Sorted by date Results 404 - 428 of 504
A currently airing commercial proclaims that if you have Medicare Part A & B, you are eligible for Vision, Dental, and Prescription Drug plans because of Medicare Healthcare Reform. This commercial gives a 1-800-number that when called tries to sell you a Life Alert type monitoring system or they may be collecting information to sell to Medicare Supplement Brokers or Medicare Advantage Plan Brokers. Be on the lookout and share this information with your friends, neighbors, and relatives. The more people who are warned, the better the chances...
What retirement ‘security’? The United States ranked 19th in a recent international assessment of retirement security worldwide. This places the U.S. just behind France and just ahead of Slovenia in the rankings, while Switzerland, Norway and Australia took the top three positions. Nations were ranked in four categories: finances in retirement, health, quality of life and well-being. The United States’ comparatively low level of retirement benefits, in addition to a lack of workplace retir...
For the second time in three years, the U.S. Supreme Court could determine the fate of the president’s health care law with a case coming up for oral arguments in March. While a limited number of seniors are covered under the health care law, a Court decision could have a big impact financially on your health care costs if the High Court rules the law unconstitutional. With President Obama controlling the veto pen over Congress, lawmakers and the White House will continue their health care legislative standoff. Two years ago, the Supreme Court...
Julius Caesar was told to beware of the “ides of March” and that used to be a warning to us, too, to get our taxes done by the 15th. But the great IRS decided to give us another month, and so we can now relax until the 15th of April. Most seniors, if their income is only from Social Security, will not have to file for taxes anyway. Since this is the 50th anniversary year for the Medicare program, I am reiterating the following information for people who are new to Medicare and/or for the peo...
While we know diabetes can lead to complications and terrible health conditions, we also know diabetes can be managed and quality of life improved. Getting control of diabetes involves the whole person. Though managing your diabetes may feel overwhelming, the key is to work on two or three actions that lead to positive change. A combination of education and support can set you up for success. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sponsors a program called “Everyone with Diabetes Counts.” This program helps families and people wit...
For veterans, seeing temporary politicians take a knife to the military budget is nothing new. For some elected officials, low hanging fruit like retirement pay and TRICARE health care insurance is an easy choice since it directly affects so few voters. For those of us who began their military career with a “Greeting from Uncle Sam” letter from the draft board, we assumed we had a contract with the federal government. That contract was that if we spend 20 years in the military, we would be rew...
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, from 6 to 7 p.m. The event will take place in Anchorage but people who sign up can call to listen and ask questions from anywhere in the state, via an 800 number 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 finan...
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, from 6 to 7 p.m. 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 benef...
Happy Shortest Month of the Newest Year! To those of you who bought the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan, I am sorry to tell you that there was incorrect information about pharmacies who participated in Aetna’s 2015 Part D website during the open enrollment period. Community pharmacists and beneficiary advocates say that the situation is problematic but the National Community Pharmacists Association called the situation a “bait and switch” on beneficiaries. Centers for Medicare and Medic...
Social Security announces as a result of Congress’ approval of the fiscal year 2015 budget, the agency will expand its hours nationwide and offices – including Alaska’s three offices – will be open to the public for an additional hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, effective March 16, 2015. A field office that is usually open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will remain open until 4 p.m. Offices will continue to close to the public at noon every Wednesday so employees have time to complete current work and reduce backlogs. In recent years,...
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...
