Health

Life happens. You get a flat tire, make a mistake at work or get into an argument with a friend. It’s possible to respond to stress in a neutral or even positive way, but avoiding negativity can be a real challenge. So let’s find a way to deal with life’s little defeats. Explore this activity on Staying Sharp and learn how focusing on the upsides of stressful situations can help you. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

We make decisions multiple times a day. But as we get older, everyday reasoning can become a bit challenging. Good problem-solving skills are essential for feeling healthy and remaining independent as you age. The Everyday Reasoning challenge provides you with strategies to solve problems in your daily life. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

Do you have a number in mind? Do you want to live to be 80, 90 or 100? How about 115 or 120?Do you think it matters what your expectations are? I do. I think if you expect to live a long healthy life, your chances of doing so are greater.

We all have bad habits, but some of them can really take a toll on our mental abilities. Learn about nine habits to avoid, from smoking to sitting too much, in this article, and discover how simple lifestyle changes may impact your mental well-being. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

It might do each and all of us a world of good to laugh this hard at least once a day. Tim Conway on The Carol Burnett Show 

  Patient portals are healthcare-related online applications that allow patients to interact and communicate with their healthcare providers, such as physicians and hospitals.  Your whole health history is there - from you filling out a questionnaire on your family to other things like conditions and surgeries one has had in the past, pregnancies if a female, anything else   ALL the results of any test like CT Scans, MRI, lab work.Your medication list is there.  Name, dose, frequencyany allergiesvaccination and immunization recordresults of last preventive test of whatever kindyour docs and specialist are thereyou can make and cancel appointment you can view your claims and their statushave your insurance plans listed in priorityyou can get a price quote on some procedureAND much more This is what Medicare has paid money to health providers to establish - the Electronic Health Records (EHR)  It is all secure and under several layers of sign

   I’m pushing 70.  I have most of my hair but the gray is slowly creeping up the sides.  I am retired, but I could go back to work if I wanted to.  I rarely get sick or take medication.  I wouldn’t want to be a soldier in the military or run cross country, like I did in high school, but I’m fit to do most anything else.  No memory problems.  I’m not angry.  My politics and religion haven’t changed.  In short, I am what I’ve always been.  So why do people insist on calling me “elderly” or “retired” or “senior”?  Why do they automatically give me senior discounts or hold the door for me?  

How Many Steps per Day Are Enough?What should you set as your pedometer goal?    By Wendy Bumgardner | Reviewed by a board-certified physicianUpdated June 20, 2017Is 10,000 steps per day the right number to set as the daily target on your pedometer? You may wonder where that number came from and whether it is a good goal for most people. Does it really indicate that you are getting enough exercise for fitness, enough to reduce health risks and support weight loss?Why Is 10,000 Steps the Magic Number?A goal of 10,000 steps per day was created as a promotion by a pedometer company in Japan in the 1960s and it became popular as it was adopted by walking clubs.It wasn't based on research. It just sounded good.Once the goal of 10,000 steps per day was established, researchers played catch-up and found it was a good indicator you were getting somewhere near the recommended amount of physical activity during that day to reduce health risks. Now many activity monitors and pedome

Recent research is challenging many long-held assumptions about the older brain. And it’s a myth that you have no control over many age-related brain issues. In fact, doing nothing and just chalking them up to getting older may accelerate some of these changes. Check out these six common brain myths as well as facts about what happens to the brain as we age. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

On 04.26.2024, HHS issued a whole lot of new rules on health care coverage -HHS.gov-HHS Issues New Rule to Strengthen Nondiscrimination Protections and Advance Civil Rights in Health CareThis is just one small part of it -For the first time, the Department will consider Medicare Part B payments as a form of Federal financial assistance for purposes of triggering civil rights laws enforced by the Department, ensuring that health care providers and suppliers receiving Part B funds are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex and disability.By just reading this very short statement, I am sure everybody would say, That’s great - but then when you get down to reading all the fine print which one only finds in reading the whole rule in the Federal Registry do you understand that there is gonna be a lot of cost to this for Medicare Beneficiaries to absorb in their Part B premiums and by proxy, into their Medigap premiums if one has chosen this way

 If you have Original Medicare, your doctor should let you know if you are - An Accountable Care Organization (ACO) is a group of doctors, hospitals, and/or other health care providers who work together to improve the quality and experience of care you get. Medicare.gov- Accountable Care OrganizationYou could be in one of these through Original Medicare if your doctor belongs to one.You could be in one of these if your Medicare Advantage plan with your doctor has placed you within one.CMS.gov - Accountable Care and Accountable Care Organizations YouTube Video from CMS.gov on ACO (Accountable Care Orgaizartions)  

Looking for a way to estimate the total annual dollar exposure I will have arising from Medicare's 20% Part B Coinsurance.

Does anyone know if Eyemed is really available if you have the UHC plan G supplement? It’s listed as a benefit for AARP UHC supplement G, with $50 eye exams. My eye doctor is listed as a provider but they do not seem to recognize me as in the program. Neither does LensCrafters or another eye doctor near me (I’m in NH, near the MA border) who is listed as being an Eyemed provider. They’ve asked me for a group number which I don’t have. The UHC AARP Medicare Supplement website says I’ve got coverage but that’s it. Call the number listed and my doctors are in the plan. Call various doctors and they say they don’t see me as having insurance/where is your group number. I’ve called the UHC customer service line and no one calls me back (wait times 30 minutes plus.)

FROM THE ARTICLE - SEE ARTICLE FOR MORE! What You Need to Know About FLiRT, the Latest COVID Variants. Experts caution not to let down your guard just because winter is behind us. By Rachel Nania, AARP. Published May 09, 2024. With national levels of respiratory illness declining and warmer weather on the horizon, COVID-19 may no longer be top of mind. But don’t let it slip too far, health experts warn. “COVID is down, but it has not gone away. I would say it’s continuing to smolder out there,” says infectious disease expert William Schaffner, M.D., a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. *** USE LINK AT BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO READ THIS ARTICLE *** [1] Then enter Email Address you used to sign in to use This Site.   [2] Then enter the password you use.   [3] Lastly, there are 3 LETTERS that will "pop up" as their SECURITY CHECK. Enter those.   [4] Then click log in. htt

   Investopedia:  PERSONALFINANCE - INSURANCE. Statutory Reserves: Definition and Examples I know as seniors who i have been around for a very long time, we feel we should know it all - but since I retired, many moons ago, I have found that there is still much more to learn.  And it help to know about the things that really affect us.  

  AARP.org 10/11/2023 - 10 Things You Need To Know About Choosing A Medigap Plan Some of the 10 from the link ~  7. Some States Set Their Own Enrollment Rules Connecticut and New York let Medicare beneficiaries buy a Medigap plan at any time without being denied. Other states (including California, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, Oregon and Washington) let you switch plans at designated times. Premiums will be higher for states that are more liberal with their Enrollment rules - You pay for the added risk. 8. Different plans have very different prices For example, a 65-year-old nonsmoking man in Fort Myers, Florida, could pay $64 a month for a Plan K policy or $263 for Plan D. A 65-year-old nonsmoking woman in Wichita, Kansas, might pay $32 a month for a high-deductible Plan G policy versus $455 for a regular Plan G. And by picking up more of the risk - you get a lower premium as the high-deductible plans show. &

   Investopedia 12/04/2023- Medicare Supplement Insurance Costs  A really interesting and informative article - this chart is just a small part of it.Medicare Supplement Cost Comparison Chart The following price ranges are for a 65-year-old male nonsmoker living in Florida ZIP code 33012.  Medigap Plan Type  Medigap Cost Range (monthly) Medicare Supplement Plan A$166 - $345Medicare Supplement Plan B $218 - $327 Medicare Supplement Plan C$294 - $364 Medicare Supplement Plan D $290 - $339 Medicare Supplement Plan F$254 - $461 Medicare Supplement High-Deductible Plan F $64 - $156 Medicare Supplement Plan G $237 - $409Medicare Supplement High-Deductible Plan G $64 - $144 Medicare Supplement Plan K $82 - $162Medicare Supplement Plan L $182 - $212 Medicare Supplement Plan M $268 - $268 Medicare Supplement Plan N $191 - $312  High-Deductible Plan F and High-De

If we raised the enrollment age of Medicare to correspond to the Full Retirement Age of Medicare - (almost 67) - then it would be so much easier for people to understand the process and timely complete their enrollment. It was like this before - I think it should go back to that way again. There would be far fewer late enrollment penalties assessed for Part B particularly. There are other + reasons too like saving cost to the (Part A) program while adding contributions. Your opinion?   

Ready to restore balance to your life's rhythm? Explore a wealth of resources to calm your mind, invigorate your body and nurture your spirit in the Find Your Calm content, with expert tips on cultivating balance through meditation, yoga and nature walks. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

    Get ready for your Part D premiums to escalate -   KFF.org - 04/24/2024 - A New Use Opens the Door for Medicare Coverage for MILLIONS from the link ~ lots more at the link tooThe FDA recently approved a new use for Wegovy (semaglutide), the blockbuster anti-obesity drug, to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese. Wegovy belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) agonists that were initially approved to treat type 2 diabetes but are also highly effective anti-obesity drugs. The new FDA-approved indication for Wegovy paves the way for Medicare coverage of this drug and broader coverage by other insurers. Medicare is currently prohibited by law from covering Wegovy and other medications when used specifically for obesity. However, semaglutide is covered by Medicare as a treatment for diabetes, branded as Ozempic.

I'm trying to sort out how to receive unscheduled medical care while travelling. My current primary care provider in the Northern Virginia area will not provide telehealth services unless you are physically in the state at the time of the call.  So if you're on Medicare and just need a consultation and maybe a prescription to treat a minor illness, are there any other options other than visiting a local urgent care facility?

   I cannot find mobile home insurance asap & don't recommend Hartford please.  

I am still attempting to get my wife added as a dependent on my Delta Dental policy.  This started in November of last year - it is now May 1. In November of 2023, I contacted the Delta Dental customer advocate about adding my wife as a dependent.  They required an affidavit from the former company that we were cancelling the former policy and a cover letter with all pertinent information - and also required that the documents be SNAIL-MAILED to a processing address.  I did all of this. All that they did was change the name on the policy to hers.  With my birthdate.  This caused the premium notices to carry her name, so I thought that the request had been completed. This January, when I discovered the mistake, I began a conversation with another Delta Customer Advocate named Ladoris Walker.  She was very nice and it sounded like the situation was well in hand.  It turns out, though, that all she could do was issue requests to Delta.&nbs

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and challenging your brain may reduce some of the changes to attention and memory that can occur as you age. Start incorporating daily brisk walks into your routine, and read this article to explore five other habits that may benefit brain health. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more tips on healthy living.

Sort of new to medigap/supplemental plan and was surprised to receive letter June 2023 that my 2023 plan G is hiking up my premium by $10.85 starting in Aug 2023 and then another hike of $7.19 for 2024 till July 2024.  Is this normal?  Does UHC do rate hikes mid-year?  That is like 6% for rest of 2023 and a bit over 4% for 2024.