Health

Any body know much about this condition?  Doctors haven't been any help, Facebook vendors promote a product, Im not convinced is any good.   I Would appreciate any discussion with anyone who has had actual experience with this condition and found real solutions? Thanks.  🙂Spoiler (Highlight to read)  

Mike Wood, founder of the preschool educational digital toy company called LeapFrog, died at 72 years old yesterday.   He died by physician-assisted suicide following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in Switzerland where this method of demise is legal.  His family was by his side. Wood’s brother told the New York Times that Wood made the decision to end his life due to his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease. Wood wanted to do so “before the disease progressed too far,” the outlet reported. LIVE5News 04/28/2025 - LeapFrog founder Mike Wood dies by physician-assisted suicide following Alzheimer’s diagnosis  We should have this choice in this country for those that want it.  The right to choose covers many boundaries - 

Cardiovascular exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, improve your mental health and reduce your risk of certain ailments, such as cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer and diabetes. So, take a spin on your bike, go for a brisk walk or turn on some music and dance around the room. Your heart, lungs and brain will thank you. Get more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® today.

A number of years ago, I started seeing a specialized physical therapist for a health condition.  In addition to PT, he recommended many over the counter supplements.  I took what he recommended because he was not selling them and told me to research and chose my own brands; however, he felt I should take so much of "A" and so much of "B".   I have been seeing him periodically over the past decade because my condition is a permanent one, and over that time I realized while he is a great PT, he is a bit wack-a-doo when it comes to over the counter supplements and falls to the latest fads.   I now have over 15 bottles of supplements that I take multiple times a day.  I want to figure out which ones I truly need (I do have a number of inherited medical issues) and which ones are not necessary.   I asked my regular physician.  He told me there are no real studies for this except for high danger levels and the only way to know

I set up an appointment with my usual Primary Care, she's great, evaluates everything, monitors my Thyroid, Hypertension, blood sugar, etc.  But after setting up the appointment, the office called me and said she had an emergency, and will not be returning to the office until April 2026, ugh.  So the office told me about other doctors at the clinic, one MD and one NP, I told them my insurance is paying for me to see an MD.  So the best they could do is schedule me for a DO, which is fine.  Now while waiting for this, I have been concerned because my Apple watch warned me one night that I had Afib (very scary, so this is one of my reasons to get an appointment).  After having this appointment and waiting to get in (been over a week), the office calls me and tells me I can't see this doctor, he doesn't take new patients, and he is semi-retired.  What??? They didn't know this when they scheduled me?  They told me my own option is to get in to see the Nur

the more I read, the better my brain functions.  This is especially true when I choose non-fiction classics.

I could not find the HOUSING board so I am posting this here just so you can stay informed at what some states are doing for the elderly/disabled. KFF Health News 08/18/2025 - Health Care Groups Aim To Counter Growing ‘National Scandal’ of Elder Homelessness  Medicare.gov - PACE from the link ~Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a Medicare and Medicaid program that helps people meet their health care needs in the community instead of going to a nursing home or other care facility.If you join PACE, a team of health care professionals will work with you to help coordinate your care. Read a lot more at this Medicare link to tell you all about the PACE program - Does your state have a PACE program?Medicare.gov - What States Have A PACE program  CMS.gov- Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (P.A.C.E.)    

  It is possible to do, without underwriting, but it takes staying on top of it and making sure that the timing is perfect. And this may also involve managing your health care expenses for the time that one is under the MA plan. Medicare.gov - Learn How Medigap Works  from the link ~  Trial Rights:If you drop a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage Plan for the first time, you’ll have a single 12-month period (your trial right period) to get your Medigap policy back if the same insurance company still sells it once you return to Original Medicare. If it isn't available, you can buy a Medigap policy you qualify for that's sold by an insurance company in your state (except for Plans M and N). You may also have an opportunity to enroll in a Medicare drug plan at this time.

Does Anybody Have Their Medigap Policy with ALLSTATE? If so, have you gotten a letter from them on closing out the plans (closed book) ?You can keep the plan but they will be selling no more to new beneficiaries.  This is gonna cause your premiums to rise down the line.    Pay attention to any communication that comes from them on your Allstate Medigap plan.  

Worth the read:KFF.org Health News - 08/15/2025 - Breaking Down Why Medicare Part D Premiums Are Likely To Go Up  excerpts from the linked article ~Medicare enrollees who buy the optional Part D drug benefit may see substantial premium price hikes — potentially up to $50 a month — when they shop for next year’s coverage. Increases are expected to mainly affect stand-alone Part D plans, not the drug coverage offered as part of Medicare Advantage, the private sector alternative to original Medicare. Policy experts say premiums are likely to go up for several reasons, including increased use of some higher-cost prescription drugs; a law that capped out-of-pocket spending for enrollees; and changes in a program aimed at stabilizing price increases that the Trump administration has continued but made less generous. One thing is surer than ever, say many policy experts: Beneficiaries should not simply roll over their existing stand-alone Medicare drug plans. ===

You want to eat right — of course you do. It’s one of the six pillars of brain health. At AARP® Staying Sharp® we make it easy for you with eight meal plans and videos that remove the guesswork while adding nutrients and plenty of flavor. These meal plans help address your health needs, from high fiber to high blood pressure, and make it easy for you to stay on track. Get more health tips at AARP Staying Sharp today.

Open Enrollment for Part C (Medicare Advantage Plans) and Free Standing Part D Prescription Drug Coverage plans will be coming out later in the fall for everybody to review their plans.  Open Enrollment starts October 15 - December 15 for 2026 plans. There is gonna be some changes again this year - like some PPO plans will go away and there will also be some changes to the rules governing the Prescription Drug Plans. You should get something from your private insurance company by about October 1 and you need to read and take heed of what changes are being made to your plan and then make any necessary changes.   If you need help with deciding this, your state offers some help  and of course, there are LOCAL Medicare Plan brokers that can also help you in deciding which plan maybe the best for your and your needs.   The Medicare insurance marketplace is going thru some changes and it is important for you to make sure that the plan you need is the p

I Have been paying on my insurance acquired through AARP for the last 14 years. Handled ultimately by N.Y. Life. I retired July 2021 and in July 2022 I was notified that my rate would increase by $41.00 per month for the next 5 years. It would increase again in another 5 years. Let's remember that retired means fixed income. The notification letter states that you can change to a permanent plan which will prevent further rate increases. I expected that to mean my rate would be the same. Nope. I called NY Life and was hit with the bait and switch information. In order to have a fixed rate I would have to pay over $300 / month! That would be a 300% increase in monthly payments! Being irate and appalled I requested to cash the policy out and go somewhere else. Low and behold the policy I have been paying into, recommended by AARP,  is one that does not gain portfolio value. Read: NO CASH OUT VALUE! In order to benefit from this insurance I have to die and in the mean time keep paying

Has anyone received this notice from their health care provider?  I read about it on AARP that it was supposed to happen in 2024 then it said 2025.  Now it might be 2026.  Does anyone know when we are supposed to get this?  As I understand it, it would be sent out to all members on a Medicare Advantage plan that usually have perks or benefits not normal in original medicare.  Like if you have a gym membership or OTC benefits and maybe you are not using it because you are not aware of it.    This is not the same as a notice you might get from your provider in the fall so you can compare plans for possible switching the next year.  This is a personalized letter that is supposed to enlighten you about benefits you may not be aware of.  It is supposed to mailed out between June 30-July 31.

While AARP Is strongly and with good zeal calling out these Pharmaceutical companies for ripping off Seniors for their staggering prices on life saving drugs.    I have another issue. Why is AARP pushing for United HealthCare. I recently wanted to switch from my existing secondary healthcare provider to AARP and lo and behold hey wanted to triple my costs. Please excuse me if I’m wrong but i have always been told that AARP backs their Senior Citizens. So if that is the case then IMHO, AARP should NOT be in the business of Healthcare Unless they’re here to lower the prices of our insurance. Hence as i said before, this is without a doubt ‘A Conflict of Interest’.

Both of my parents have had an AARP Medicare Advantage plan from United Healthcare (UHC). In both cases, after they went onto hospice, UHC refused to cover any non-hospice services (those that are not related to their terminal prognosis), even though the Evidence of Coverage contract says they would. (Note that hospice-related charges shift to Original Medicare, even if one is on a Medicare Advantage plan.)For example, my father has a pacemaker, which undergoes routine evaluations. Those evaluations are not hospice-related. Just because someone is on hospice does not mean that they are ready to die based on a problem with their pacemaker. However, UHC is refusing to pay claims related to the pacemaker and insisting that the claims be submitted to Original Medicare instead. When I called UHC about this and spoke with a supervisor, he said that there were "hidden things" that do not appear in the Evidence of Coverage. In addition to having a higher cost for patients (deductible

Not sure why, because I did not request it, but I was automatically enrolled in Part A Medicare. I was collecting widow benefits under my deceased spouse's Social Security starting 2 months before my (what Social Security considered) full retirement date. I switched over to my own Social Security when I turned 70 earlier this year. I still work full time and have been working for the last 40 years with full creditable health care coverage at work. My questions are:1. How did I get automatically enrolled in Part A--did it have anything to do with switching to my own Social Security from the the widower benefit?2. If I sign up for Medicare Part B before I retire and still keep my health insurance at work (which I can do) are there Medigap plans offered that do not require health questions or exams? I live in Florida and would plan to retire after Part B and a medigap policy is in place.

If you're both on the same plan, in the year that the older of you will switch to Medicare, put the younger person as the primary member for the plan. Else, when the older one switches over, the insurer (in our case Blue Shield) will terminate the existing plan and start a new one for the younger person, ie they won't let the remaining member continue the existing plan as the primary member. This means the younger one will lose any $$'s they've accumulated so far that year towards deductible or max out of pocket, because the insurer won't bring those $$'s over to the new plan, they have to start at 0 again.Not too bad if it's a few hundred but when it's a few thousand you can see why they do it, and just guess how much the insurers are making every year out of this policy. 

I received a letter noting my AARP-UHC Plan G policy premium is going up 13% as of July 2024. It also stated the cost will go up another 5% on top of that for January 2025. Did AARP dropped the ball for their membership in going with UHC again this year? What's with a mid-year price increase, regardless of the magnitude.  Is it our responsibility to rescue UHC management or their shareholders when they miss their profit targets that badly? What exactly justifies an 18% price increase in seven months time (from June 2024 to January 2025 premium payments), especially with most of it taken mid-year with very little notice and opportunity to say NO to it?   Could AARP kindly use this situation to investigate what happened and inform members about it,  across ALL the AARP-sanctioned Medigap healthcare plans? Why did this happen and what are AARP and UHC going to do to effectively contain costs so we don't see another huge price increase anytime soon? 

Medicare.gov has this listed: "Community Pricing: Premiums are the same no matter how old you are. Premiums may go up because of inflation or other factors." So, is it this, where everyone goes up the same each year, or is it "Age Attained Pricing like most of the other plans? I joined AARPUH because of the supposedly balanced cost adjustments for all, not per how old each person is, or how ill. If it is not the case, them Medicare needs to change this, as it VERY different coverage than attained age.Mine went up substantially now, 2 years in a row. Plan G.Thanks

Good problem-solving skills are essential for feeling healthy and remaining independent as you age. Explore strategies to avoid problem-solving pitfalls and reinforce reasoning skills in the Everyday Reasoning challenge from AARP® Staying Sharp®. Get more health tips at AARP Staying Sharp today.

If you are in New York City, you can receive a free wheelchair cleaning and repair session by reaching out to CP Unlimited. They offer complimentary clinics alongside personalized opportunities. Transport is available and the service is totally free for veterans, seniors, and other individuals who use wheelchairs. More info and to contact is online at Wheelchair Repair and Cleaning Services - CP Unlimited

FROM THE ARTICLE. Medicare’s Financial Health Worsens.A new report expects the funds for Part A hospital insurance are at risk after 2033.By Tony Pugh, AARP. Published June 18, 2025. Medicare trust fund that helps pay for inpatient hospital stays, known as Part A, won’t have enough money after 2033 to pay all of Medicare beneficiaries’ expected hospital bills — three years sooner than was projected last year — according to this year’s Medicare Board of Trustees report published June 18.At that point, the Part A Hospital Insurance Trust Fund’s reserves “will become depleted and continuing program income will be sufficient to pay 89 percent of total scheduled benefits,” the trustees said in a message to the public, published alongside the report. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/medicare/trustees-report-2025.html

Good Day,I am a long time AARP member who got sick after working 40 yrs. and received a dual early retirement judgment and disability from court in 2013 (or 12).  I got Medicare at the beginning and have been retired over 10 yrs.  I am now 65 yrs. old.In May, 2023, I was robbed of my Medicare card and Medigap card.  I have to wait for the police investigation to end to get my card back, but old providers have honored a copy of it.  I can’t get a couple of surgeries I need done without the card….so far.I’ve been told a recalculation might result in a large increase in my benefit, but I don’t want to risk Medicare.  I am retired under old rules where a person can retire at 65, but my birth year requires retirement at 67, if the new law sticks.  If they can change retirement from 65 to 67, can I lose Medicare/S.S. in spite of my court judgment?  If so, would a recalculation subject me to refiling for Medicare, then being thrown off due to age?  I am

Medicare Supplemental plans have asked the New York Dept of Financial Services to approve a rate increase at the % of increase stated per each company. New York Dept of Financial Services 07/02/2025 - Summary of 2026 Medicare Supplement Requested Rate Actions NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES 2026 MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUP REQUESTED RATE ACTIONS 07/03/2025  NewYork is one of the few states in the Union that has continuous enrollment into Medigap plans without any Underwriting.  Thus it opens the door for Adverse Selection - where beneficiaries that are, perhaps, sicker and using a lot of Medicare can obtain a Medicare Supplemental plan at anytime without underwriting and the cost is shared by everybody. Adverse selection occurs when lower cost or healthier patients opt out of more expensive plans or forego buying insurance until they need it, while higher cost orsicker patients actively buy more protective insurance&