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Hospice is not a place. And hospice care is not just about those who are dying. Hospice is a comprehensive, compassionate kind of care that focuses on living – hospice is about living as fully as possible, surrounded by family and friends, up until the end of life. Palliative care brings this special philosophy of care to people earlier in the course of a serious illness. Did you know that Hospice of Anchorage is a Volunteer Hospice? Did you know there are three Medicare hospice providers serving Anchorage and the surrounding areas as well? W...
President Joe Biden has laid out a long list of policy priorities - some more politically plausible than others. But what he left out of his sweeping infrastructure and family relief proposals – drug pricing reform, among other things – is as important as what he included. Biden, who served in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and as vice president for eight more, understood the politics of coronavirus and was able to successfully shepherd his pandemic relief bill through Congress, with only Democrat...
Many individuals with Medicare find themselves struggling to pay the various costs associated with monthly premiums or prescription drugs. Fortunately, there are a number of different programs available to help. Medicare Savings Program The Medicare Savings Program (MSP), or Medicare Buy-in, is a program to help with paying Medicare premiums. There are three different programs you may be qualified for based on your income and assets. These programs are administered through the State of Alaska Division of Public Assistance. If you think you may...
It’s that time of year again; the sun is warm, breakup is messy, and the snowbirds are migrating back to Alaska. It’s the time of year where the year-round residents and snowbirds alike are asking themselves, “Is this the year I finally move?” What does moving mean for your Medicare benefits? What is the process? Will your coverage change? Moving out of Alaska Medicare Parts A & B: The most important thing to do when moving is to update your address with the Social Security Administration. This will ensure you don’t miss important updates a...
The American Rescue Plan (ARP) coronavirus stimulus package, which President Joe Biden signed into law in March, was designed to defeat the virus, get vaccines in the arms of Americans, checks in the pockets of those who need it, and jump-start the U.S. economy back to health, including safely re-opening schools. This bill is so large in scale – $1.9 trillion – that Republicans in both chambers opposed the legislation unanimously, characterizing it as bloated, crammed with what House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called a “liberal wish list....
The Alaska State Legislature is still working on the next steps for the Department of Administration’s (DOA) proposed closing of six rural DMV locations around the state of Alaska, including Delta Junction, Eagle River, Haines, Valdez, Tok and Homer for the FY2022 budget. On Mar. 18, Rep. Sara Vance, R-Homer, proposed HB 140 with the support of several constituents, including Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, a representative from one of the impacted DMV locations. HB 140 repeals the requirement for Alaskans – specifically for seniors age 69 and old...
What is home health care? What services are included in home health care? Who is eligible for these services? These are some common questions that people have about their Medicare benefits. Home health care includes a wide range of health and social services delivered in your home to treat illness or injury. Medicare covers skilled nursing services, such as injections and catheter changes. It covers home health aides, such as to help with bathing and dressing, and medical social services, such as counseling. It also covers skilled therapy servi...
The Alaska Alliance for Retired Americans (AKARA) was organized by a group of retired Alaskan workers in the fall of 2017. The group is affiliated with the Alliance for Retired Americans, a nationwide grassroots organization, launched in 2001. ARA now has more than 4.4 million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics and institutions that shape American life. For 20 years, ARA has mobilized retired union members, seniors and community activists into a movement advocating a political and social agenda...
Did you know that Medicare can help cover costs associated with behavioral health care? Behavioral health care includes mental illness and addiction-related issues. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “a mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood.” Substance use disorders and addiction do not fall under this definition of mental health illness, but they are considered behavioral health conditions. Examples of mental health illnesses include depression and anxiety. Examples of addic...
Some significant changes affecting seniors on health care issues may have gotten lost in the tumultuous whirlwind changes between the end of the Trump administration and the start of the Biden administration. Amid the increasing intensity of the pandemic, the violent turbulence at the U.S. Capitol, and the slower than expected rollout of the first vaccines, Congress actually got some important things done affecting seniors that went unnoticed, buried in the massive spending package. Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package and...
On Dec. 23, 2020, Congress passed a new provision called the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act of 2020, or “BENES Act” of 2020 as part of the $900 billion pandemic aid package. This bill had wide bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill also had strong support from more than 85 national and state organizations that support older adults and people with disabilities. The BENES Act is the first update to Original Medicare (Me...
Dear Savvy Senior: I will turn 65 in a few months and plan to keep working for several more years. I have good health insurance from my employer now. Do I have to sign up for Medicare when I reach 65? — Looking Ahead Dear Looking: Whether you need to enroll in Medicare at 65 if you continue to work and have health insurance through your job depends on how large your employer is. The same rules apply if your health insurance comes from your spouse’s job. But first, let’s review the basics. Remember that original Medicare has two parts: Part...
Do you plan to pay a cleaning person, cook, gardener, babysitter or other household worker at least $2,300 in 2021? This amount includes any cash you pay for your household employee’s transportation, meals and housing. If you will pay at least $2,300 to one person, you have some additional financial responsibilities and you must: Deduct Social Security and Medicare taxes from those wages; pay these taxes to the Internal Revenue Servicep report the wages to Social Security. For every $2,300 in wages, most household employees earn credits t...
President-elect Joe Biden will not get a traditional honeymoon from Congressional lawmakers to start off his new administration in January. It will severely limit what he can accomplish on his ambitious health care agenda. With sharp divides in both houses of Congress, where a few votes one way or the other could determine success or failure, Biden may even have trouble getting his Cabinet nominations through. Without a doubt, Biden's two-prong agenda – to solve the coronavirus pandemic and patc...
Sixty-six percent of retirees report spending more than $375 a month on healthcare costs, according to a recent survey by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). “That figure is almost one quarter of the average $1,523 per month Social Security benefit in 2020 and more than the Medicare Trustees estimate for 2020,” says Mary Johnson, a Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League. Even worse, of that group, 31 percent of survey participants said they spend more than $1,000 a month on total healthcare costs — rough...
As you may have known or suspected, Medicare is the largest medical insurance program in the U.S. As of October 2020, there are more than 62.9 million people enrolled in Medicare nationwide, according to the Medicare Enrollment Dashboard. Medicare program costs are evaluated each year and the premiums, deductibles and co-pays are adjusted. Here are some of the changes in Medicare for 2021. Medicare Part A hospital coverage The vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries do not pay a monthly premium...
So far, almost 40 percent of the nation's more than 240,000 COVID-19 deaths are from seniors living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. As the coronavirus pushes into what incoming-President Joe Biden calls the "very dark winter," efforts are being made to prevent a repeat of this continued death spiral and apply lessons learned so far. So what lessons can be learned and what can be done to inspire a meaningful shift in how the country cares for – and spends on – its elderly peo...
Enormous drug company profits are the primary driver of soaring prescription drug prices in America, according to an investigation that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released recently. The report, based on an 18-month investigation which produced more than a million documents, was started by former committee chairperson Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md.., who died last year. But it was largely overlooked, with the nation focused on COVID-19 and the presidential elections – despite a congressional hearing with verbal fireworks i...
The Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage) Open Enrollment Period is now in full swing. (See page 7 for details - Editor.) For those who don’t know, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 each year, Medicare provides an opportunity for beneficiaries who have Part A (Hospital) coverage and/or Part B (Medical) coverage to: join a Medicare Part D plan, change their Medicare Part D plan or dis-enroll from Medicare Part D. Enrollment, disenrollment, and plan changes can also be made to Medicare Advantage (...
The misleading ads and distorted facts have not quite hit the level of the 2011 classic “granny off the cliff” political ad where an elderly woman was being foisted from her wheelchair over the edge of a cliff, which then-House Speaker Paul Ryan himself credited for sinking his budget proposal targeting Medicare. But the increasing confusion of information over the future of Social Security (SS) and Medicare has reached fever pitch in the current political environment. Both candidates for president are playing games with the facts. Dem...
Alaskans will be able to apply for no-excuse absentee ballots online this year, as election officials have made it easier to vote safely from home amid the coronavirus pandemic: Older voters should have already received absentee ballot applications in the mail. Election officials in July sent absentee ballot applications to all registered voters 65 and older for the Aug. 18 primary and the Nov. 3 general election. Early voting for the general election will begin Oct. 19, helping voters to avoid longer lines on Election Day. Here’s what else y...
The summer has flown and autumn is upon us. The leaves on the trees are turning the vibrant colors of fall, and the air is cool and brisk. The captivating smell of fireplaces burning logs permeates the air. It is also the time of year to begin to think about our Medicare prescription drug coverage. From October 15 until December 7, each Medicare beneficiary who part A, Part B, or both has the opportunity to enroll, dis-enroll, or change their prescription drug plan choices. This period is...
Major-party presidential candidates Trump and Biden have dramatically different visions for the future on health care issues. So in assessing their policy positions, it's also important to look at actions versus talk. Trump has been president for almost four years; Biden had eight years as vice president under Barack Obama, and before that 36 years in the U.S. Senate. So both have actual records with which we can look at what they've tried to do, versus what they say they plan to do. Here's a...
Are you restlessly awaiting your Medicare Summary Notice to arrive in your mailbox so you can verify that Medicare paid for a service or product? Are you anticipating the upcoming annual Open Enrollment Period for Part D and want to make sure that your prescription list is current? Have you lost your Medicare card and need to get a new one? Do you want to review what preventive services are available to you? How about getting an “On the Go Report” that summarizes your medical information for you...
Learn to identify Social Security scams The most effective way to defeat scammers is to know how to identify scams. You should just hang up on any call you’re uncertain of and ignore suspicious emails. Scammers are always finding new ways to steal your money and personal information by exploiting your fears. One common tactic scammers use is posing as federal agents and other law enforcement. They may claim your Social Security number is linked to a crime. They may even threaten to arrest you if you do not comply with their instructions. J...
