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The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919, as a patriotic veterans’ organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow service members and veterans. Hundreds of local American Legion programs and activities strengthen the nation one community at a time. American Leg...
Interested in learning more about businesses and agencies providing senior services in the Anchorage and Mat-Su area? Want to get the word out about your own service? The monthly Service Providers Breakfast (formally known as the Interagency Breakfast), sponsored by Older Persons Action Group, is an opportunity for all the above. Informal, early and free, with breakfast provided. The February meeting is Feb. 13, hosted by Nila Morgan, Medicare specialist at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. Begins at 8 a.m. RSVP by calling Older Persons...
AARP Alaska, Older Persons Action Group and the Anchorage Senior Activity Center continues its series of “Age Smart – Let’s Talk” forums on Jan. 8, 2019, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center. The January topic is “Medicare Basics”. Medicare is undoubtedly one of the most perplexing issues for people as they get older. What is it? What does it do and not do? Do I have to sign up, or how do I get it? What choices do I have? Will I like it? These questions and many more will be answered by Alaska’s foremost Medicare expe...
When the next Congress begins its work in January, lawmakers from both parties will try to work with the Trump administration to pass vital health care legislation. But getting a political advantage and maneuvering for the 2020 elections will help determine just how much cooperation can be found. Democrats and Republicans have significantly different political agendas they want to advance. The easiest issue on the health care agenda should be making sure people with pre-existing conditions do...
The question of limiting the profits of health insurance companies is sparking renewed national debate. The nation’s biggest health insurers have reported robust growth in recent years, due in large part to Medicare. All of the “big five” insurers, United Health Care, Anthem, Aetna, Cigna and Humana have seen increases in enrollment growth and revenues, with profits rising. At the same time, a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries report that Medicare premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are consuming an increased share of their...
Welcome to 2019! There are a number of changes in Medicare this year of which you will want to be aware. New Medicare cards The New Medicare card mail-out for Alaskans began April 1, 2018 and ended June 30. If you have not received your new card, please contact the Medicare Information Office (800-478-6065) or 1-800-Medicare, so that they can determine why your card has not arrived. It is possible an address update is needed. However, you do not need to panic, as the old card is still usable unt...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc., held its annual membership meeting Nov. 15 in Anchorage. At the meeting, board members nominated and voted-in the following officers: Yvonne M. Chase, president; Pam Yeargan, vice president; Leonard T. Kelley, treasurer; Jan Carolyn Hardy, secretary. Other OPAG board members include Sharon White-Wheeler, Robert Bracco, Christian Montana, Anne Gonzalez and Susan LaBelle. Directory release Also in November, OPAG released the 2018-2020 edition of its Directory for...
Dear Savvy Senior: I will turn 65 in a few months and will be enrolling in Medicare, but I am concerned about Medicare’s coverage of dental care. Does Medicare cover dental procedures? And if not, where can I get dental coverage? - Almost 65 Dear Almost: Medicare’s coverage of dental care is extremely limited. It will not cover routine dental care including checkups, cleanings, or fillings, and it won’t pay for dentures either. Medicare will, however, cover some dental services if they are required to protect your general health, or if you n...
SAARP Alaska will host a two-hour workshop, “Get Ready for Medicare,” in Anchorage, Dec. 20, at University of Alaska Anchorage. Attendees will get to know the basics of Medicare, including Parts A, B, C and D, and also learn about Medigap (supplemental) plans and whether they need one. The workshop will be held in Cuddy Hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Registration is requested. Call 1-877-926-8300 or register online at https://aarp.cvent.com/DECMED2018....
The formidable pharmaceutical industry wants to recoup the $11.8 billion hit it took earlier this year in Congress’s 2018 budget deal. The drugmakers rarely lose, able to use clout and pressure in every House and Senate district to get what they want. Now they are flexing their muscles and you can expect a relentless push to get back that money which essentially comes out of pharmaceutical industry profits. When Congress approved that budget, the final deal required the drugmakers to shift billions of dollars in Medicare drug costs away from s...
You may have seen or heard a lot of buzz about the Open Enrollment Period (OEP) for Medicare Part D. And you may think to yourself, “I am perfectly happy with my current prescription drug coverage and I don’t want to make any changes so I will stay with the plan that I have.” This decision could cost you money and here’s why. The (OEP) is a six week opportunity for those who have Medicare to review their coverage. Persons who have not had prescription drug coverage may join a plan and those w...
It could be worse. In fact, it was worse. In the 1800s, if you were both poor and elderly, the chances are that your family was too poor to care for you. Moreover, contemporary researchers note that, “The elderly poor were regarded as ‘a burden on the local taxes’ and were ‘despised and often treated as outcasts.’” In some places you could attend an auction selling the labor of old persons, who were then forced to work in agriculture. Gives me the heebie-jeebies. If you were poor and elderly you were likely to spend your final years in th...
Reports of identity theft, breaches and scams have all been in the news lately. Although many of these scams are taking place online or by phone (impostor calls), identity theft can still occur by physical means. Dumpster divers go through your trash at home, work and at landfills. Unsecured mailboxes are targeted by mail thieves. One of the ways consumers can combat identity theft is by shredding all documents that contain personal information. Don’t just toss your old credit card, bank, cell phone and insurance statements. Either purchase a...
Who in Alaska is glad to hear that Medicare is not going bankrupt? Certainly the 84,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska are glad to hear that Medicare is not going bankrupt. And by the way, not all those beneficiaries are elders. Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska include about 13,000 people who are younger but disabled. In 2014, the most recent year for which this information is available, total Medicare spending in Alaska was $741 million. That contributes to the incomes of thousands of healthcare providers and other health care workers in...
Perhaps you have heard advertising that you can purchase back braces, knee braces, and other items with little or no cost to you and that Medicare will pay for them. Let’s get to the truth of these advertisements. First of all – what is Durable Medical Equipment (DME)? DME is defined as equipment that is durable, reusable and is needed to treat an illness or an injury, or to improve the functioning of a malformed body part. These are items that are designed to withstand repeated use. Med...
Although Medicare Part A and Part B cover a wide variety of services and products when you are in the hospital or being seen as an outpatient, there are still cost sharing “gaps”. These include deductibles, coinsurance costs, and copayments. These additional costs can wreak havoc with your finances. Medicare Supplemental Insurance Policies, also known as Medigap policies, are designed to follow behind Medicare Parts A and B to “fill in these gaps” that are left after Part A and Part B have pa...
Dear Savvy Senior: What can you tell me about clinical trials and how to go about finding one?—Old and Ill Dear Old: Each year, hundreds of thousands of Americans participate in clinical trials in hopes of gaining access to the latest, and possibly greatest, but not-yet-on-the-market treatments for all types of illnesses. But, you need to be aware that clinical trials can vary greatly in what they’re designed to do, so be careful to choose one that can actually benefit you. Here’s what you should know, along with some tips for locating one....
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series provided by the Diverse Elders Coalition, focusing on different senior populations. The cost of aging in America is exorbitant, which my siblings and I are finding out firsthand through our struggles over the past three years to take care of our parents. My mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s, spends her remaining days mostly in a hospital bed in hospice care, but mercifully next to my father. Both live in an apartment in a high-end assisted living compound in Fremont, California. It had...
Each month I enjoy sharing with readers the many facets of Medicare. The enrollment periods, coverage under the different parts of Medicare, types of providers available, how to avoid penalties related to late enrollment, and how to pay for Medicare. However, there are certain services and products that Medicare does not cover under Original Medicare; Part A & Part B, which is what is available to most beneficiaries in Alaska. As you budget your health care dollars, it is important to know what...
Many of you may have heard that there is a new vaccine available for the shingles virus that is proving to be more effective than the previous vaccine, Zostavax. The new vaccine is recommended for people age 50 and older. Called Shingrix, the vaccination does require two doses, the second to be administered between two to six months after the first. Medicare requires all Part D (prescription drug coverage) plans to cover both shingles vaccines. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, appears as a...
Drug prices in the United States are too high – nearly everyone agrees. But political consensus stops at how to lower prices and fix the problem. If it were easy, a simple solution would be found. But paying for prescription drugs is a complicated web of prices, incentives, rebates and discounts among the drug companies, insurance companies and the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) who are the middlemen who negotiate with the drug companies on behalf of insurance companies. Think of solving the drug prices mess like a complex jigsaw puzzle. J...
If you receive Social Security and/or Medicare, make sure you inform the Social Security Administration (SSA) when you move. That’s especially important now while the SSA is mailing out new Medicare cards. Even though the Internet is a virtual playground for scam artists, snail mail is still vulnerable to thieves. They’ve been known to file a change of address notice with the local U.S. Post Office, to snag your personal information, checks, and to keep you from finding out that they’ve opened accounts in your name. It’s not as easy as it used...
Dear Savvy Senior: A good friend of mine got a bad case of shingles last year and has been urging me to get vaccinated. Should I? -- Suspicious Susan Dear Susan: Yes! If you’re 50 or older, there’s a new shingles vaccine on the market that’s far superior to the older vaccine, so now is a great time to get inoculated. Here’s what you should know. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a burning, blistering, often excruciating skin rash that affects around 1 million Americans each year. The same virus that causes chickenpox causes shingle...
Editor’s note: This press release was received April 10, 2018. As the federal government undertakes a major initiative to issue new identification cards to the Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska and nationwide, an AARP survey finds that a majority of those enrollees are at risk of being victimized by fraud schemes designed to capitalize on the card replacement program. In response, AARP Alaska is participating in an education campaign to raise awareness among consumers about Medicare Card scams. The year-long national effort to mail new Medicare...
Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) are a great tool for beneficiaries and I highly recommend learning how to read them. They may appear a bit intimidating at the outset, but once you learn how to review them, they can be very helpful in understanding how your medical claims have been processed and how much you may owe after your insurance has paid their part. Additionally, these documents are invaluable in helping beneficiaries catch any errors, abuse or fraud. Let’s walk through the MSN t...
