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November 2005 Edition
In this issue:
- FHA Publishes Series of Free Health "Tip Sheets" for Older Adults
- What You Should Know About the New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
- What's New on Aging in the Know?
- Everybody Loves Raymond's Doris Roberts Wins Another Big Award -- at FHA's Lifetime of Caring Gala
The American Geriatrics Society's Foundation for Health in Aging (FHA) recently began publishing a series of easy-to-read health "tip sheets" for older adults. The tip sheets offer up-to-date information concerning the health and health care needs of older adults. Posted on the FHA Web site, www.healthinaging.org, they can be printed and distributed at no cost.
The first tip sheet in the series, " Overcoming Challenges to Healthy Aging," offers advice on avoiding and handling leading health problems and concerns among older adults-including diabetes, falls, obesity, the complications of taking multiple medications daily, and difficulties getting access to appropriate health care.
Three other tip sheets on the site cover: hot weather safety for older adults, emergency preparedness for seniors, and flu and pneumococcal disease prevention. Two additional tip sheets, on safe travel for older people and winter safety, will be posted shortly.
Starting January 1, 2006, Medicare will offer prescription drug coverage through Medicare prescription drug insurance plans. These plans can help you save money on prescription drugs. If you have a limited income, you may qualify for extra help paying the monthly premiums and other costs of these new plans, or you may not have to pay a premium at all.
Private insurance and other companies will work with Medicare to offer these plans, and you can choose among plans in your area. Anyone with Medicare Part A, Part B, or both can join a Medicare drug plan. If you're in a Medicare Health Plan (such as Medicare Advantage), your plan may also offer drug coverage.
If you haven't yet received information about the new benefit from the Government, or if you need more information or assistance, call 800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov. If you need help finding or joining a Medicare drug insurance plan in your area, or getting extra help with premiums and other costs, you can also visit the non-profit Access to Benefits Coalition's Web site, www.accesstobenefits.org.
Important dates to remember:
November 15, 2005: Medicare beneficiaries can start signing up for the Medicare prescription drug insurance plan of their choice. Remember: To get this benefit, you must sign up.
December 31, 2005: Deadline for signing up for coverage that starts January 1, 2006. (If you sign up later, your coverage will start the first day of the following month.)
May 15, 2006: Sign up by this date and you'll probably pay a lower premium for Medicare drug coverage than if you sign up later.
Other important Medicare prescription drug benefit information:
- Error in Medicare and You 2006 Handbooks The Medicare & You 2006 handbooks that the Government mailed earlier this year contain an error that could lead people with low incomes to believe that they can choose any Medicare prescription drug plan and pay no premium. This is not correct. Only some prescription drug plans are premium-free for older adults with low incomes. For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.Medicare.gov.
- Answers to Questions About Retiree Prescription Drug Benefits and Medicare If you have retiree prescription drug coverage through a former employer, union, or plan that administers retiree drug benefits, you should have started receiving information from your employer, union, or plan administrator that compares your retiree benefits with Medicare's. If you haven't received this information, contact your former employer, union, or plan administrator. You can also find information on the Medicare drug plan, written just for older adults with retiree drug benefits, at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/pdbma/11162-retireefact-web.pdf.
- VA, TRICARE and FEHB Beneficiaries Advised to Stay in Their Current Plans
If you get prescription drug benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA), TRICARE (Military retiree benefits), or Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) programs, keeping your current drug coverage, without making any changes, will probably be in your best interest, Medicare officials say. If you get these benefits and have a limited income and resources, however, you may qualify for extra help paying for Medicare prescription drug benefits. If you think that making changes in your drug coverage may make sense for you, Medicare officials suggest that you contact your benefits administrator or FEHB insurer for detailed information. For TRICARE, call 888-363-5433; for VA, 877-222-8387; for FEHB, 800-332-9798. If you lose your TRICARE, VA or FEHB coverage and join a Medicare drug plan after May 15, 2006, you probably won't have to pay a higher premium for the plan, as long as you join a Medicare plan within 63 days.
- Extra Help for "Dual-Eligible" Medicare/Medicaid Beneficiaries
If you're eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, you may also qualify for extra help paying Medicare drug benefit premiums, deductibles and co-pays. Local offices of the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Access to Benefits Coalition (ABC) have applications for extra help and will help you complete them. You can also apply for extra help online at www.ssa.gov/prescriptionhelp. If you think you may qualify for extra help, you should apply now.
- Information on Medigap Changes Medigap policies will change under the new Medicare prescription drug benefit legislation. If you have this supplemental insurance, the insurer providing it should send you information telling you about these changes, and your options. Medicare's "Do You Have a Medigap Policy with Prescription Drug Coverage?" at www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11113.pdf, is another good source of information.
- Warning! Medicare Scams are Targeting Seniors In various scams, callers claiming to be with Medicare prescription drug plans have asked older adults for bank card information and other financial data, law enforcement officials report. Medicare drug plans cannot ask for Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers, the Government warns. If you have questions about what plans may, and may not, request, call 800-MEDICARE. If you suspect fraud, you also can call the police or the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at 800-HHS-TIPS.
Newly expanded, the FHA's comprehensive online source of consumer information about aging -- Aging in the Know - now covers more than 50 key topics. We've added information on:
- Physical activity and the aging process to the Web site's "How We Age" section
- Community-based care; drug therapy; elder mistreatment; and legal and ethical issues to the "Health Care Decisions" section
- Cancer, dementia, hearing loss, and sexuality and sexual concerns to the "Elder Health at Your Fingertips" section
- New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society to the "New Research" section. Read these new reports:
Based on the American Geriatrics Society's professional resources-such as Geriatrics Review Syllabus (GRS) and Geriatrics At Your Fingertips (GAYF)-Aging in the Know also includes links to other top-notch sources of information about aging. Visit the site, at www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/.
A month after winning her fifth Emmy, actress Doris Roberts picked up another big award at the FHA's sixth annual "Lifetime of Caring" Gala at New York City's Pierre Hotel on October 25. More than 250 friends of the FHA turned out for the black tie event, which raised over $300,000 to support the Foundation's vital work on behalf of older adults.
Roberts, who won her fifth Emmy for her role in Everybody Loves Raymond in September, received the FHA's Lifetime of Caring Award for her anti-ageism activism. The award recognizes individuals who, through personal example, public service, philanthropy or research have made significant contributions to the care and wellbeing of older adults. In 2001, Roberts testified before Congress on the devastating toll age discrimination takes-on its immediate victims, and on the nation as a whole. She continues to speak out against age discrimination.
In recognition of her business, civic and philanthropic leadership, and for Johnson & Johnson's commitment to the well being of older adults, their families and the communities in which they live, the AGS Foundation also awarded J&J Executive Christine Poon its 2005 Discovery Award. The award recognizes trailblazers committed to translating research into improvements in the lives of older adults.
To make a donation to the AGS Foundation for Health in Aging, visit the donation page on our Web site at http://www.healthinaging.org/donate/or call Sara Reinthaler, at 212-308-1414.
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