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For Immediate Release
July 21, 2010

For Further Information:
Jillian Lubarsky
jlubarsky@americangeriatrics.org
(212) 308-1414

Advice from the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging on Making Sense -- and Making the Most -- of Medicare

Mastering Medicare, with all its parts and choices, may seem like a daunting challenge, especially when you or your loved one first enter the system. This expert advice, from the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging, will guide you through the Medicare system and will help you make the smartest choices for your particular situation.

Medicare helps cover healthcare costs, but it doesn't cover all your medical expenses or the costs of most long-term care. The advice in the "Making Sense - and Making the Most - of Medicare Tips" from the American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging, will help you learn the basics of Medicare so you can navigate the program-and determine what supplemental help, if any, you or your loved one might need.

"A key part of growing older today and ensuring the health of loved ones often means knowing how best to access what is available within programs in the US health care system," says Cheryl Phillips, MD, AGSF. "Medicare is one of our complicated systems that impacts health in later life; having a grasp on the program and its cost and care benefits is essential to most older adults and their families."

The FHA tip sheet provides a Medicare 101 guide which outlines Medicare parts A, B, C, and D. It explains how to enroll in Medicare if you or your loved one's Social Security benefits didn't start at age 65. And it details prescription drug coverage, potential penalties, and why it's important to re-evaluate your coverage every year. The tip sheet also provides information on Medigap, a Medicare supplement, and how to get the financial help you and your family might need.

ABOUT THE FHA
In 1999, the American Geriatrics Society reached beyond its traditional role as a professional medical society and launched the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA). The FHA aims to build a bridge between geriatrics health care professionals and the public, and advocate on behalf of older adults and their special needs: wellness and preventive care, self-responsibility and independence, and connections to family and community. The FHA champions initiatives in public education, clinical research, and public policy that advance the principles and practice of geriatrics medicine; educate policy makers and the public on the health care needs and concerns of older adults; support aging research that reduces disability and frailty, and improves quality of life and health outcomes; encourage older adults to be effective advocates for their own health care; and help family members and caregivers take better care of their older loved ones and themselves.

ABOUT THE AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a non-profit organization of more than 6,400 healthcare professionals whose shared mission is to improve the health, independence and quality of life of older people. Our vision for the future is that all older adults will have access to quality healthcare that meets their unique needs. To achieve this, the Society focuses on: advancing eldercare research; enhancing clinical practice in eldercare; raising public awareness of the healthcare needs of older people; and advocating for public policy that ensures older adults access to quality, appropriate, cost-effective care. The Society is a pivotal force in shaping practices, policies and perspectives in the field.