Life After 50 Expo

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci, I will turn 65 and enroll in Medicare soon. My friend who already has Medicare told me that I will need to choose between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage. What are these options? -Noah (Seattle, WA) Dear Noah, Original Medicare is the traditional fee-for-services program offered directly through the federal government. It is sometimes called traditional Medicare or fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. Unless you choose otherwise, you will have Original Medicare when you first enroll in Medicare. Under Original Medicare, the government pays directly for the health care services you receive. You can go to any doctor and hospital that takes Medicare, anywhere in the country. In Original Medicare: You go directly to the doctor or hospital when you need care. You do not need to get authorization from Medicare or a referral from your primary care doctor for most services. You are responsible for a monthly premium for Part B. Some people also pay a premium for Part A.  You typically pay a coinsurance charge, or a percentage of the amount of Medicare’s approved payment amount, for each service you receive.  There are limits on the amounts that doctors and hospitals can charge for your care.  If you want prescription drug coverage with Original Medicare, in most cases you will need to actively choose and join a stand-alone Medicare private drug plan, also called a Part D plan. If you have Original Medicare, you may choose to purchase supplemental insurance to help pay out-of-pocket costs, commonly called a Medigap plan. Medicare Advantage Plans, also known as Medicare private health plans or Part C, are plans that contract with the federal government and are paid a fixed amount per person to provide Medicare benefits. Remember, you still have Medicare if you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. This means that you likely pay a monthly premium for Part B (and a Part A premium, if you have one). You may also need to pay a monthly premium to your Medicare Advantage plan in addition to your Part A and/or B premium. Medicare Advantage plans must cover all the same services as Original Medicare, and they usually include prescription drug coverage. In Medicare Advantage plans: You generally need to see providers who are in your plan’s network and service area to pay the lowest cost for services. In many plans, you must get prior authorization or a referral from your primary care provider for specialty services, procedures, and durable medical equipment.  You will often pay fixed copayments per service or item you receive. These costs vary from plan to plan. Plans cannot charge higher copayments or coinsurances than Original Medicare for certain services, like chemotherapy and dialysis, but they can charge higher cost-sharing for other services. Your out-of-pocket expenses for Part A and B services are limited. For example, the maximum out-of-pocket cost for many plans in 2020 is $6,700. A plan may offer certain benefits that Medicare does not cover, such as dental and vision care, caregiver counseling and training, and certain in-home support like housekeeping. Not all plans cover additional benefits, so check with a plan directly to learn what benefits it covers. You cannot purchase a Medigap plan. They are only designed to work with Original Medicare. You can join a Medicare Advantage Plan if you have Medicare Parts A and B, you live in the plan’s service area, and you do not have End-Stage Renal Disease, except in limited circumstances. -Marci 

Stress relief!

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Anxiety disorders are often a product of stress. From GAD (generalized anxiety disorder) to panic disorder, you can cut back on the anxiety in your life simply by reducing stress. Stress is normal in daily life no matter who you are, but if you let your stress take control of your life, serious problems will arise. Fortunately, ongoing stress is easy to overcome, but it is important to know the steps to doing so.
Stress is an internal reaction triggers by external factors, like pressure. One of the best ways to overcome these reactions is with plenty of exercise. Daily exercise can help you learn to physically deal with stress by improving your tolerance to stress during exercise. During a panic attack, most people feel short of breath and a pounding heart. A hard workout gives you these same experiences, but in a healthy way. AS you exercise more and more, you push your body to accept these conditions without panicking.
Getting a good night’s sleep is also very important to reducing stress. Stress can physically wear out a person’s body, and without sleep, you will feel the effects of stress much more readily. This can lead to anxiety disorders very easily. To get enough sleep, make sure that you schedule at least 8 hours for sleeping. Don’t eat or drink lots of sugar or caffeine products before bedtime and try to do relaxing activities in the few hours before bedtime. If necessary, see your doctor for help with sleeping problems.
Another key to reducing stress is to schedule time for non-work related activities. Take vacations or at least days off in order to have fun. Work is a major cause of stress, and with that stress comes worry about money, health, and many other things. By setting aside specific time to enjoy yourself with loved ones or on your own, you can physically and mentally set aside the stress for at least a few hours. Try to have at least an hour to yourself every day and an entire long weekend every few months to purely enjoy fun activities.
Lastly, work to reduce stress by learning to think a bit differently about life. Some of the most stressed-out people are perfectionists. While this can be a good trait, it can also go too far. Know when to let something go. Also, think positively about your life. When you worry that you aren’t good enough or are upset about little things, they really add up to hurt you. Managing your thought process is just part of the battle, but if you work at reducing stress, you can avoid developing anxiety problems.

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci, I will be leaving my job soon and my employer has informed me about my right to COBRA coverage. I’ll also be eligible for Medicare soon. How do Medicare and COBRA work together? I want to make sure I make the right enrollment decisions.  -Clayton (Twin Falls, ID) Dear Clayton, The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) is a federal law that lets certain employees, their spouses, and their dependents keep group health plan (GHP) coverage for 18 to 36 months after they leave their job or lose coverage for certain other reasons, as long as they pay the full cost of the premium.  Under COBRA, a GHP is defined as a job-based insurance plan that provides medical benefits to employees, their spouses, and/or their dependents.  As you make COBRA-related decisions, keep in mind that health coverage under COBRA is typically expensive because it tends to be comprehensive, and you may pay the full cost of the premium yourself (employers often pay part of the premium for current employees). However, COBRA coverage may be less expensive than similar individual health coverage.  The way that COBRA and Medicare coordinate depends, in part, on which form of insurance you have first. While it is possible to get COBRA if you already have Medicare, it is not usually possible to keep COBRA if you have it before you become Medicare-eligible. Specifically, whether you can have both COBRA and Medicare depends on which form of insurance you have first. If you have both forms of coverage, COBRA pays secondary to Medicare.   If you have COBRA when you become Medicare-eligible, your COBRA coverage usually ends on the date you get Medicare. You should enroll in Part B immediately because you are not entitled to a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) when COBRA ends. Your spouse and dependents may keep COBRA for up to 36 months, regardless of whether you enroll in Medicare during that time.  You may be able to keep COBRA coverage for services that Medicare does not cover. For example, if you have COBRA dental insurance, the insurance company that provides your COBRA coverage may allow you to drop your medical coverage but keep paying a premium for the dental coverage for as long as you are entitled to COBRA. Contact your plan for more information.  If you have Medicare Part A or Part B when you become eligible for COBRA, you must be allowed to enroll in COBRA. Medicare is your primary insurance, and COBRA is secondary. You should keep Medicare because it is responsible for paying the majority of your health care costs. COBRA is typically expensive, but it may be helpful if you have high medical expenses and your plan covers your Medicare cost-sharing or offers other needed benefits, or if the COBRA policy also covers other family members who are not Medicare eligible.  Note: If you are eligible for Medicare due to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), your COBRA coverage is primary during the 30-month coordination period. -Marci 

Quick and easy chicken dishes!

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Chicken is one of the all time favorite food. Both kids and adults enjoy having chicken whether in their sandwiches, salads, pasta, as appetizers, and as full meals. On the plus side, it is relatively inexpensive and can be quite easy to prepare. It is a good source protein, zinc and iron and depending on the preparation and cooking is relatively healthier than red meat. You can have a fulfilling meal with just quick and easy chicken dishes. There are several of these recipes which you can easily buy off the shelves of bookstores or even read on the internet.

Don’t worry too much on the chicken parts you are using. Believe me when I say that you won’t run out of recipes for each chicken part. All you need are the right ingredients and you can have a delicious meal in no time. You can combine these simple recipes with some useful cooking techniques which will make the whole process even easier and the resulting dish much tastier.

For example, when baking or grilling chicken, it would be best to leave the skin on first to make the meat tastier. You can remove the skin afterwards when you serve or eat it. Most of the fat of the chicken is stored in the skin. You can have a low fat chicken dish just by removing the skin. When you do prepare chicken dishes, I would suggest sticking with baking, broiling, and grilling. As much as possible, avoid frying the chicken. There are a lot more delicious and healthier ways to prepare and cook chicken aside from frying so let’s do that.

Let’s see, you can cook a tasty chicken dish with cream of mushroom soup. What you do is place sliced and skinned chicken on a pot and mix a can of cream of mushroom soup. Add another can of mushrooms but make sure the water has been drained. Add water and onion soup mix into it. You can cook this in low fire until the chicken is tender. Add salt to taste. And that’s it. Although, this recipe may take longer since you will have to cook the chicken in low fire to get that taste but the recipe is easy and the preparation is simple.

If you’re craving for pasta, you can add chicken into it to have a fuller meal. What you do is cut boneless and skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sauté it together with garlic, green pepper, some onions and mushrooms. Make sure the chicken is cooked already when you add the vegetables. In a few minutes the vegetables should be done as well. At this point mix in your tomato or spaghetti sauce. You can cook your pasta while you’re doing this so by the time you’re done with the chicken, the pasta is firm and ready to be served. Sauce your pasta and top with grated cheese or parmesan cheese.

If you like a different approach, mix olive oil to your pasta instead of spaghetti sauce. That sounds interesting. When you combine pasta and chicken it seems that you can’t go wrong. Both dishes are very easy to prepare individually and combining the two is just simply mixing the dishes.

You see, by having some quick and easy chicken dishes in mind, you can save your family and yourself a lot of time in preparing your meals. Start reading and looking for those quick recipes.

Wash your hands!

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Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals.

  1. Follow these five steps every time.
  2. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  3. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  4. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  5. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  6. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.