Arizona’s Leader in Senior Fitness
Turning 65? Know Your Medicare Options
By Dr. Mark Kiffer, Arizona Medical Officer for Humana’s Senior Products
Approximately 11,000 adults become eligible for Medicare every day, reflecting a dramatically increasing senior population, and that number is only going to grow. Here in Arizona, the state’s senior population is estimated to climb to 2.4 million by 2030, according to Administration on Aging, 2005 data.
Nine of 10 older adults are living with at least one chronic condition, according to the National Council on Aging 2011 fact sheet. Making matters worse, these conditions place a significant financial burden on seniors and caregivers. As a result, there’s a clear need for access to affordable health care that meets the needs of individuals as they age.
Arizona seniors should keep an eye out for materials from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the months leading up to their 65th birthday. Following are tips to help seniors and their caregivers learn about their Medicare options, including when they can enroll and the types of health plans available, as they begin the Medicare plan selection process:
Know Your Options. Find a plan
that provides the health care coverage you need and maximizes your health care dollars. Your options include Original Medicare (Parts A and B); Medicare Supplement plans; a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), or Medicare Part D; and Medicare Advantage (Part C), which typically provides extra benefits, services and prescription drug coverage and may or may not require an additional premium.
Know Your Enrollment Timeframe. This year, during the Annual Election Period (AEP) from Oct. 15, to Dec. 7, seniors who are eligible for Medicare can review Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D plan options and select health care coverage for 2015. However, people turning 65 before October can enroll earlier. They have a seven-month window— the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)— to enroll, including the three months before their 65th birthday, the month of their birthday and the three following months, says Medicare.gov.
Know Your Medical Cost History. Review your records to see how much you spent on health care during the past year, including hospital expenses, pharmacy costs and doctor bills. Then try to calculate your best
Join the Ambassadors!
Arizona Lifelong Fitness Foundation (ALFF) needs you!
The Arizona Senior Olympics’ parent corporation needs volunteer ambassadors to spread the word about health and fitness to seniors in their area.
What does an ambassador do?
• Tells the Senior Olympics story
• Invites other seniors to participate
• Shares brochures, fliers and
posters in their area
• Attends expos and events where seniors gather and represent the ALFF and ASO.
Qualified ambassadors must be friendly, outgoing, interested in people, enthusiastic and a good communicator.
To sign up for the September ambassador training workshop, call (602) 274-7742.
estimate for health care costs in the year ahead.
Know Your Resources. If you are considering a Medicare Advantage plan, research the costs, benefits and network of doctors and hospitals associated with each plan. The government’s Medicare website, www. medicare.gov, is a good resource that lets you find and compare Medicare health and prescription drug plans. CMS makes it easier to navigate the Medicare landscape by rating health plans on a five-star assessment grade.
Compare Benefits. Insurers often offer multiple Medicare Advantage plans from which beneficiaries can choose to fit their specific life, income and health situations. Benefits from these plans may include primary care and specialty office visits, routine physical and preventive care and membership in fitness classes and lifestyle enrichment programs.
If you’re approaching your 65th birthday, it is important to start considering Medicare options to select the plan that best fits all of your needs.
Editor’s Note: This article was submitted by Humana. For more information on Humana’s senior products in Arizona call (602) 760-1700.
National Senior Games in Minneapolis-St. Paul
St. Paul is one beautiful city. Senior Olympic athletes, their families and friends will be heading to this beautiful city where part of the National Senior Games will be held in July 2015. Here are some things you may not know about this great, historic metropolis:
• St. Paul has the longest residential Victorian boulevard in the United States, stretching 4.5 miles from the Mississippi River to the Cathedral of St. Paul.
• St. Paul boasts more city shoreline on the Mississippi River than any other
in its path (29 miles).
• St. Paul was a Prohibition-era hotbed for gangsters, gals and whiskey runners. The city became a haven for notorious names like John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis and the Barker gang.
• Founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center, St. Paul rose to prominence when it was named the capital of Minnesota Territory in 1849. The area features 104 landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic
Prevention Magazine Lists Three Best New Health Apps
A recent article in Prevention Magazine listed three new apps that may be helpful to seniors who have iPads, iPhones or Androids.
The app 52 Weeks for Women’s Health is offered for free by the National Institutes of Health. It’s available for download to iPhones or iPads from the App Store or to Android devices via Google Play.
ZOCDOC will generate a list of nearby physicians who meet your criteria when you enter your location, insurance and the specialty you need when you are away from home.
EPOCRATES RX helps those who are concerned
about medication interactions. The app allows the users to identify prescription and OTC pills based on color and shape. Then you can check interactions and warnings, etc.
Seniors can take better care of their health by using the many resources of the Internet.
ASO Launches Essay Contest
Senior Olympians are welcome to enter a new essay contest with the theme of “Why Senior Olympics is important to me.” The deadline is Sept. 1.
“The purpose in having the contest is to inspire our Senior Olympians to stay fit, based on their own experience and that of their peers,” says Irene Stillwell, director of Arizona Senior Olympics.
The rules are:
• Essay must be typed, double space
• The maximum is 500 to 750 words
• The piece must be totally written by the author
Places, many of which can be seen on local tours.
• Free walking tours are available in St. Paul from May through September at 10 a.m. on the first, third and fourth Wednesdays. Tours are “Great River,” “Rice Park” and “Heart of the City.” Senior Olympians planning to compete in the National Senior Games should book early. All are welcome at the National Senior Games, and nonathletes will have a wonderful time as the city rolls out the red carpet for seniors.
T-Shirt Design Contest Still Open
Now is the time for you to work on the 2015 Arizona Senior Olympics athlete T-shirt. Keep in mind that these shirts will be purchased by senior athletes to wear throughout the year. The deadline is Aug. 1, so get your pens, pencils or brushes out and start designing.
Rules:
1. Design must include the words: Arizona Senior Olympics
2. No dates.
3. Can be full color or less.
4. Design for front of shirt only.
5. Can be on white or a colored shirt.
6. No obscenities or double entendres.
• The essay must be written by an active Senior Olympian, someone who has competed within the last two years. Judging will be done by a panel of volunteer and professional writers and will be based upon theme, grammar, style and appeal to reader.
Prizes include the opportunity to read the essay at the 2014 ASO opening ceremony; a framed copy of the winning essay displayed at the ALFF office; essay published in The Finish Line and on the ASO website; and lunch with the ALFF board chairman.
7. Design must be suitable for screen printing.
8. Design will be digitized for production by screen print artist.
9. Judges’ decisions are final.
10. Designs cannot be returned.
A panel of seniors and volunteers will judge the contest. The winner will be notified by Aug. 10. The prize is free registration in the 2015 ASO Games and a free T-shirt of your own design. Helpful hint: Many seniors like to have an “Arizona” look to the shirt; others prefer a more sports-oriented design. Use your imagination. Search the Internet for ideas—something that everyone will like!
Send entries to:
Arizona Senior Olympics, P.O. Box 33278, Phoenix, AZ, 85067-3278.
AARP Myth Busters
In this society that is highly saturated with marketing, it’s very easy to take things we hear on the radio or see on television as the real thing.
“Reality” shows have worn our sensitivities so thin that it’s often difficult to distinguish truth from fiction.
AARP to the rescue! In a recent issue of AARP The Magazine, former President Robert Romasco cleared things up for us:
Myth: Older people are really a drain on the U.S. economy, leaving the next generation with less.
Fact: The economic contribution by older Americans—$7 trillion a year—is expected to double by 2032. Plus, taxes from the economic activity generated by their spending make up half of federal tax revenue and more than half of state and local taxes.
Myth: Social Security and Medicare benefit only older Americans.
Fact: Nearly 1 in 5 Social Security beneficiaries is younger than 60 and more than 4.4 million children get benefits. Seventeen percent of Medicare beneficiaries are younger than 60. Social Security death and disability benefits are lifelines for the millions of young people and their families as well.
Myth: The young and old are rivals in the struggle for scarce resources and the old are winning.
Fact: One day the young will be old and they will need Social Security and Medicare just as much as older adults today.
There are those who would like to do away with Medicare and/or Social Security. The question? Is America ready to face the impoverishment that would accompany the dismantling of these programs which are so vital to the health and well-being of millions of older Americans?
q Yes, I would like to be a friend of Arizona Senior Olympics
Send your tax-deductible contribution by check, money order, credit card or go online to www.seniorgames.org.
Amount Enclosed $
I am paying by q Check/Money Order qVisa qMastercard qDiscover qAmerican Express. You will be charged by Senior Games Payment Services if paying by credit card. If paying by check, please make it out to the Arizona Lifelong Fitness Foundation.
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Expiration Date: 3 digit code on back of card:
Name as it appears on your credit card:
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