Life After 50 Expo

Health Tip – Diabetes

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November is National Diabetes Month, and this month, the focus is on the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), adults with diabetes are nearly twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke as people without diabetes. For adults with diabetes, NIDDK suggests taking the following steps, which can both help you manage your diabetes and help lower your risk of having heart disease or a stroke:
 Stop smoking or using other tobacco products.Manage your A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.Develop or maintain healthy lifestyle habits—be more physically active and learn ways to manage stress.Take medicines as prescribed by your doctor.

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,
 
I am making decisions about Medicare coverage options, and one of my friends told me that I should ask the plans that I’m considering whether they have any supplemental benefits. What are supplemental benefits?
 
-Emmy (Houston, TX)
 
Dear Emmy,
 
A supplemental benefit is an item or service covered by a Medicare Advantage Plan that is not covered by Original Medicare. These items or services do not need to be provided by Medicare providers or at Medicare-certified facilities. Instead, to receive these items or services, you need to follow your plan’s rules. Some commonly offered supplemental benefits are:
 Dental careVision careHearing aidsGym membership 
For the most part, supplemental benefits must be primarily health-related. Beginning in 2020, however, Medicare Advantage Plans can begin covering supplemental benefits that are not primarily health-related for beneficiaries who have chronic illnesses. These benefits can address social determinants of health for people with chronic disease. A social determinant of health is a part of your life that can affect your health in some way, such as not having access to transportation. Examples of the kind of benefits that plans can now cover are:
 Meal deliveryTransportation for non-medical needsHome air cleanersPest remediationHeart-healthy food or produce 
In order to be eligible for this new category of supplemental benefits, you must be considered chronically ill. This means that you:
 Have at least one medically complex chronic condition that is life-threatening or significantly limits your health or functionMedically complex chronic conditions include cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, chronic lung disorders, neurologic disorders, chronic heart failure, chronic and disabling mental health conditions, cancer, dementia, chronic alcohol or drug dependence, autoimmune disorders, stroke, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), severe hematologic disorders, end-stage liver disease, and HIV/AIDS.Have a high risk of hospitalization or other negative health outcomes, andRequire intensive care coordination 
If you meet the above criteria, a Medicare Advantage Plan may offer you one of these new benefits if it has a reasonable expectation of improving or maintaining your health or function.
 
Since Medicare Advantage Plans will be able to create sets of supplemental benefits for people with specific chronic illnesses, not every member of a Medicare Advantage Plan will have access to the same set of benefits. For example, a plan might cover services like home air cleaning and carpet shampooing to its members who have asthma. A member of that plan who has asthma may be able to get these services covered, while a member who does not have asthma may not.
 
Before enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan that has these new supplemental benefits, check if you meet the plan’s criteria for coverage. Contact your plan to find out how to access these and other supplemental benefits.
 
-Marci

Best health drink – Water!

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There are a lot of commercial health drinks out there in the market nowadays. They claim that they provide cure for illnesses, even citing studies of their drastic impact on cancer. But amidst these countless choices, we may e forgetting about nature’s most important “cocktail” – water.

Some health professionals say that most of the people nowadays are dehydrated and they are not aware of it. People are more interested in drinking coffee, tea and sodas which also contains caffeine. About 83 percent of our blood is made of water. Muscles are made of 75 percent water, while bone is 22 percent composed of water. Actually, an average person who weighs around 150 lbs., contains 40 to 50 quarts of water. That makes 2/3 of our body weight are from water.

Drinking water also retains the fluids necessary for the body to function. When the body gets less water, it begins to hold on to each drop of fluid and water it has. Water is stored outside the cells making feet, legs and hands to swell. To overcome this problem, the best thing to do is to drink plenty of water. The stored water outside the cells will be released.

Aside from being completely necessary for biological processes, drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day will definitely give you significant health improvements. It would improve your energy, increase mental and physical performance, remove toxins and other waste products from the body.

Water also helps you to get glowing and healthy-looking skin. Water acts as a natural body purifier, this disposes the toxins out of your body. There are even studies citing water intake as an important factor in weight loss. When a body does not have enough water, the fat cells cannot be easily metabolized. This “rubber-like” fat cell is harder to lose. Water can also suppress your hunger.

Not drinking enough water is also the number one reason of fatigue. There are also studies that showed that drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day relieves most patients from back and joint pain. It even has effects on our memory and ability to concentrate. If you lack water intake, you can have short-term memory, trouble with your basic math and focusing on what you have in front of you, either a computer screen or a page you are handling.

Aside from regular tap water, you can see a lot mineral water and even alkaline water in the stands. Compared to ordinary tap water, alkaline water has higher pH level. Alkaline water is said to have help in neutralizing acids and remove toxins from the body. Alkaline water drinkers and proponents believed that most of what we eat and drink produces acid waste. Aside from this, they also say that alkaline water gives electrochemical activity to the cell.

To keep the body hydrated, you do not have to drink from your water bottle every time. Food is also source of your 20 percent total water intake. The remaining 80 percent comes from other beverages. Fruits and vegetables also contain a lot of water. Oranges would have 87 percent of composed of water.

Even if there are people promoting alkaline water, there are still other health care professionals who thinks that we should just stick to regular, plain water. Whether it is alkaline water or normal water, we could not deny that it is one of the wonders of Mother Nature. Over centuries, water has been the natural health drink for us.

A few healthy living tips!

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Here are a few tips for living a healthy lifestyle.

There’s no better place to start self-improvement than with your health. After all, health is one of the most important aspects of life. Taking care of your health is the first step on the road to self-improvement.
1. Eat breakfast- start the day off right with a quick morning breakfast. Fruit and yoghurt, granola and milk or whole-wheat toast and peanut butter will ensure you start on the right foot.

2. Relax in the morning- get up a couple minutes early and savour that extra time. Enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise; take a few extra minutes to yourself in the shower; or go for a quick brisk walk around the block to get your heart pumping. There’s nothing worse than starting your day in a rush. A few minutes in the morning can make a world of difference.

3. Exercise with a friend- Exercise releases endorphins, which can lift your sprit as well as help you maintain a healthy weight. However, sometimes it can be hard to get out of bed and actually hit the gym. Combining your friendly chatter with exercise can make exercise much more fun. Working out with a friend, whether this is a morning stroll, a spin class, an evening run or anything else, can keep you motivated and revved for the rest of the day.

4. Don’t just drink water, enjoy water- tap water is fine, in most instances, but pure water makes a big difference. It’s important to drink 2 litres of water each day; however, this shouldn’t seem like a chore. Add some ice cubes, lemon or other flavoring and enjoy water through a fun straw to make it more indulgent. Water doesn’t have to be just water.

5. Pop a vitamin a day- it’s amazing what one little pill can do for your health. Multi vitamins can give your body the nourishment it is lacking. We can’t eat perfect balanced and healthy all the time, which is why vitamins were created.

6. Hide (or throw away) the scale- a scale is the only ingredient you need for a recipe for disaster when it comes to self-improvement. Hide it. Throw it away and don’t think about it. You have more important things to worry about than your weight. If you feel great on the inside, then it will show on the outside, regardless of what that darned scale says. If you need something to measure, use a tape measure around your waist monthly.

Dear Marci,

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Dear Marci,

I’m new to Medicare and would like to know about what benefits are covered. Does Medicare cover dental care?

-Anthony (Providence, RI)

Medicare does not cover dental services that you need primarily for the health of your teeth, including but not limited to:

  • Routine checkups
  • Cleanings
  • Fillings
  • Dentures (complete or partial/bridge)
  • Tooth extractions (having your teeth pulled) in most cases

If you receive dental services, you will be responsible for the full cost of your care unless you have private dental coverage or are utilizing a low-cost dental resource. Again, Medicare will not pay for or reimburse you for dental services you receive primarily for the health of your teeth.
Note: Some Medicare Advantage Plans cover routine dental services, such as checkups or cleanings. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, contact your plan to learn about dental services that may be covered.

While Medicare does not pay for dental care needed primarily for the health of your teeth, it does offer very limited coverage for dental care needed to protect your general health, or for dental care needed in order for another Medicare-covered health service to be successful. For instance, Medicare may cover:

  • An oral examination in the hospital before a kidney transplant
  • An oral examination in a rural clinic or Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) before a heart valve replacement
  • Dental services needed for radiation treatment for certain jaw-related diseases (like oral cancer)
  • Ridge reconstruction (reconstruction of part of the jaw) performed when a facial tumor is removed
  • Surgery to treat fractures of the jaw or face
  • Dental splints and wiring needed after jaw surgery

It is important to know that while Medicare may cover these initial dental services, Medicare will not pay for any follow-up dental care after the underlying health condition has been treated. For example, if you were in a car accident and needed a tooth extraction as part of surgery to repair a facial injury, Medicare may cover your tooth extraction—but it will not pay for any other dental care you may need later because you had the tooth removed.

Medicare also covers some dental-related hospitalizations. For example, Medicare may cover:

  • Observation you require during a dental procedure because you have a health-threatening condition

In these cases, Medicare will cover the costs of hospitalization (including room and board, anesthesia, and x-rays). It will not cover the dentist fee for treatment or fees for other physicians, such as radiologists or anesthesiologists. Further, while Medicare may cover inpatient hospital care in these cases, it never covers dental services specifically excluded from Original Medicare (like dentures), even if you are in the hospital.

If you need dental care, look into resources or other forms of insurance that may help pay for dental services. You can also use FAIR Health’s consumer cost lookup tool to get an estimate for the amounts dental professionals usually charge in your area for different services.

-Marci