-100% of that. It’s worth the cost.
Without insurance, a vision appointment will cost an average of $200, and glasses and contacts can cost over $300 per year depending on prescription strength and brand. Monthly costs average at about $30 per month. Hearing coverage falls into the same range.
Cancer, Heart Attack, and Stroke
Cancer plans can start as low as $15/month, but can reach up to $40 or $50/month. Heart attack and stroke coverage are usually bundled together for about $20/month. These three types of plans are among the most wallet-saving as care costs for these conditions can total in the upper thousands.
Short-Term Care and Hospital Indemnity
Monthly premiums for short-term care policies generally fall in the $30-$40 range for basic coverage and can be over $100 to include homecare and other services. Since these policies are only active for a year or less, total costs may be smaller than those for a long-term policy.
Hospital Indemnity plan premiums vary based on how much coverage you need. They can be as little as $12 per month or as much as $300 per month.
Life & Final Expense
Life insurance costs vary more drastically than any other form of coverage because consumers have so many options. You can request $500,000 worth of coverage or $1,000,000’s worth.
One of the first questions a carrier will ask is whether or not you are a smoker. Insurance rates for smokers are much more expensive than for nonsmokers because a smoker has much higher health risks. A 35-year old non-smoker may pay about $735 per month for a lot of coverage or closer to $200 per month for less coverage.
Final expense policies are based on personal choice. Funerals can cost upwards of $10,000, so you’ll end up paying anywhere from $10 per month to $20 per month depending on how much coverage you want for your final expenses.
How much are you spending on ancillary insurance? Visit our post about getting ancillary coverage for FAQ’s and information about what you may need. If you need more questions answered, set up an appointment to speak with one of our agents by calling 1-844-431-1832.
