Posted by Rosie on January 7, 2011
There is a super FAMILY MOVIE on Fox this Saturday, January 8, 2011t (8 PM, 7 Central), as part of Walmart and P&G’s Family Movie Night series.
Change of Plans tells the story of a young couple, Sally and Jason, whose lives are turned upside down when Sally’s best friend from college is killed in a tragic accident. Sally and Jason are forced to make some life-altering decisions when they discover that she has been named legal guardian to her friend’s four children, three of whom were adopted from third world countries. Change of Plans stars Brooke White (American Idol) and Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show) and according to the official website, portrays how “fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others.” What a great discussion starter for you to engage your grandchildren around issues that are truly important.
Posted by Rosie on December 27, 2010
Beverly Mahone and Boomer Diva Nation has done it again! They are constantly bringing attention to the powerful, prolific and profound impact that baby boomers make in the social media world.
Take a few minutes to read the special press release about on the Top Bloggers named by the Boomer Diva Nation!
I am very proud to be on the list. It is a wonderful honor. It also motivates me to keep blogging.
PS Please visit and post a comment on each of the blogs. Here is the link again to the top bloggers named by Boomer Diva Nation
Posted by Rosie on December 14, 2010
Enjoy and consider following some of the sage advice during the Medicare open enrollment.
By Guest Blogger, Ross Blair From Plan Subscriber
1. Missing the Fine print: not reading the fine print in your annual plan Notice of Change about which benefits have changed and which have remained for your plan.
2. Going on Auto-pilot: not doing anything and simply auto-enrolling in the same plan. Many plans change cost and drug coverage annually. What worked last year for you may not work with the same plan this year and could cost you money in terms of higher prescription drug costs and other out-of-pocket expenses. Changes in medication usage can also change what plan offers you the best economic value.
3. Stable premiums = stable coverage: just because your Medicare Advantage or Part D premium hasn’t gone up doesn’t mean that you are getting the same plan for the same price next year. Deductibles, co-pays, and prescription drug coverage are just a few of the benefits that may have changed. Research and find out what the total out-of-pocket cost will be for this plan.
4. Not asking for help: not asking for help from qualified professionals in understanding and selecting a plan or using tools to evaluate prescriptions. You can get help through your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), PlanPrescriber, licensed health insurance agents who are certified to sell Medicare, family members or by calling 1-800-Medicare.
5. Not getting a second opinion: by not shopping around and seeing what other plans are out there, you may be costing yourself more money in 2011. This is an important decision, so take the time you need to make the right choice and understand all of the options available in your area.
6. Extended care: don’t assume nursing home care is a covered benefit; it is not. Medicare does not provide coverage for custodial care, assisted living facilities or long term care. However, skilled nursing facilities may be covered following a related hospital stay.
7. My drugs are covered: don’t assume your doctor knows what is in your network or what prescriptions are in your formulary. You can enter your current medications on a website like www.PlanPrescriber.com to see which drugs are covered on your current plan and compare the projected costs with other plans available in your area. You can print out this comparison and take it with you to see the doctor. Make sure your doctor knows your in-network labs, physical therapists, or durable medical providers.
8. Medigap has me covered: don’t assume Medigap plans will pay claims that Medicare won’t. Medicare only pays for medically necessary claims. If Medicare doesn’t pay either because the service rendered is not ‘medically necessary” or a Medicare covered benefit, neither will the Medigap plan.
9. I’ll qualify: don’t assume you will automatically be accepted in a Medigap plan outside of Open Enrollment or Guaranteed issue qualifying events. Medical underwriting does occur.
10. I’m covered world-wide: don’t assume Medicare covers you when traveling outside of the United States. Medicare will not pay any medical claims outside the US and its territories. However, certain MediGap plans might extend emergency coverage outside of the U.S.
Source: PlanPrescriber, Inc. ( www.planprescriber.com )
Posted by Rosie on November 14, 2010
For 2011, Medicare beneficiaries are seeing some of the biggest changes to the program in years, including:
* amendments to Medicare Advantage plans,
* new supplemental policies, and
* benefit changes in drug coverage.
Medicare open enrollment begins on Nov. 15, 2010. I am providing a post guest blogger by Ross Blair from PlanPrescriber.
Five “Must Do” actions for current Medicare enrollees, newly-eligible Baby Boomers and people who help older beneficiaries choose plans.
1. Pay Attention to the Drug Limitations in Your Plan: Medicare plans offering prescription drug coverage may place limits on how an individual medication is covered. Because these limits are typically set for individual medications, it’s vital not to assume that your drug is covered. Some drugs may only be covered with prior authorization from the health plan representative, step therapy (requiring that your physician must try other less expensive alternative meds first), or in certain doses and quantities (i.e. while 10 milligrams of Lipitor per month is covered, your 100 milligram prescription is not). For more information about drug limitations you can visit a site like PlanPrescriber.
2. Get to know the “Donut Hole”: Affecting over 3 million Medicare beneficiaries each year, the “Donut Hole” occurs when enrollees reach $2,830 in drug costs and must pay 100 percent of their medication costs until their out-of-pocket Rx expenses hit $4,550. These guidelines are for 2010; with health reform, this coverage gap will begin to close every year until it is closed entirely by 2020. Some good news for this year, though: in 2010, under reform, if you reach the Donut Hole, you will receive a one-time $250 rebate check if you are not already receiving Medicare Extra Help. These checks began being mailed to beneficiaries in mid-June 2010.
To help you with the Donut Hole:
· Consider plans offering gap coverage.
· See if your medications have generic alternatives.
· Use mail-order for discounted medications.
· Check out new changes to the donut hole in 2011 at Medicare in their publication “Closing the Prescription Drug Coverage Gap”
· Use helpful online tools like the ones available at PlanPrescriber also more discussion on the donut hole issue.
3. Check the Formulary Changes to Your Prescription Drug Plan to Ensure Your Medications Are Still Covered: It is very important to check your Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan each year because insurers may change what medications are covered and which drugs are not. When enrolling in a Part D plan for the first time, check to make sure the policy covers your medications. In addition, current enrollees should review the new Part D plans because many are available with lower cost sharing, premiums and/or deductibles. Use a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan comparison tool like the one available at PlanPrescriber.com to compare premiums, deductibles, drug coverage, and estimated annual costs. You may be able save hundreds of dollars by switching your drug coverage.
4. Consider whether you will require a Medicare Supplement, or Medigap, Plan in early 2011 to balance out your needs. Medigap has its own open enrollment period, beginning the day you turn 65 and lasting six months. Prior to enrollment, decide how much coverage you need and understand how the premium is calculated. To help you, here are a couple tips:
* Evaluate your current health status and your potential health needs in the future, especially if budget is a concern. If you are looking for a more comprehensive plan with lower co-pays and lower coinsurance, it may be more expensive. A plan with basic benefits may give you the coverage and the peace of mind that you need at a lower premium.
* Each insurer decides how to set the premium for its Medigap policies by community rating, issue-age rating or age-attained rating. How the premium is set will affect how much you pay now and in the future.
5. Don’t Get Caught Paying a Medicare Enrollment Period Penalty – It is important to note when you must sign up for Medicare Parts A, B, and D. In some cases, if you do not sign up within the proper time period, you may have to pay a penalty. To avoid paying penalties, take the following steps:
· For Medicare Part A (Hospital), contact Social Security three months before you turn 65, and if you need to sign up for Part A, do so when you first become eligible during the Initial Enrollment Period.
· For Medicare Part B (Medical), don’t forget to sign up during the Initial Enrollment Period.
· For Medicare Part D (Drug), join a Medicare Part D plan when you first become eligible, and do not go more than 63 days in a row without a Medicare drug plan or other creditable coverage.
Hope this is helpful. Please share your thoughts and questions
Posted by Rosie on October 25, 2010
No one was available the day that Suzy needed someone to go with her dad to the doctor. She decided to take the day off from her job and take him. The receptionist could see the strained look on her face. Suzy knew that she would need to go into the doctors office with her dad but had forgotten her note pad.
She approached the receptionist and asked for a piece of paper and pen. The receptionist smiled and pulled out a very decorative pad and pen with the doctor’s name on it. “Here use this, the doctor wants all the caregivers to have something to record their questions and answers.”
The smile, notepad and pen made this facility CAREGIVER FRIENDLY!
Do you have some suggestions for making a facility or person CAREGIVER FRIENDLY?
Posted by Rosie on October 18, 2010
I just read an insightful post that looked at the impact of anesthesia and antibiotics plus other factors on Alzheimers. I just took my mom for a procedure but never asked about the type of anesthesia and which one had a worst effect on dementia.
This post looks at several things that can help or hurt Alzhemers. I was very excited that online searches can really keep us sharp. So, back to my ebay research for better brain health.
Here is the very good post on alzhemers and how anesthesia, antibiotics and other factors impact the disease.
Posted by Rosie on October 14, 2010
Ray and I have several reasons for deciding to delay or plain just not retire! Many of those reasons are captured in a blog post I just read.
What about you? Are you delaying retirement? If yes, why?
Posted by Rosie on October 12, 2010
1 Make eye contact with both the caregiver and the person getting care when discussing medical alternatives, instructions or concerns.
So often the caregiver providing the information for a loved one is the only one who receives eye contact from the health professional. Now, it is natural to speak to the person speaking. But a quick connection with the person who is being talked about will involve that person no matter what the level of retention might be.
How does this help the caregiver?
Well, it makes the caregiver feel that they are not the only one involved in the decision making. Note that I said “feel” because it many cases they are the only ones who are making decisions. However, it also feels good to know that the health professional has not, in haste, left your loved one out of the discussion.
Take the case of Sally O who sat in a consultation with a doctor with her mom who was 89 years young with dementia. She listened as the doctor and his young attendee explained the effects of the new drug they wanted to use on her mom’s condition. She knew she would have to repeat every thing that was shared in a user friendly way later at dinner.
But Sally wanted the doctor to just look at her with some sort of assurance, some sort of hope. Then she would probably feel less alone in the process of dealing with her mom’s condition. Her eyes looked to the doctor and shifted towards her mom to give her a clue to look at her. But the doctor just asked her to explain it to her again later.
But the young attendee saw her body language que and took her hand and said “I hope you feel better.”
Sally only wished that the young attendee was ready to open her own practice.
What tips do you have?
Posted by Rosie on October 7, 2010
For me being Caregiver Friendly, range from complex to completely simple. Many, many are preforming tireless acts, intervening with time and life saving steps plus more. Some are acts of volunteers and others are the hand holding and kind smile from a health professional to a caregiver.
I pondered over how good it would be to focus on this area after a recent visit to a doctor. My mom had to have an iron infusion. A wonderful nurse, named Veronica, said, “Sometimes, when we have a vacant recliner we make our caregivers lie down and take a nap”. She must have seen the fatique in my eyes and directed me to an empty recliner with a blanket. I hope I never forget that day. That room in that hospital was “Caregiver Friendly’.
Sure, I have lots of ideas just from those things I have observed while in the emergency room, doctor offices or even the grocery store. I have listened and chatted with many caregivers. Everyone has stories of pain and joy. The joy may be there in the midst of the pain. Yet, some have joy. A kind word spoken to them by a health care worker or fellow caregiver goes a long way to healing the drama associated with caregiving.
In the midst of the business of taking care of the needs of your loved one many health professionals are hard pressed to accomodate the caregiver. There are so many people to help and sometimes so few staff to preform do things that can make a facility Caregiver Friendly. But we must try.
I want everyone reading this article to help make it go viral. Please, share what you, an organization or office is doing. Please share your ideas and suggestions as a comment . Place a number next to the idea, suggestion or comment. I really am tallying all of them up. I really do want to reach 999 tips, ideas and best practices.
Thank you for caring.
Posted by Rosie on September 23, 2010
AARP is sponsoring what looks like an awesome event in Orlando for caregivers. The event is called Celebration of Caregiving and promises to provide resources and support for caregivers. But if you cannot be there in person, (because you are caregiving ) then they had the insight to set up a streaming option. How cool!
We need all the help we can get, don’t you agree?
