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Medicare is like a government octopus, with its tentacles stretching into almost every aspect of senior life. With its policies affecting 50 million beneficiaries, this agency has a lot going on simultaneously. Sometimes, policies it puts in place get lost in the shuffle, as it has with its obesity program (see below). Other times, people figure out how to game the system, resulting in huge fraud and abuse. So as often happens at year end, the agency, formally known as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), has been issuing...
Older Persons Action Group, Inc. and the Social Security Administration are teaming up to present an educational forum, “Social Security: Everything You Always Wanted to Ask,” on March 10. The event will take place in Anchorage and be teleconferenced statewide. Robin Schmidt, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for the State of Alaska (and frequent Senior Voice contributor) will address what Social Security can mean to you and your family’s financial future. She will discuss the basics of Social Security retirement benefits: • When am...
If affording your prescriptions is a challenge, please don’t turn to ‘cost-cutting’ measures like going without, or maybe taking one pill a day instead of two, or splitting your pills and only taking half your prescribed dose. These can end up costing you far more than they save you. There are almost always ways to make your prescriptions affordable. First, tell your pharmacist you need something cheaper. Sometimes you can take a less expensive medicine instead. For example, the New York Times...
Social Security COLA increase Happy New Year and I hope it is a healthy one. If you are on Social Security, you will notice that you received a whopping 1.7 percent increase in your benefit. Please spend it wisely as you probably will not get any more “good” Social Security news for the next two years. Replacing lost or stolen credit cards and documents I have a sad story to tell and I hope that you all learn a lesson from my misfortune. All of my identification cards were either lost or sto...
My friends, I always regret it when I have to report not so good news to you. The Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans for 2015 are the unpalatable ones that I always knew they would be since the program started – there are no good policies that I can suggest to my clients. The lowest premium (Humana Walmart) is $15.60, but it comes with a whopping $320 deductible. In fact, most of the plans have a deductible of $320. Why do you think that is? Is this collusion? And why is there still a ...
Last summer’s viral “ice bucket challenge” focused attention and helped raise money for ALS – amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – a disease that impairs motor function so people often can’t talk or even move. But while public attention focused people on the disease, Medicare changes already in the works could now seriously curtail coverage of communication tools that ALS patients need. Unless it is delayed, beginning Dec. 1, people with ALS could lose access to technological advances that allow them to better communicate, as a result of what Med...
Monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for nearly 64 million Americans will increase 1.7 percent in 2015, the Social Security Administration has announced. The 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits that more than 58 million Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2015. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 31, 2014. The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index as determined by the...
Here's something new from Social Security, which has just launched "my Social Security account," a personalized online account people can establish at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount, beginning in their working years and continuing throughout the time they receive Social Security benefits. With a "my Social Security account," people can access their online Social Security statement, which provides workers age 18 and over their complete earnings history and estimates for future retirement, disab...
"People laugh at me," says Maria James, chairperson of the Senior Veterans Group at the Anchorage Senior Activity Center (ASAC). "I seem able to spot a veteran – often a cap with pins and medals is a clue – and I chase after them." Maria is in hot pursuit because of her compulsion to let them know of their benefits as a veteran, and to encourage them to get to know other veterans at the center. "So many veterans are not aware of the benefits available to them," she says. Known for net...
Alaska Regional Hospital will acquire the Alaska Medicare Clinic on Nov. 1, 2014. The clinic will be known as the “Alaska Regional Senior Health Clinic.” Located in South Anchorage, it is a primary care physician office providing outpatient medical care to Medicare beneficiaries. It opened in 2011 and has received substantial support from the State of Alaska for the past three years. Julie Taylor, CEO of Alaska Regional Hospital, says that acquiring the clinic is a way for the hospital to assist a population that’s already embedded in the h...
The Medicare 2015 Annual enrollment period is October 15 through December 7, 2014. This is the time when anyone who has Medicare can enroll in Prescription Drug coverage, also known as Medicare Part D. This link has a chart with information about the prescription drug plans on offer this year: http://dhss.alaska.gov/dsds/Documents/Medicare/MedicarePartD-PlansChart2015.pdf Some facts about these plans: The plan that has the lowest monthly premium is $15.60. The most expensive plan is $135.20. You will want to enroll in the plan that is best for...
Senior Benefits and heating assistance If you are 65 years old or older, you might be eligible for the Senior Benefits program, depending on your income. You should call 1-888-352-4150 and ask for an application. Monthly benefits are, depending on income, $125 or $175 or $250 – and assets do not count. It is also time to apply for the heating assistance program. If you do not have an application, you can get one at our office or by calling statewide, 1-800-470-3058. Applications will be a...
The Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare is October 15 through December 7, 2014. This is the ideal time to evaluate your Medicare Prescription Drug plan costs and coverage*. You can switch into a different plan that may work better for you in 2015 during this timeframe. The Alaska Medicare Information Office is ready, willing and able to assist Medicare beneficiaries with this confusing process. If you or someone you know needs our help, please gather up your red, white and blue MEDICARE card and be prepared to provide us with the names and...
Sovaldi, a new drug, which has been hailed as a breakthrough treatment for the 3.2 million Americans infected with hepatitis C, costs $1,000 a pill. While it is highly effective and has fewer side effects and takes less time than older therapies, it costs $84,000 for a typical patient. But lawmakers want to know why the U.S. price is much higher than in other countries, as well as previously estimated in the U.S. In a letter sent recently, two U.S. senators, Finance Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., asked Gilead...
I hope you said happy birthday to Social Security, which had its 79th birthday on Aug. 14. In a 1938 article, the director of the Bureau of Old-Age Insurance described the challenges faced by the Social Security program in registering workers and posting wages to get the program started. On the heels of the 49th anniversary of the signing of Medicare and Medicaid into law, CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) projected that the average premium for basic Part D Medicare Prescription...
Medicare provides vital health insurance for 50 million seniors and people with disabilities. But even when you have Medicare, health care is not free. People with Medicare pay premiums and have other costs that they pay out of pocket, like deductibles and co-insurance. For lower-income people, these costs can be overwhelming. There are several programs that help low-income people with Medicare pay their health care costs – but many Medicare beneficiaries don’t know about these programs. Let’s see if we can shed some light on them. Why might...
Bipartisanship has surfaced, at least briefly, on Capitol Hill. More than 130 lawmakers, from both parties, are urging the Obama Administration to expand coverage for a lung-cancer test under Medicare – screening they see as vital for vulnerable seniors. But the decision could cost Medicare billions of dollars. In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the lawmakers called for a timely decision on coverage for low-dose CT scans for older patients at higher risk of d...
To my wonderful readers, I must inform you that I may have to reboot my computer for nearly the last time, as I tell you about the inadvertent errors I made in my last column. It must have been a looong senior moment because I mistakenly used last year’s Medicare Deductible for Part B (hospitalization) which was $1,184 for 2013, and is now, $1,216 for 2014, and will probably change again in 2015, as it usually does every year. Also you can use the Medicare Easy Pay option, by getting form SF-551...
The Medicare Information Office is pleased to announce that the first volunteer has completed the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Foundations Training and the Group Presentation Training. Ms. Sharon White-Wheeler has recently completed both preparatory trainings. This puts the SMP on track to begin offering the Medicare Minutes program starting this fall. The Medicare Minutes program is intended to help the Senior Medicare Patrol reach people under the age of 65 with Medicare with good information...
If you are new to Medicare, you need to know that Medicare almost always only pays 80 percent of the cost of most medical procedures. In order to be completely covered, you should buy a Medicare supplemental policy, also known as Medigap. These generally cost $100 to $150 per month, but they are very necessary. There are about 10 different plans and they vary from state to state. In my experience, the most popular plan for most people in Alaska is plan F. This plan offers payment for the...
Seniors are often the target of fraud aimed at obtaining money or personal information from them which will make it possible to obtain money using the identifying information. About one-third of the victims of identity theft are over the age of 50, according Michelle Tabler, Alaska Regional Manager of the Better Business Bureau. Tabler says the individuals in this age range are a popular target because many will be too embarrassed to talk about money which they have lost to a trick. In addition, she notes that some people may be easier to take...
Seniors must be diligent and not give out Social Security numbers or credit card information to telephone or email inquiries. Here are some of the latest scams. Medicine/service scam Scammers are looking to steal Medicare numbers and financial information from unsuspecting consumers. The victim receives an unsolicited telephone call or email offering free diabetes testing or other medical supplies. The scammer then asks for the victim’s Medicare number and address. Once the scammers have the Medicare number they can steal the victim’s ide...
Dying patients may find it more difficult to get certain medications under new rules Medicare has recently put in place. Meanwhile, another set of rules could make it easier for seniors to get Medicare to pay for home health care services. Medicare has recently issued different sets of rules for payments involving hospice care and home health care services, as a result of a lawsuit settlement. But both of the rules changes are complicated and confusing and seniors may need some help in working their way through the changes. In an effort to crac...
Many newly arrived residents in the Juneau Pioneer Home are anxious about losing health, control and freedom. Some are aggressive due to dementia, or frail, with limited memory or mobility. Regardless, they soon learn they've gained new friends who treat them with love and respect: Certified Nursing Assistants Vhie Hermano, Nelda Reynolds, Maria De Guzman, Freddie Abad, Arsenia Sales, and Mary Ellen Yadao. The Alaska Pioneer Homes' mission is to create high quality of life for older Alaskans by...
Affordable Care Act and insurance plans For those of you not in Medicare and have not yet enrolled in one of the Affordable Care Act insurance plans, you will not be able to do so until the next open enrollment, which will take place between Nov. 15, 2014 and Feb. 15, 2015. However, you can still apply for coverage through the exchanges before the next enrollment period, if you have a major change in your life. Qualifying changes include getting married, having or adopting a child, losing...
