Health

Focusing on calories alone may not give your brain the nutrients it needs to thrive. What we eat affects how we think and how we feel, and there’s evidence that consuming certain foods may help protect the brain. You can find recipes for these foods at AARP® Staying Sharp®.

Are YOU going to keep what you have had or shop around?  🤔 Take care,Nicole (Medicare Forum)

A glass of wine with dinner or a beer at a sporting event — how do these impact your brain health? Read this article to understand the latest research on moderate drinking and the impact it may have on the brain. Looking for more resources about staying healthy as you age? Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® today.

     After many reliable years with different Fitbit Fitness Trackers, I’m jumping ship.   Since the Google acquisition, Fitbits have become bricked.  Would’ve been a loyal Fitbit user for life, but I’m done.       Countless pairing, re-cyncing, 3-button push resets, changing clock faces, all just to get the Charge 5 to work per their instructions to everyone.  A Quick look at the discussion boards over the years, shows the mounting frustration with the company. Original Tech support jumped ship as they too, were fed up with the acquisition.  Now onto Amazfit.  I would’ve preferred Garmin, but the price point for Amazfit was the lure.  I don’t use trackers for sleep or calorie counts, mainly logging fitness, sporting activities, cardio tracking, steps, etc…Getting ready to set up and test drive this new Amazfit tracker. Anyone have any success with it?  Likes, dislikes? Or other trackers you like?

Many types of memory lapses are pretty normal. But if you’re concerned about memory loss, there are strategies and activities on AARP® Staying Sharp® to help sharpen focus and train your mind to retain information. Learn more about building healthy habits at AARP Staying Sharp.

BaltimoreSun.com- 09/02/2025 - Maryland market threatens to push more Medicare Advantage plans out of the state  So what would you do IF all or a big majority of Medicare Advantage plans disappeared in your state and you had to go on Traditional Medicare but access to a Medigap plan was out of reach financially? I am pretty sure that there will be a solution to this dilemma in Maryland - they have been dealing with it for a very long time but then again, maybe not.  Worth at least thinking about it if it might affect you and your benefits. I mean, beneficiaries would still have Traditional Medicare to go to and there would be a special guaranteed issue (SEP) period for a Medigap plan if one’s Medicare Advantage plan closes up shop in a state.  Course, some of the Medigap plans may be out of reach based on their monthly premiums but others may not be - like the High Deductible Plan G -  I urge ALL beneficiaries to review their [whatever] Medicare

Becker Hospital Review 06/30/2025 - CMS to add prior authorization for traditional Medicare services   This really isn't a big deal but I thought I would keep the beneficiaries here abreast of these new items that are being added for prior approval under Traditional Medicare.  Each is more specific in how it is described here in a simple fashion.  Your doc or specialist should know if any procedure you are having would need this extra step of OK because at present it is more of a test to see the results. from the link ~CMS has unveiled the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction model, a new Innovation Center initiative that will add prior authorization for some traditional fee-for-service Medicare services. Under the model, CMS will partner with companies specializing in AI and machine learning to test ways to provide an improved and expedited prior authorization process for certain Medicare services. Companies hired to manage the

Social connections have an amazing impact on our lives and well-being. Having strong relationships with friends, family and community members can provide emotional support, reduce stress and make us happier. Discover how to build lasting social bonds that will serve you well in the years ahead. Explore AARP® Staying Sharp® for more great information on building healthy habits.

From the NYT... UnitedHealth has threatened journalists, activists and a doctor with lawsuits, often invoking last year’s murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of the company’s health insurance division, to deter negative coverage. We should NOT be condoning Threats!   I am starting to look for another Supplemental Plan... As we have many choices for the exact same coverage and I personally will not pay for companies to act in a threatening manner.   -Bill 

Started getting phone calls yesterday - obvious robo-voice saying "Medicare has just released a new Inflation Relief Package for Texas".   Starts asking for age, etc. I suspect it is a new scam, phishing for information.  Has anyone else gotten these calls ?

 Because of my severe hip arthritis, riding over bumps has been very painful. Usually, I rest my spine against the entire back of the front seat and experience intense discomfort accordingly. But for some inscrutable reason, last week during a long ride to visit some friends, I just happened to inch my back forward, grabbing a door cubbyhole for support with my right hand and holding onto the seat belt strap with my left hand. Miraculously when any bump jostled the car, I felt no pain at all. SInce then, I have utilized my flawless new—found tactic. Nor do I wait for a bump to appear: During the entire trip, I keep my spine forward-- no backsliding allowed. How’s that for a home remedy!I’m sure that my spine now appreciates the relief, as does my wife. She no longer has to suffer my raucous growls and howls, at least in the car.

FROM THE ARTICLE. AARP Endorses Senate Legislation to Stop Medicare Advantage Plans’ Excess Billing.Bill would curb plans’ ability to inflate patient diagnoses, increase government payments. By Tony Pugh, AARP. *** There are 3 comments on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. **? Published July 16, 2025. AARP is backing bipartisan congressional legislation designed to stop Medicare managed-care plans from inflating patient diagnoses to boost their payments from the federal government.This practice from privately run Medicare Advantage plans, called “upcoding,” is expected to increase the cost of care for Medicare Advantage plan enrollees by $40 billion this year, compared with the cost to cover similar patients in original Medicare, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/medicare-advantage-excess-billing/

I went to change from UHC supplement G+ to G as that would save me about $70/mo. Getting actual useful information out of the medical underwriting people is like pulling teeth and then some.  I failed - not because I should have but because of mistakes in my medical record (eg coding errors and in two cases people listing in my visit notes issues I neither saw them for nor have). As a result of that in care everywhere (where EPIC/MyChart parks your diagnoses) I have wrong things (that are causing me to fail - although it took 3 phone calls to finally get a list). And some wrong codes have been listed with billing me. I have corrected all but 2 things on that list and can't figure out how to do those last two. In one case I called the head of billing and she had codes corrected in their system and then re-submitted the bills with the corrected codes.In the other two cases I had one person fix his visit notes but can't get him to report this to billing so they can fix the

I have gone to several different optometrists during the past several years for what I believe are routine eye exams and got new eyeglasses when my prescription changed. I believe those exams were pretty much the same at each place, and included “refraction” to determine my eye glasses prescription, plus they checked my eyes for glaucoma and cataracts, and looked at my optic nerve - none of which I’ve never had any issues, luckily.   These exams each took about 30 minutes each optometrist. Two of these optometrists charged me about $125.00 for the exam, which I paid.  The 3rd optometrist charged $253.00 for the exam, asked me to pay them $45.00 for the refraction portion of that charge (which Medicare does not cover), which I did pay them, and then they billed Medicare for the remaining $208.00 (which Medicare subsequently paid to them). I have looked at the Medicare website, all of the invoicing codes and descriptions for this optometrist’s billing to Medicare

What is AARP's position on Medicare's soon to be enacted pilot program in six states that would require prior approval for certain medical procedures? 

 I have recently been diagnosed with cancer.  Fortunately, I have a Colonial cancer policy to assist my regular health insurance and medicare coverage.  Is there someone with AARP that can assist me in filing my claims?  I am insurance challenged. 

Where is this type of info on the AARP website? I cannot locate any current articles that cover this topic. I would expect there would be an abundance of frequently updated information on AARP regarding mobility aids available on the market. Appreciate any guidance as this can be as challenging as shopping for a car. 🙂 Thanks.

Happy Fitness Friday! Fitness expert Denise Austin will guide you through this low-impact cardio sculpt workout to burn calories and tone muscles, all in your own home!   This video reminded me of the Zumba class. If you liked that one, definitely check this routine out!   With AARP Rewards, you’ll also score points for your workout! Get started today.     Hit reply and let me know what you thought of this workout! 

Is NY moving in the right direction on this important issue - other US states have similar laws but is it enough - IMO, it is not. AP: 06/10/2025 - New York lawmakers approve bill that would allow medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill Too Restrictive - Needs to be more like Canada’s revised law - they learned; why can’t we? NYT Magazine 06/01/2025 - D Do Patients Without a Terminal Illness Have the Right to Die?But I guess this is the way things are done - step by step - inch by inch.  The ultimate Right to Choose.

In reading, listening, and talking to people, I've learned there is so much misinformation about the upcoming Covid vaccine that is causing a lot of people to become paranoid and terribly frightened about getting it!   I thought I would share some of the information I have obtained from doing research on the subject using very reliable sources: 1.  The vaccine does NOT contain a live virus.  The virus that is injected is dead.2.  The vaccine, just like a flu shot, will NOT give you the Covid virus.3.  The vaccine will NOT change your personal DNA, will NOT cause Bell's Palsy, make you impotent, cause a stroke, make you go blind, etc. etc.4.  The vaccine should NOT be given to pregnant women or children under age 18 ONLY because researchers don't know how/if the vaccine would affect pregnant women or children.5.  The Covid vaccine CAN but not necessarily WILL cause the following side effects...     * Pain, redness, or swelling where

I will probably eat my first hot meal in more than a week today. While thinking about that it occurred to me this might make a helpful topic.The reason this could be my first hot meal in a week is that we've been experiencing a heatwave for more than a week and it finally abated overnight. Eating only cold meals is one of my adaptation tactics during heatwaves. I also drink mostly water (make sure I keep at least 2 gallon jugs in the refrigerator) and if I prepare a hot beverage (Like Decaf or Herbal Tea) I let it cool down to room temp. before I drink it.Just thought it might be informative to share heat adaptation strategies and tactics...and maybe pas them on to our kids and grandkids.

I am curious about how much time others are committed to making time for exercise as you age. Do you find it less important, about the same, or more important? As I get older, I have found it more of a necessity to spend more time being active and spending more time outside.

I am looking for  a treadmill that is foldable, quiet, with side handles and wheels, good cushioning, a console, start and stop key, low step-up and possible incline and self- lubricating. There is so much information available that I am lost. Anyone have a recommendation please. I checked CR and couldn't, t find what I needed. Thanks so much!! 

In the April May edition of the AARP magazine the article on the Weight Issue indicates that a 2022 study shows that people over the age of 65 should have different BMIs than younger people. For instance, a healthy BMI for a woman over 65 is 31 to 32. When I went to the aarp.org/BMI website to find my own BMI I was yelled at by the information telling me that I am terribly obese . This information is in direct conflict with the study that you highlighted in the article. So, am I obese or am I a healthy 70-year-old person?

Medicare Program; Implementation ofPrior Authorization for Select Servicesfor the Wasteful and InappropriateServices Reduction (WISeR) Model Has anyone heard about this going into effect? Shouldn't we be concerned? It is going to impact 6 states to start with. This is for standard Medicare. New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas, Arizona and Washington. It will mostly impact procedures that deal with pain mitigation.