Life After 50 Expo

Flu vaccine and Type 2 diabetes !

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A study conducted over the past seven years suggests that the flu vaccine may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease for those with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that people with Type 2 diabetes who got the flu vaccine had a 30 percent lower risk for stroke and a 22 percent lower risk of heart failure. Many people with Type 2 diabetes do not get vaccinated, even though flu season is for them as they are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. This study demonstrates that the flu vaccine may have more benefits for people with Type 2 diabetes than just preventing the flu, and that individuals should strongly consider getting vaccinated during flu season.

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,

What is a health savings account? Can I have an HSA and Medicare?

– Paola (Juneau, AK)

Dear Paola,

A health savings account (HSA) is an account that works with a high deductible health plan (HDHP). Many people have an HSA through their current employer. If you have an HSA you can contribute to it on a tax-free basis and use those funds to pay for qualified health expenses as long as you meet certain IRS requirements.

If you have an HSA and you will soon be eligible for Medicare, it is important to plan ahead and understand how enrolling in Medicare will affect your HSA.

  1. You cannot be enrolled in Medicare Part A and/or B and contribute to your HSA. By law, people with any other health insurance, including Medicare, are not allowed to put money into an HSA. However, you may continue to withdraw money from your HSA. If you use the account for qualified medical expenses, including Medicare deductibles, premiums, and copays or coinsurances, it will continue to be tax-free.
  2. To avoid a tax penalty, stop HSA contributions six months before you decide to collect Social Security benefits. If you do not take Medicare when you first qualify, you must take special precautions if and when you do decide to collect Social Security benefits (either while working or when you retire). You should stop all contributions to your HSA up to six months before you collect Social Security. This is because when you apply for Social Security, Medicare Part A will be retroactive for up to six months (as long as you were eligible for Medicare during those six months). If you do not stop contributing to your HSA six months before you apply for Social Security, you may have a tax penalty. The penalty is because you cannot have contributed pre-tax dollars to the HSA while you had Medicare.

If you have an HSA through your current employer and are thinking of delaying Medicare enrollment, you should also consider if your employer plan will pay primary or secondary to Medicare, and therefore whether it is wise to delay Medicare.

Planning ahead can help you avoid penalties and gaps in coverage. You can speak with your employer’s benefits administrator about your situation and options.

– Marci

Omega-3 improves heart damage, function after heart attack!

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Once a person has had a heart attack, their heart may be damaged, raising their risk of further heart-related problems. But according to a new study, this risk could be reduced with a daily dose of omega-3.
[Omega-3 fish oil]
Taking omega-3 every day may benefit heart attack patients, say researchers.

Researchers found that people who took a high dose of omega-3 fatty acids every day for 6 months after a heart attack showed reduced heart muscle scarring and better heart function, compared with heart attack patients who took aplacebo.

Senior author Dr. Raymond Y. Kwong, director of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and colleagues publish their findings in the journalCirculation.

A heart attack occurs when blood flow to a section of the heart muscle becomes blocked, which starves the heart of oxygen and causes damage.

Click on link below to continue reading:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312049.php

Quitting Smoking may lower alcohol intake!

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Popular notion holds that people who are trying to stop smoking often increase their alcohol intake as a way of compensating. A new study published in BMC Public Health, however, suggests this may not be the case.
Researchers found recent attempts to quit smoking were linked to reduced alcohol intake.

Lead author Jamie Brown, of University College London in the United Kingdom, and colleagues found that adults who have attempted to quit smoking in the past week consume less alcohol than smokers who have not tried to quit.

While smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with around 40 million American adults currently smoking cigarettes, 70 percent of smokers say they want to quit the habit.

As a way of helping the quitting process, health officials recommend reducing alcohol intake or abstaining from it altogether.

According to the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, drinking alcohol can act as a smoking trigger for some people, hindering their attempts to shun the cigarettes.

To continue reading go to:

http://Quitting Smoking may lower alcohol intake!

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,

I have Original Medicare and a stand-alone Part D plan. How will my diabetes supplies and insulin be covered?

– Blake (Laramie, WO)

Dear Blake,

This is an important question, as Medicare covers diabetes supplies in different ways depending on what you need. Original Medicare Part B (medical insurance) covers some diabetes supplies, and Medicare Part D (prescription drug benefit) covers others.

Specifically, Part B covers certain diabetes supplies as durable medical equipment (DME). This means that you must get a prescription from your doctor and use an appropriate provider. For Original Medicare, this can be a supplier that is part of a competitive bidding program or a Medicare-certified supplier, depending on where you live.

Part B covers the following

  • Glucose
  • Blood sugar (glucose) test
  • Lancet devices and
  • Insulin used with an insulin
  • Glucose control
  • Therapeutic shoes or inserts
  • Insulin that is used with an insulin pump

You pay 20 percent of the cost of the Medicare-approved amount and Medicare pays 80 percent of the cost. If you have questions about durable medical equipment and diabetes supplies, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE for more information, and to find a supplier in your area.

Alternatively, if you inject your insulin with a needle, then Part D covers the cost of insulin and the supplies necessary to inject the insulin. This includes syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, and gauze. Your stand-alone Part D plan will also cover other medications to treat your diabetes at home, as long as they are on your plan’s list of covered drugs.

Depending on the type of supplies you are using, either Medicare Part B or Part D will cover the cost of the supplies you need. You can speak with your doctor to learn more about your health care needs.

– Marci