The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging - Public Education - FHA E-Newsletter

In this issue:

Spotlight on Medicare
CMS to Mail Letters to Medicare Beneficiaries Who Had Incorrect Premium Amounts Withheld from Social Security Payments

Newly Available FHA Public Education Resources
FHA Publishes Two New Health "Tip Sheets" for Older Adults
FHA Publishes New Research Summaries

Elsewhere on the Web
National Alcohol Screening Day Slated for April 5

Spotlight on Medicare

CMS to Mail Letters to Medicare Beneficiaries who had Incorrect Premium Amounts Withheld from Social Security Payments

Due to a computer error, some Medicare beneficiaries who chose to have their Medicare health or drug plan premiums automatically withheld from their Social Security payments had incorrect amounts withheld last year. As part of a year-end reconciliation process, Medicare recently compared its payment and enrollment files with Social Security's premium withhold files to get a complete listing of beneficiaries who had incorrect amounts withheld.

CMS is now sending these beneficiaries letters explaining how this will be handled. One letter will be sent to the approximately 68,000 beneficiaries who owe $200 or less. These beneficiaries had either too little or nothing withheld from their Social Security payments in 2006. To address this, the amount each of these beneficiaries owe will be withheld from his or her February 2007 Social Security payment. Another letter will be sent to the roughly 21,000 beneficiaries who owe more than $200. CMS will work with these beneficiaries' health and drug plans to set up payment plans allowing these beneficiaries time to repay these amounts. A third letter will be sent to beneficiaries who had more withheld from their Social Security payments than they owed. These beneficiaries will receive refunds.

Newly Available FHA Public Education Resources

FHA Publishes Two New Health "Tip Sheets" for Older Adults

The American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has published two new easy-to-read health "tip sheets" for older adults. The two are the latest in the FHA's series of health tip sheets, which offer authoritative and up-to-date information concerning the health and healthcare needs of older people. The new additions include:

"Cognitive Vitality Tips for Older Adults"
This tip sheet offers advice on how to stay mentally sharp. Among other things, older people should see their health care professionals regularly; get sufficient sleep (it's a myth that older people need less sleep than younger adults); exercise; and eat a diet that's low in saturated fat, and includes plenty of fruits and vegetables and two servings of fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids weekly. The tip sheet is available here.

"Winter Safety Tips for Older Adults"
Just in time for the current cold snap, this tip sheet offers older adults life-saving advice on staying safe in the cold, ice and snow. It explains, among other things, how to prevent, recognize and treat hypothermia and frostbite, and avoid falls and injuries while walking in and shoveling snow. The tip sheet also offers advice on safe winter driving, and preventing carbon monoxide poisoning and other hazards associated with fires. The tip sheet is available here.

All FHA tip sheets are posted on the AGS' Foundation for Health in Aging Web site, at www.healthinaging.org, and can be printed and shared at no cost.

FHA Publishes New Research Summaries

The American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) has published three new easy-to-understand summaries of recent studies published in The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). Research studies are often written in complicated medical language. The FHA's ongoing series of JAGS research summaries translates important health findings into everyday language, making it easy for older adults and their caregivers to stay up-to-date on cutting-edge studies concerning their health.

The "New Research Summaries" section of the FHA's Aging in the Know Web site, at http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/research.asp, features these new summaries for the month of February:

These summaries and the many others on the site can be printed and shared at no cost.

Elsewhere on the Web

National Alcohol Screening Day Slated for April 5

April 5 is National Alcohol Screening Day. Each annual National Alcohol Screening Day, community organizations and healthcare professionals provide information about alcohol and alcohol-related health problems, and free, anonymous screenings for such problems. They also help individuals get the information and assistance they need to address alcohol-related problems. Screenings are offered nationwide, in community, college, primary healthcare, military and employment settings. Please visit http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/nasd/ for more information on locations and the event itself.