Health

 I have had AARP United Healthcare Medicare Advantage for many years and totally satisfied.  About three years ago my doctor of many years moved to another practice which did not accept MyUHC coverage.  I switched to another practice that did accept AARP MyUHC but I have not been completely satisfied.  I have seen numerous adds for AARP Oak Street Health so today I went to the nearest local office in hope of changing to them as my Primary Care Providers.  I was somewhat caught off guard, stunned, that they do not accept AARP MyUHC.  I couldn't understand how, why, two AARP programs would not work together.

I am scrambling to file 2023 taxes and have a question I’d like answered so here ‘tis: are our Medicare premiums (already deducted by gov) tax deductible and what about Part D I have deducted from my checking account and what about Medigap? What exactly does the IRS allow us to deduct?

AARP UHC insurance was easy to enroll in, but I've been locked out of my website access since initial enrollment and UHC's incompetent web IT department won't fix it. I was told a one person problem wasn't a high priority and it could take months to fix! Yet UHC takes my auto-pay with no problem every month. I can't see any information on my account. Horrible company. Stay far away from UHC. 

Does anyone have a Medicare Supplement plan with State Farm? What do you think of it? I have most of my other insurance through them and just learned they provide these policies too. I am looking a Plan G or possible Plan N. Thanks for your help!

The Republican study committee has proposed the following changes to Social Security and Medicare. The proposals would raise the age of claiming social security. They would also convert medicare to a "premium support model". Medicare would compete with private plans and beneficiaries would be given subsidies pegged to the average premium or second lowest price in a particular market. This is in light of medicare becoming insolvent by 2028 and social security in 2033. This information was reported by NBC News yesterday 3/20.

AARP members, aarp.org registered users and Staying Sharp users are eligible to apply for enrollment in research studies led by universities and private research organizations related to health, habits and cognitive aging. You can easily sign up to get notified about future research studies. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® today to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

I have been going to student-psychology therapists for years;I can't GET ANY OTHER TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL  THERAPISTS!!ALL THE PSYCHIATRISTS LEFT MY STATE!!--and other medical people!!ALL THERAPISTS!!WHY?Cause they don't want Medicare!! i could only find this  one "weird" psychiatry company onkline,that I thought was "kooky",but they were legally covered by Medicare.now,i🤕COULD  NOT FIND A THERAPIST OF ANY KIND,FOR YEARs!!AND I only see this person over a laptop computer.AND I  only could get "student psychologists" and student-(lowerclass very low like social workers)--people who barely knew any psychology.WHY iNSURE SOCIAL WORKERS who don't even know psychology of any kind??--because the insurance can't get any other kind of "help,"all the psychology people left the state of Oregon.I finally find a student social worker,and suddenly,"NO SHE'S ONLY A STUDENT!!ONLY LICENSED THERAPISTS OF ANY KIND!!"WELL licensed ONES REFUSE TO TAKE mEDICARE.tHE STUDENTS WERE OK WIT

I am wondering if anyone has run into this problem, or has any knopwledge how Medicare would cover (or not) this scenario. I have a Neurological problem that cased a "Foot Drop" and the Neurologist gave me a referral for Physical. I also suffer from a torn Meniscus in my knee, and my Orthopedic Doctor gave me a referral for PT to help with the pain from that. The PT Office claims that Medicare will not allow me to do PT at the same visit for these 2 problems and that I have to do PT for one problems, and when that's finished, I need to start over for the second problem. This sounds insane to me.  But when I contacted Medicare and asked about their policy, I could not get a straight answer. (WOW... imagine that !) Thanks for your input.

How much does the Renew Active contract pay for health club memberships such as Lifetime Fitness? 

A glass of wine or two at dinner, a beer at the local sporting event — will that affect your health? Read this article to understand the latest research on moderate drinking. Looking for more ways to support brain health? Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® today.

Numerous AARP members with UHC Medicare plans complain about the constant harrasshing and unwelcome phone calls from UHC and yet AARP who is supposed to advocate for seniors allows them to continue...I have asked UHC to put me on a do not call list to no avail....when I tell them on the call to stop the calls they have gotten nasty...is there anywhere that says because I paid for their insurance I am required to speak to them numerous times a week..and when I keep asking them what are you calling me about they don't won't even answer....it's really abusive and needs to be stopped and AARP should be ashamed that they are allowing their heavily endorsed insurance company to take advantage of seniors this way.  UHC is clearly trying to "get" something from us--I think they want us to agree to home visits or something which I assume will be more money in their pocket and I consider all of this almost as bad as the scams that AARP is constantly "warning" us about...it has to stop or I

  You can listen to it or read the transcript -    You have some BIG choices when you become eligible for Medicare and you should understand it before making the decisions.  Some of the decisions may not be reversible - so get knowledgeable.  This is a good article / podcast. KFF. Health News - An Arm and A Leg - THE MEDICARE EPISODE (29 min. to listen)       

For 9 years I had original Medicare with a Supplemental Plan F (BCBS) and separate Part D. Over time the premiums for the Supplemental Plan rose so much that I finally decided to switch to an Advantage Plan. Chose one of the UHC Insurance AARP PPO plans. Worst decision I ever made. Continually had copays for everything from Specialists to Radiology to Outpatient Surgery and higher copays on certain medications. I'm still getting late bills from 11 months ago because my health system and UHC never got billing correct until now. My healthcare concerns became more about expense than quality of care. I also was disgusted by the pressure to use the subsidiary of Optum Rx (United Healthcare owns United Healthcare Insurance and Optum Rx) which they continually spent my healthcare dollars advertising to me by telephone, email and USPS. My copay was so high for one generic (of which there are over 20 options), I switched that script to Mark Cuban's CostPlus  and saved over $100 each t

Does anyone do bodywork. Pressure point!kiniesology!

If you are considering purchasing an Audiologist prescribed Hearing Aid, ask whether it comes with a well written comprehensive Manual. I recently purchase an Opticon Real One Hearing Aid. It is highly regarded for its voice clarity. However the accompanying manual is rudimentary. Like many high end Hearing Aids one can pair it to ones cell phone or stream from a tablet. Pairing, streaming and dealing with lost Bluetooth connections for instance is not covered. The manual will direct you to your Audiologist ! However, the Opticon supprt  will provide instructions when requested by email. I have no idea whether other Hearing Aid manufacturers do a better job, but attention to this problem before purchasing may save you time and frustration. An example of an excellent manual for a related device is the one that comes with Caption Call phones.

I TURNED 65 IN SEPTEMBER 2023 AND "FINALLY" FOUND A "MEDICARE" DOCTOR AS MINE DIDNOT ACCEPT IT. HAD TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY 2024 FOR 1ST APPOINTMENT!  😎  ANYONE ELSE WANT TO SHARE?  🤔 A third face month-long delays for appointments, but most are happy with their overall care. By​ Dena Bunis. Published February 28, 2024. https://www.aarp.org/health/medicare-insurance/info-2024/medicare-doctor-wait-times.html

Is it possible to get AARP to advocate for fair and equitable treatment on behalf of domestic partners with respect to Medicare coverage?

  From this link - good article  KIPLINGER 02/2024 - CAR INSURANCE COST SKYROCKET in 2024  Pay attention - some of the reasons why we are paying a higher price for auto ins.It isn't just about you and your driving;  it involves the other guy too. 1.  The Insurance Research Council found that on average, one in seven drivers, or 14% of motorists, were driving without liability insurance in 2022. The states with the highest percentage of uninsured motorists were the District of Columbia, with 25.2% of motorists uninsured, and New Mexico, with almost a quarter of drivers uninsured. For this reason, Deutschman warns people not to assume that other drivers have coverage, and to instead make sure their own coverage is sufficient.  2. While car insurance becomes increasingly more difficult to afford, beware the perils of underinsurance. Because car insurance rates have surged in 2024, many drivers are dropping coverage, putting both them and i

My wife probably won't retire for another 6+ years.  My medical insurance (Kaiser) is with her company. Do I need to have her employer enroll me in medicare coverage?    I'm planning on retiring in 3 months when I'm 66.6  

We all need to focus on brain health, but it’s important to recognize that gender can play a role in brain function. Women have unique health needs and risks, based on biological and genetic factors. Hormone changes, age and lifestyle can all affect the health of women’s brains. Here are seven steps women can take to help keep their bodies and minds healthy. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® for more information on brain health.

Be Brain Fit has collected 50 brain food recipes, saying "One of the hardest parts of eating healthy for your brain is coming up with new ideas. There are literally million of recipes online if you want to lose weight, shed belly fat, reduce carbs, or go gluten-free. But if you want to eat right for your brain, there are very few recipe sources created specifically with brain health in mind." They've divided the recipes into the following categories: breakfast, soups, main courses, side dishes and desserts. Looking over the recipes, I find that there aren't any ingredients with which we are unaccustomed or unfamiliar. blueberry horseradish grilled salmon This one, the salmon with blueberry horseradish glaze looks good to me. https://www.vitalchoice.com/recipe/grilled-salmon-with-blueberry-horseradish-glaze  I think this might be a great New Year's brunch item.  Browse all 50 recipes here: https://bebrainfit.com/brain-food-reci

Supplement or medigap insurance wort having 

When I looked up about Insurance most post are from 2017-2020. Do AARP not reevaluate insurance for the AARP community?  You would think tjis would be a hot topicp

My Mom,  sister and I (living in the same residence) just signed up for AARP UHC Medicare Supplemental Insurance policies   I understood each of us would be eligible for the household discount towards our premium as long as we are enrolled under the same AARP membership number.  This is not possible since a membership can only have 2 members.  If we were 4 individuals (or any other even number) each membership could get the discount.  I'm confused why an 'odd' member doesn't get the discount.  

The recent identified case of the 2B in Medicare Fraud in 2 years is concerning(See story on the Medicare 'catheter fraud'. If this were a non government company, the upper management would be replaced by now. (But it is only a government program for the elderly, so I guess it is OK that the money is being spent on Fraud instead of on the nations elderly.) The Medicare tax needs to be increased to allow for smarter systems to detect this type of crime. Increasing the tax will also allow for payments to providers to keep up with inflation. Right now, physicians are managing the care of the elderly (whether you are in a managed care plan or not).  Why is AARP not advocating for the elderly in this situation?