With 2015 being Medicare’s 50th birthday, one of our partner advocacy organizations, Center for Medicare Advocacy, has created 50 insights for celebrating Medicare’s 50th. As Congress is currently debating budget proposals that would significantly change Medicare as we know it, it’s important to keep all the good Medicare provides for 52 million people in the forefront of our minds.

A few of the good highlights pointed out already include:

Medicare reduces poverty
Medicare saves lives
Medicare helps people with disabilities
Medicare reflects the heart of American character
Medicare beneficiaries are remarkable
Medicare helps people with disabilities stay home
Medicare helps those with low-incomes have affordable health care coverage

Dental PPO plans are a great way to be able to stay with or choose your own dentist.  They will normally provide benefits for both in network providers as well as out of network providers.  However it is important to think a head when buying dental PPO plans as they often come with limitations such as waiting periods.

Dental PPO insurance plans are not the type of insurance plans you would buy at the time of dental issues.  Waiting for larger dental care needs before buying dental insurance is not to your advantage with a dental PPO plan due to their waiting periods.

Many PPO plans have waiting periods up to six months for basic services such as a filling and up to twelve months for major services such as a crown. Therefore if staying with your current family dentist is important think about getting a dental PPO plan now in order to maintain your current preventive needs and burn down any long term waiting periods before such needs arrives.

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act, as well as the 80th anniversary of Social Security. It also marks the year of the next White House Conference on Aging. These conferences provide an opportunity to recognize these these key programs and to look ahead at the issues and solutions to help create a healthy landscape for older Americans for the next decade.

In the past, conference processes were determined by statute with the form and structure directed by Congress through legislation authorizing the Older Americans Act. While Congress has not yet reauthorized the Older Americans Act, the White House is still committed to hosting a White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) in 2015 (date for the in person part of the conference in D.C. has not yet been set). WHCoA is also hosting several regional forums (such as the one held in Seattle on April 2) and intends to seek broad public engagement and use web tools and social media to encourage as many older Americans as possible to participate. (See the Get Involved section of the WHCoA website to sign up for their email updates and share your story, concerns and ideas.)

The 2015 White House Conference on Aging has picked 4 top areas of concern and innovation for our country’s older adults. These areas are: healthy aging, long-term services and supports, elder justice, and retirement security. Below is a short excerpt from the WHCoA website on a policy brief on each topic with a link to the full report.

Healthy Aging Policy Brief

Older Americans are calling for a shift in the way we think and talk about aging. Rather than focusing on the limitations of aging, older adults across the nation want to focus instead on the opportunities of aging. Older adults are seeking ways to maximize their physical, mental, and social well-being to remain independent and active as they age.

Long-Term Services & Supports Policy Brief

Despite efforts to stay healthy and prevent disease, many older adults will eventually develop some degree of limitations and need additional paid or unpaid help with basic daily living activities.

Long-term services and supports help older adults and people with disabilities accomplish everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, preparing a meal, or managing money. These services include health and social services that may be needed to maximize the independence and well-being of an individual. Individuals of all ages may have functional limitations, but these limitations are most prevalent among adults age 65 and older.

Elder Justice Policy Brief

As Americans live longer and technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, older Americans face new challenges and opportunities. While technology is helping individuals to live longer and healthier lives, older Americans may be susceptible to financial exploitation and other forms of elder abuse.

Elder abuse is a serious public health problem affecting millions of older Americans each year, with some studies suggesting that as few as one in 23 cases is reported to authorities. Elder abuse is defined as intentional actions that cause harm or create a serious risk of harm to an older person (whether or not harm is intended). Elder abuse encompasses physical abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, as well as emotional and psychological abuse.

Retirement Security Policy Brief

Americans are living longer than ever before. In 2012, life expectancy at birth in the United States reached a record high of 78.8 years. A 65 year-old man can expect to live another 17 years and a 65 year-old woman another 20 years. As a result, older Americans have more time to help grow the economy, enrich their communities, and enjoy their families. But longer lives can also challenge older Americans’ financial security, increasing the risk of outliving their assets.

Often times parents believe that children’s dental care does not really begin until their first tooth appears. However that would be incorrect. By brushing your child’s gums at a young age, before there are any signs of their first tooth, will help prevent the formation of bacteria on your child’s gums and will also help both you and your child set a routine of oral hygiene that can last for the rest of their life. Just make sure to brush the gums with a soft toothbrush as using a harsher one may damage the baby’s gums.

Researchers behind a new study published in the International Journal of Cancer were surprised when their analysis showed that men with asthma appear to have a lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer. Previous studies have suggested the kind of inflammation associated with asthma is also associated with prostate cancer.

However, the authors, led by Elizabeth A. Platz, a professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, caution that their findings can only show a link – they cannot prove cause and effect.

Question: I have a family of four with my youngest at age three. I am looking for a low cost dental insurance plan but all the ones I have review cost over $100 a month.

Answer: Seems as if you are reviewing dental PPO’s or Indemnity Insurance plans which are the more costly dental insurance plan types.  I would suggest reviewing our dental HMO plans which are much more affordable at a monthly cost around $30 – $40 a month for a family. You may even want to review our dental discount plans which run under $20.00 a month for a family.  These are lower cost dental insurance and plan options which will help to reduce the cost of your family dental care needs.

New research has led to FDA approval of the use of a drug to treat the effects of radiation exposure following a nuclear incident. The drug, Neupogen, is the first ever approved for the treatment of acute radiation injury.

If you feel anxious about a visit to a dental professional, do your best not to convey your feelings to your child. This is very important for emotional well-being. Encourage your child to discuss any fears he/she might have about visiting a dentist, but do not put any new fears into his/her head. It is a good rule of thumb not to mention the words “hurt” or “pain” as it raises a possibility he/she might not have thought of.

Here are five quick tips on ways you can spot and prevent fraud. If you like this U.S. Department of Health and Human Services widget, consider putting it on your website and blog too to help spread the word!

Has anyone approached you in a public area and offered FREE services, groceries, or other items in exchange for your Medicare number?

JUST WALK AWAY!

Has someone called you for a “health survey,” then asked you to provide your Medicare number over the phone?

SIMPLY HANG UP THE PHONE!

Have you found suspicious charges such as high-priced medical services or diagnostic tests on your medical bills? These could be fraudulent charges.

Call 1-800-MEDICARE AND REPORT IT!

Have doctors, health care providers, or suppliers told you that the equipment or service is free, it won’t cost you anything, and they only need your Medicare number for their records?

JUST SAY NO THANKS!

Guard your Medicare and Social Security Numbers. Report Fraud to the Office of the Inspector General.

1-800-HHS-TIPS
(1-800-447-8477)

HHSTips@oig.hhs.gov

Ask your dentist about dental sealants and fluoride applications to help protect your child’s teeth. Sealants can prevent food from getting stuck in the tiny grooves on the chewing surfaces and topical fluoride will strengthen the enamel against decay. An once of prevention can be well worth the cure. Poor preventive dental care and at home dental habits will cause larger more costly dental needs in the future

In the first study of its kind, veterans and civilians with traumatic brain injury showed improved cognitive performance and psychological and neural health following strategy-based cognitive training. The Department of Defense-funded study, published this week in Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of cognitive neuroscientists, rehabilitation specialists, and neuroimaging experts from the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.

Did you know that if your child eat sugary snacks, it will take the saliva a minimum of 30 minutes to neutralize the acidity that is created by decay-producing bacteria. A sugary snack every hour can mean your child’s mouth is always acid, increasing the chances for tooth decay.

Your hospital status can affect how much you pay for the services you receive. Knowing how Medicare covers hospital care helps ensure that you ask the right questions to reduce your health care costs. Below are some coverage tips and points to remember complied by the Medicare Minutes program, a partnership of Medicare Rights Center and the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).

Point 1: Know whether you are receiving inpatient or outpatient hospital care.
It is important to know whether you receive inpatient or outpatient hospital care to understand how your services are covered. Inpatient hospital care is care you receive as a formally admitted inpatient. Staying overnight in the hospital in itself does not make you a hospital inpatient. You have to be formally admitted into the hospital by an attending physician in order for your care to be considered inpatient hospital care. If you are not admitted into the hospital, the care you receive at a hospital will be considered outpatient care.

As a reminder, Medicare Part B covers outpatient hospital care, such as observation stays, emergency room visits, and same-day surgeries. An outpatient stay occurs when you are kept in the hospital for monitoring, but you are not admitted as an inpatient. The length of an outpatient stay depends on your medical circumstance. Being an outpatient means that you will be responsible for more of your hospital costs than if you were admitted as an inpatient. You should ask the hospital whether you are an inpatient or outpatient, so you know how your services are covered. Tell your caregivers and family members to ask on your behalf if you are unable to ask about your inpatient status yourself.

Note that observation services are services used to assess whether you need to be admitted as a hospital inpatient or if you can be discharged. If you are in the hospital, but you are on observation status, you are not considered a hospital inpatient. Knowing whether your hospitalization is considered an observation stay is especially important because observation stays can look and feel like inpatient stays. Observation stays occur when a physician does not expect you to spend more than two days in the hospital and therefore does not admit you as an inpatient. Observation stays can affect the skilled nursing facility (SNF) care you are eligible for after your hospital stay and can lead to higher out-of-pocket expenses. Original Medicare requires a 3-day inpatient hospital stay in the 30 days before you enter a SNF. Know if you meet the three-day requirement before leaving the hospital and entering a SNF. The best way to find out if you are under observation is to ask the hospital staff. Ask family members or caregivers to ask on your behalf if you are unable to ask yourself.

If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, it must cover the same level of care as Original Medicare, but you may have different costs and restrictions. Contact your Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) at 1-800-434-0222 if you would like to talk about the differences and similarities between Original Medicare hospital coverage and the coverage offered by your plan.

Point 2: Know the cost-sharing rules for hospital stays, both inpatient and outpatient hospital care.

If you have Original Medicare and are a hospital inpatient, your Part A costs depend on where you are in your hospital benefit period. A hospital benefit period begins the day you’re admitted as an inpatient and ends when you’ve been home for 60 days. You must meet a deductible for each benefit period of $1,260. If you are an inpatient for over 90 days, you may use your lifetime reserve days: you get 60 non-renewable lifetime reserve days, which have higher coinsurance costs.

As an inpatient, you owe a separate 20% coinsurance under Part B for all physician services. If you receive outpatient hospital services, you typically also have to pay a copayment for each outpatient service you receive. The costs may include facility fees. You also pay a 20% coinsurance for physician services you receive. Remember that your costs may be different if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan. Call your plan for a breakdown of inpatient and outpatient hospital costs. Call your local HICAP if you need additional assistance understanding the breakdown of costs.

Point 3: Know the difference between a service received and a billing error.

If you are an Original Medicare beneficiary, you will receive a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) every quarter that lists the health care services you have received during the previous three months, and their costs. Similarly, if you have a Medicare Advantage plan and/or Part D drug plan, you will receive periodic Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your plan, listing the services you have received and their costs. The MSN and the EOB are not bills, but instead let you know the health care services you have received. Review your MSN or EOB carefully to make sure you actually received the services listed. If you discover duplicate orders for medications or lab work, or if you think you or Medicare are being held wrongfully responsible for the cost of a service, contact your hospital’s billing department to request a correction. If the hospital is uncooperative or if you are still suspicious, call our Senior Medicare Patrol – or SMP- program for further assistance at 1-855-613-7080.

Find out if the water supply that serves your home is fluoridated. If it is not, you may want to discuss supplement options with your dentist. Keep in mind that toothpastes and various foods may also contain fluoride.