SENIOR BENEFITS GROUP
World Class Senior Advice and Solutions
Gregory S. Jordan, LUTCF, CSA
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SENIOR BENEFITS GROUP World Class Senior Advice and Solutions Gregory S. Jordan, LUTCF, CSA |
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Gregory S. Jordan Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) |
803-366-6517 877-590-6821 (Toll Free) Fax: 803-366-9511
seniorbenefitsgrp.com
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LONG-TERM CARE LIFE/MORTGAGE INSURANCE
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Articles:
Measuring Tape as a Medical Tool?
Practical Talk on Retirement Issues
New Drug Card Offers Seniors Discount
Read about the Long-Term Care crisis - an article by Congresswoman Nancy Johnson
Recently a number of studies have found that indulging in a serious coffee (or tea or cola) habit is not as bad for you as previously thought. While drinking a lot of these beverages may have a mild diuretic effect, the studies found they do not contribute to major dehydration. So, keeping in mind "everything in moderation," it's okay to reach for that second cup of coffee in the morning!
According to a new study, by simply checking your waistline, a doctor can tell whether you are at risk for diabetes. For women, the cutoff is 35 inches. Hit that number and you probably have a "spare tire" which is a marker for the high overall body fat level that may trigger the disease.
SENIOR MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
Is St. John's wort a health hazard?
You're depressed. Your health hasn't been good, and you're taking several prescription drugs. Before you reach for St. John's wort to lift your spirits, consider this. While manufacturers advertise the safety, effectiveness and over-the-counter availability of herbal remedies, these preparations may interact dangerously with your prescription medications.
St. John's wort is an herb used to treat mild depression. It's among the top five herbs sold in the United States, with estimated sales in 2001 of more than $200 million. It is even present in some herbal teas. But is St. John's wort safe? Clinical reports favorably compare its antidepressant effect with the prescription drugs Prozac® and Zoloft®. New studies, however, raise warning flags.
Early in 2002, the Food and Drug Administration alerted doctors that St. John's wort may reduce the effectiveness of certain prescription drugs, including oral contraceptives, cholesterol-reducing drugs, cancer-killing chemotherapy and drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS. St. John's wort was also found to reduce blood levels of cyclosporine, an antirejection medication used in organ transplantations.
Until more testing is done, most medical experts advise caution. The best advice is to "come clean" with your doctor about any herbs, vitamins or over-the-counter drugs you're taking. Even if you're not taking any prescription drugs, it's a good idea to consult with a health care professional before taking one or a combination of herbal remedies.■
PRACTICAL TALK ON RETIREMENT ISSUES
Working past 65? You still need to enroll in Medicare.
With more people working past the age of 65, it's more important than ever to understand your entry points to Medicare benefits. Here are your options.
The initial enrollment period begins three months prior to the month of your 65th birthday and continues for three months after. If you work for a company with fewer than 20 employees, you should enroll during this period because Medicare becomes your primary carrier. Your employer's plan should then pick up eligible costs not covered by Medicare.
If you miss the initial enrollment period, you must wait for the next general enrollment period - January to March each year with coverage delayed until the following July 1. And you will pay a permanent premium penalty of 10 percent for every year you should have enrolled but did not.
If you work for a company larger than 20 employees and work past age 65, you can enroll during the special enrollment period (SEP) when you actually retire. Your Medicare effective date then coincides with the loss of your group plan. But if you retire and extend your employer's group coverage (COBRA) for 18 months, you lose SEP eligibility, which means you will have to wait until the next general enrollment period (January through March). Therefore your Medicare coverage won't become effective until the following July, you are subject to the premium penalty and you risk no coverage during the interim.
DON'T MISS YOUR ENROLLMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR MEDICARE. CONSULT WITH YOUR CERTIFIED SENIOR ADVISOR, VISIT YOUR LOCAL SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE OR CALL 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) FOR MORE INFORMATION.■
Seven firms join for Together RX
(by Julie Appleby - USA Today)
Seven major drug makers will offer lower-income seniors a single discount card promising savings of 20% to 40% on prescription drugs, calling it a stop-gap measure pending Medicare reform.
Two of the companies, Glaxo-SmithKline and Novartis, already have drug discount cards. The others, Abbot, Aventis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca - are joining them in the combined card, which will be called Together RX.
The announcement is the latest move by the drug industry to offer discounts. Two other drug companies, Eli Lilly and Pfizer, have discount cards for low-income seniors that charge $12 and $15 respectively, per drug
But one major company, Merck, says it will buck the discount-card trend and make its free program for low-income patients of all ages easier to use instead.
Many of the same patients whose incomes would qualify them for discount cards also are eligible for free drugs from most of the drug companies. Merck said Tuesday that it has a toll-free number for patients who want to apply for its program: 800-727-5400.
Analysts say discount cards are a low-cost way for the industry to boost public relations, help some lower-income seniors and deflect criticism about drug prices. Critics say the discounts are too small to help many seniors.
Critics also fear the discount cards are an attempt to distract Congress from passing a Medicare drug benefit. Although the drug industry says it supports a Medicare drug benefit, pharmaceutical companies fear such a program could result in price controls.
The industry says the cards are simply an effort to help until the Medicare program adds a drug benefit.
"It's our determination to see that there is a proper Medicare drug benefit passed by Congress at the earliest possible date," says Richard Markham, chief executive of Aventis. "We see these cards as doing something in the meantime."
Savings on the approximately 150 medicines covered will vary by company, drug and pharmacy and could also change as manufacturers adjust wholesale prices.
"It will help, but it won't solve the problem," says John Ropther, policy director for AARP. "Clearly, people taking a lot of medications will still have trouble affording them."
Rother applauds the Merck effort to promote its free program. "What Merck is doing, by making it easier to sign up and get refills in the mail, has the potential to really expand the number of people helped," he says.
The Together RX card will be available by calling 800-865-7211. Those eligible are Medicare members with no other drug coverage and incomes of $28,000 or less for singles and $38,000 or less for couples. Income levels for the free programs and the cards offered by Lilly and Pfizer are lower.■
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