Life After 50 Expo

Medicare & Flue Shots !

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Medicare Reminder

Medicare Part B covers 100 percent of the cost of a flu shot once every flu season with no Part B deductible required. This is true for both Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.

Original Medicare will pay for the flu shot no matter where you get it, as long as the health care provider is enrolled in Medicare. You will pay no copay or deductible if you see a doctor or other health care provider who takes assignment. If you receive your Medicare benefits from a Medicare Advantage plan, the plan cannot require that you get a referral for the vaccine, but it can require that you use providers in the plan’s network.

The flu season usually runs from November through April. Therefore, Medicare may cover a flu shot twice in one calendar year. For example, if you get a shot in January 2018 for the 2017/2018 flu season, you could get another shot in October 2018 for the 2018/2019 flu season.

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,

I think I need a power wheelchair to get around my home. How do I get one, and how do I get Medicare to cover it?

– Jacob (Concord, NH)

Dear Jacob,

The first step to getting a power wheelchair is to speak with your doctor. You may feel you need one, or your doctor might suggest it, but either way, you must have an office visit with your doctor before you get your wheelchair. This visit should take place no more than 45 days before the order is placed, and should address with the medical reasons you need the wheelchair. Your provider must sign an order or fill out a prescription that states:

  • Your health makes it very hard to move around in your home, even with the help of a walker or cane
  • You have significant problems in your home performing activities of daily living such as getting to the toilet, getting in and out of a bed or chair, bathing, and/or dressing
  • You cannot use a manual wheelchair or scooter, but you can safely use a power wheelchair
  • The required visit with your doctor took place

Once you have the doctor’s order or prescription, you must take it to the right kind of supplier in order to get your power wheelchair covered. The supplier you use depends on what kind of Medicare coverage you have and where you live.
If you have Original Medicare, the kind of supplier you can use will depend on where you live. In many areas, called competitive biddingareas, Medicare will only pay for most durable medical equipment (DME) from a select group of suppliers known as contract suppliers. In other areas, you can use any supplier that has signed up with Medicare. To find out whether you live in a competitive bidding area and which Medicare suppliers you can use, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov/supplier.  

Additionally, in 19 states, if you have Original Medicare, your provider or supplier will need to ask Medicare for permission before you can get a power wheelchair or scooter. This is called prior authorization. Click here to find out if you live in one of these states, and how to request prior authorization and/or appeal if prior authorization is denied.

If you have Medicare Advantage, you must follow your plan’s rules for getting a wheelchair or scooter. Your plan might require you to get its approval before you get your wheelchair. It may also ask you to use suppliers that are in your plan’s network. Your plan may also have a list of preferred brands of power wheelchairs and scooters. These brands will cost you the least while you are a plan member, so you should use preferred brands when possible. Call your plan to find out what you must do to get your power wheelchair covered.

-Marci
 

Lemon, honey, and alcohol: Which is best for sore throat?

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As sore throats are making the rounds through the Medical News Today editorial office, the debate is rife: what is the best drink to soothe the pain? More importantly, whether it’s alcohol, spices, or lemon and honey, what is the scientific basis for our home remedy of choice?
drinks for sore throatFind out which drinks our editorial team use to soothe their sore throats.

A few weeks ago, we found out that both hot and cold drinks or ice pops can help alleviate the pain of a sore throat that most of us will be familiar with during the annual cold and fluseason.

Now, the debate has taken another turn: where do alcohol, spices — such as cinnamon and ginger — and lemon and honey fit into the mix?

To find out, I first conducted a scientific survey among the office staff to highlight our drinks-of-choice, followed by a deep dive into the scientific evidence underpinning our beliefs.

Lemon and honey – our ‘go-to’ remedy

Among the MNT editorial office staff, a home-made hot drink with fresh lemon juice and honey was the most popular choice, with a staggering 62 percent citing it as one of their ‘go-to’ drinks, while hot lemon on its own took second place with 31 percent.

Our faith in lemon and honey stems from knowledge passed from generation to generation and reports in the media.

to read full article click link below:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320261.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-us

 

Chronic back pain: A 10-minute treatment leaves patients pain-free!

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More than 80 percent of people with chronic low back pain who received a single, 10-minute pulsed radiofrequency treatment are pain-free after 1 year, a new study reveals.
a man with low back pain

 

Researchers say that their CT-guided pulsed radiotherapy technique could help to alleviate chronic low back pain.

The new and minimally invasive treatment was tested on 80 people who had chronic low back pain — that is, low back pain lasting for at least 3 months — due to a herniated disk.

A herniated disk, which is also referred to as a “slipped” or “ruptured” disk, occurs when the disks between the spine’s vertebrae protrude, or “herniate.” This can pinch the spinal nerves and cause pain, particularly in the lower back.

“The nerve root is a sensitive structure that when pinched becomes inflamed and causes pain,” says lead study investigator Dr. Alessandro Napoli, of the Sapienza University of Rome in Italy.

“The body reacts with muscle constriction, which decreases the distance between vertebrae, and a vicious cycle is created.” 

to read full article click on link below:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320208.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-us

Flu and colds: Why do we cough?

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Coughs are an ever-present wintertime companion. But does coughing serve any purpose at all, or is it just a clever method that viruses use to spread?

Coughing

 

Several theories try to explain why we cough when we have the flu or common cold.

Coughing is a normal reflex to clear the airway of small particles, microorganisms, mucus, or food or drinks accidentally going down “the wrong pipe.” But when we are plagued with a pesky cold or flu infection, cough takes on a new dimension.

What often starts as a tickle in the throat at the first sign of an upper respiratory tract infection can easily turn into a full-blown dry cough, most likely followed by a hacking, mucus-producing cough that can be very uncomfortable.

Why do we cough when we have a flu or cold infection? We examine what research has revealed about the mechanisms behind cough and who benefits: the virus, or us?

to read full article click link below!

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320190.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly-us