| Power Pack | SOCIAL SECURITY
Is it Medicare or Medicaid?
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lot of people have a difficult time understanding the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Both programs begin with the letter “M.” They’re both health insurance programs run by the government. People often ask questions about what Medicare and Medicaid are, what services they cover, and who administers the programs. Let’s start with Medicare. Medicare is the national healthcare program for those aged 65 or older and the disabled. You pay for some Medicare expenses by paying the Medicare tax while you work. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the agency in charge of both Medicare and Medicaid, but you sign up for Medicare A (Hospital) and Medicare B (Medical) through Social Security. You can apply for Medicare online from the convenience of your home at the link on our website: www.socialsecurity.gov/ medicare/. If you’re already receiving Social Security retirement benefits when you reach age 65 or are in the 25th month of receiving disability checks, we will enroll you automatically.
Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (Prescription Drug) plans are available for purchase in the insurance marketplace. Social Security administers a program called Extra Help to help people with low income and low resources pay for premiums, co-pays, and co-insurance costs for Part D plans. You can find out more about Extra Help and file for it at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicare/ prescriptionhelp. Each year, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes Medicare and You available online at their website at www.medicare.gov/ medicare-and-you/medicare-and-you. html. This publication is a user’s manual for Medicare. Each state runs their own Medicaid program under guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicaid offers care for the most vulnerable among us. While it does not require paying taxes while working, it does have guidelines about how much income and resources you can have to qualify. Medicaid provides coverage for older people, people with disabilities, and some families
with children. Each state has its own eligibility rules and decides which services to cover. The names of the Medicaid program may vary from state to state. You can read about each state’s Medicaid program at www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/by-state/ by-state.html. You can find each state’s Medicaid contact information at www. medicaid.gov/about-us/contact-us/contact-state-page.html. Medicare and Medicaid are two of the major insurance programs that provide healthcare to the American public. Understanding each program, as well as how the two programs differ, can help you and those you care about find the right healthcare program.
Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, can be reached by email at kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov.
ALABAMA'S HEALTH
Need for dialysis likely to increase; options available
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early 10,000 Alabamians receive dialysis treatments to remove excess water, solutes and toxins from their blood. This number is approximately equal to the total current population of Perry County. About half of all Alabama dialysis patients must receive dialysis due to diabetes. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is another leading risk factor. Unfortunately, both risk factors are increasing among Alabama’s adults and may be even more serious among our youth. The number of Alabamians receiving dialysis is expected to increase. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 36 percent of all adult Alabamians were classified as obese in 2016. This is the third highest percentage nationwide and
Dale Quinney is executive director of the Alabama Rural Health Association, 1414 Elba Highway, Troy, 36081.
10 DECEMBER 2017
Eric Wallace, M.D., a UAB nephrologist, has a required office visit with a home dialysis patient using telemedicine. PHOTO BY UAB NEWS
up from 32 percent in 2011. The most current county level data on obesity is produced by the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Program. In 2013, this data indicated that 17 of Alabama’s 67 counties (all rural) had 40 percent or more of their adult population classified as being obese. This reflected an increase from 11 counties in 2011. Data on hypertension is not adequately available. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publishes an online Medicare Chronic Condition
Dashboard that provides 2015 data on the percent of Medicare recipients diagnosed with hypertension. According to this data, more than 62 percent of all Alabama Medicare recipients had been diagnosed with hypertension. This is the second highest percent among all states. The percent of Medicare recipients diagnosed with hypertension in all 67 Alabama counties exceeded the national percentage. Dialysis treatment can be demanding on patient lives. Most dialysis patients in Alabama are receiving this treatment at end stage renal treatment centers (or dialysis clinics). This treatment usually requires four hours per day for three days. This procedure, in-center hemodialysis, involves removing, cleaning and replacing the patient’s blood. Transportation to dialysis clinics poses a great challenge for many patients, especially because 13 rural counties have no dialysis clinics. An expanding option is to receive this treatment at home. Approximately 10 percent of patients on dialysis (roughly Continued on Page 32 www.alabamaliving.coop