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Dear Marci, I’m enrolled in the federal Extra Help program. Will there be changes to my benefits in 2018? How will I know about them? – Ava Huntington, WV Dear Ava, There are several changes that can happen for people with Extra Help, a federal program that helps pay Medicare prescription drug costs, before and during Fall Open Enrollment. If a change is being made to your Extra Help coverage, you will be mailed a notice sometime in September, October, or November. Look out for the colors and titles of these notices to find out if you need to take action to change or keep your Extra Help benefits. If you receive an orange notice, you do not need to take action. This is the “Change in Extra Help Copayments” Notice, and you may receive it sometime in October. This notice explains if the Extra Help copays will change in 2018. Copays usually change a small amount each year. Read this notice to learn how much you will pay for your covered drugs in 2018, and save it for your records. If you receive a blue notice, you might need to take action. There are two kinds of blue notices, and they are both called Reassignment Notices. The first kind of Reassignment Notice is sent out in October to people whose Medicare Advantage (MA) plans or Part D drug plans are leaving the Medicare program. If you receive this notice, it means that you will be reassigned to a new MA or Part D plan in 2018. If you want to choose your own plan, you will have to choose it by December 31, 2017. If you do not take action, you will be automatically enrolled in a different plan that may or may not fit your prescription drug needs. The second kind of blue Reassignment Notice is sent in October to people whose MA or Part D plan premiums have risen above the Extra Help benchmark (the maximum premium amount that Extra Help will cover). If you receive this notice, it means you will be assigned to a new plan in 2018. If you want to choose your plan, you should do so before December 31, 2017. Otherwise, you will be automatically enrolled in a new plan. If you receive a gray notice, you should be prepared to take action, because it means that you could be losing Extra Help or paying more in the coming year. The first kind of gray notice is a “Loss of Deemed Status” Notice. This notice is sent in September to people who will no longer qualify to get Extra Help in 2018. If you get this notice, but you think it is a mistake (because your income hasn’t changed and/or you’re still below the income and asset limits for Extra Help), you should reapply for Extra Help right away so you don’t lose coverage in 2018. You can apply by calling the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213, visiting your local Social Security office, or applying online here. The second kind of gray notice is the “Low-Income Subsidy Choosers” Notice. You will receive this in November if you chose your current drug plan (instead of being automatically enrolled in one), and your plan premium is increasing above the Extra Help benchmark amount in the coming year. If you receive this notice, it means that you have to actively change your plan to one with a lower premium. If you do not actively switch to a plan with a premium below the Extra Help benchmark, you will pay part of the premium (the difference between the premium amount and the benchmark amount) in 2018. – Marci |
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Brain activity higher in women than men, study finds !
Using a functional neuroimaging technique on more than 26,000 adults, researchers found that women have higher activity in numerous brain regions, including those associated with impulse control, anxiety, and mood.
Lead study author Dr. Daniel G. Amen, of Amen Clinics, Inc. in Newport Beach, CA, and colleagues recently published their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
When it comes to brain-related disorders, men and women are often disproportionately affected. Foe example, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, around 5.5 million people in the United States are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Of these individuals, around two thirds are women.
Studies have also found that women are almost twice as likely as men to develop depression over the course of a lifetime.
to read full article click on link below:
Dear Marci,
Dear Marci,
Last year I received an Annual Notice of Change from my Medicare Advantage Plan. Will I get one this year? What should I do with it?
– Emmanuel
Springfield, MO
Dear Emmanuel,
The Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) is an important notice sent each year to people who have a Medicare Advantage (MA) Plan or aMedicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan. Plans send these notices to their members every year to notify them of cost and benefit changes that will take effect starting January 1 of the following year. If you currently have a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Part D Prescription Drug Plan, you should receive this notice by September 30 of this year. If you haven’t received it by then, you should contact your plan to ask for it.
The Annual Notice of Change is typically mailed along with the plan’s yearly Evidence of Coverage (EOC) Notice. A plan’s EOC provides a more comprehensive explanation of its costs and coverage in the following year. Remember that plans can make changes every year to costs and benefits, from changing copays to changing which providers and pharmacies are in-network or out-of-network. In reviewing the Annual Notice of Change, make sure that the providers, services, and drugs that you need are still available and covered under your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. Also, make sure you know and understand how much you will pay out of pocket for your health care services.
If there are changes to your costs and benefits that could raise your costs or get in the way of getting the health care you need, you may want to think about making changes to your Medicare coverage duringFall Open Enrollment. Fall Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7 every year. If you make changes to your Medicare coverage during Fall Open Enrollment this year, they will go into effect on January 1, 2018.
Even if you review these notices and decide that there won’t be any major changes to your Medicare coverage in 2018, it still might be helpful to look at other Medicare options and compare them to your current plan. Another plan in your area might offer health and/or drug coverage at a better price than what you currently pay. To learn more about different Medicare coverage options, call 1-800-MEDICARE or use the online Plan Finder tool at www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan.
-Marci
Yoga Relaxing Breathing Exercise !
Here is a complete, three part Yoga breathing exercise. You will find it both easy and healthful.
The Dirga Pranayama (Three Part Breath) is one of the basic pranayamas (or breathing exercises) of yoga. Sometimes called the “Complete Breath,” this pranayama is often the first one that beginners learn. The Three Part Breath calms the mind, centers it, and draws the breather’s concentration into the moment.
The Three Part Breath is therefore useful to learn even for those who wish to relax. Knowing how to relax (and actually relaxing) lessens the harmful effects of stress on the body and makes restful sleep easier to accomplish. It encourages proper breathing from the diaphragm, clears residual carbon dioxide from the lungs, and oxygenates the blood.
It’s often done while sitting comfortably in a cross-legged position, though it can also be done while lying flat on the back. Beginners may find it easier to learn this breath while lying down, since you can better feel the breath moving through your body.
To perform the Three Part Breath, lie on your back (or sit the in the comfortable cross-legged position) and close your eyes. If you’re sitting, make sure your spine is straight and erect. Relax your body and face. Observe your natural breathing patterns while trying to avoid any notice of distracting thoughts so your focus is on the breathing.
Inhale through your nose, filling the belly with your breath as if it’s a balloon; exhale, expelling all breath from your belly through your nose, pulling in the stomach to make sure it’s empty of air. Make sure your breathing is relaxed and smooth, without straining. Repeat this several times, and then shift to the next type of breath.
Perform the next inhale like the one before, except, when the belly is full of air, breath in a little more so the air enters the lower chest. Your rib cage should expand. Exhale from the chest first, then exhale from the belly as described for the previous type of breath. Repeat this for several times before transitioning to the third and final type of breath in this pranayama.
Inhale into the belly, then lower chest, then upper chest so it expands and lifts your collarbones. Exhale through the nose, from the upper chest first, then lower chest, then the belly. Continue this for about ten breaths.
To continue with the Three Part Breath, restart with the belly breath. With practice, you’ll be able to transition smoothly between each type of breath in this pranayama without pausing. This method of breathing is something most people can use and is especially helpful when first starting a new yoga workout.
How physical exercise prevents dementia !
Numerous studies have shown that physical exercise seems beneficial in the prevention of cognitive impairment and dementia in old age. Now researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have explored in one of the first studies worldwide how exercise affects brain metabolism.
In order to further advance current state of knowledge on the positive influence of physical activity on the brain, gerontologists and sports physicians at Goethe University Frankfurt have examined the effects of regular exercise on brain metabolism and memory of 60 participants aged between 65 and 85 in a randomised controlled trial. Their conclusion: regular physical exercise not only enhances fitness but also has a positive impact on brain metabolism.
As the researchers report in the current issue of the medical journal Translational Psychiatry, they thoroughly examined all the participants in the SMART study (Sport and Metabolism in Older Persons, an MRT Study) by assessing movement-related parameters, cardiopulmonary fitness and cognitive performance. In addition, magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) were used to measure brain metabolism and brain structure. Following this examination, the participants mounted an exercise bike three times a week over a period of 12 weeks. The 30-minute training sessions were individually adapted to each participant’s performance level. The participants were examined again after the end of the programme in order to document the effects of this physical activity on brain metabolism, cognitive performance and brain structure. The researchers also investigated to what extent exercise had led to an improvement in the participants’ physical fitness. The study was conducted by the Gerontology Department of the Institute of General Medicine (headed by Professor Johannes Pantel) and the Department of Sports Medicine (led by Professor Winfried Banzer).
s expected, physical activity had influenced brain metabolism: it prevented an increase in choline. The concentration of this metabolite often rises as a result of the increased loss of nerve cells, which typically occurs in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. Physical exercise led to stable cerebral choline concentrations in the training group, whereas choline levels increased in the control group. The participants’ physical fitness also improved: they showed increased cardiac efficiency after the training period. Overall, these findings suggest that physical exercise not only improves physical fitness but also protects cells.
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