How to Maintain Medicare Coverage Avoiding Scammers During Open Enrollment / Public Information Service

LINCOLN, Neb. – With Medicare open enrollment set to start next week, Nebraskans aged 65 and over can expect to see a deluge of ads for so-called Advantage plans, where private insurance companies offer Medicare coverage with additional benefits which may include vision and dental coverage.

Alicia Jones, director of the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), for the Nebraska Department of Insurance, said it’s important not to let bells and whistles distract attention from selecting a plan that first meets your basic health needs.

“These additional benefits are great, but the primary function is health insurance,” Jones said. “So make sure the health side is what you need, that your doctors are taking it, that the costs seem to be working, and then you can move on to those additional benefits. “

Until December 7, Nebraska residents will also be able to select Medicare Plan B prescription drug coverage, a hot topic these days in the nation’s capital as Big Pharma strives to block efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to reduce costs.

Starting this year, plans participating in Medicare’s senior savings model are now required to offer insulin for up to $ 35 per month, which could save some Nebraskans several hundred dollars a year.

Jones stressed that it’s important to check your coverage every year. She noted that some current plans will not be available next year and that a number of plans are increasing monthly premiums by 30-40%.

Jones stressed that it’s also important to keep an eye out for crooks posing as company or government officials. Her advice: don’t answer a phone call if you don’t know the caller, and never reply to messages sent via Facebook or email.

“If you’re interested in what they’re saying, find that company’s number and call it,” Jones urged. “That way you can know you are actually talking to the business, you can get real information, and you can make sure you don’t get scammed.”

To help you choose the right plan, call Jones and his team toll free at 1-800-234-7119 to make a free one-on-one appointment. Jones will also be leading an electronic town hall on Wednesday, October 13 at 10:00 a.m. To call or listen, visit vekeo.com/AARPNebraska.

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BOISE, Idaho – Hospitals in Idaho are rationing care amid pandemic pressure. Some groups question the use of age as one of the determinants of who receives medical care, or to what extent.

A flood of COVID-19 patients has pushed Idaho to implement its “Standards of care in a crisis” guidelines. In the case of scarce resources, the standards say, the focus should be on saving as many “years of life” as possible. This could cause hospitals to choose to save a younger person, as it is assumed they have more years to live, said Lupe Wissel, state director of AARP Idaho.

“I understand the need for crisis standards for care, absolutely,” he said. “However, any health care decision should be made on the basis of individualized medical assessments of patients, their situation and objective medical evidence. Age should not and should never be used as a factor in making these very difficult medical decisions. “

According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, ensuring that patients are not discriminated against because of their age or other factors – such as race, religion or disability – is a guiding principle for patient care.

In September, the Justice in Aging group filed a civil rights lawsuit against Idaho over its crisis care standards, asking the US Department of Health and Human Services to investigate Idaho’s plan . Wissel said doctors make decisions based on objective medical evidence all the time.

“Every life is valuable,” he said. “You shouldn’t take the number of years someone has lived or someone to assume how many years they have left, etc. No, that shouldn’t come into play.”

Hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise in Idaho. The state remains one of the least vaccinated in the country, with about 53% of people aged 12 and over fully vaccinated.

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RICHMOND, Virginia – With Virginia governor’s neck and neck race, advocates urge candidates to ease student debt burden after a new report found nearly half of Virginia voters struggling with the challenge.

The AARP survey in Virginia found that a third of Virginia voters aged 18 to 49 say student debt has kept them from getting the health care they need.

Jim Dau, state director of AARP Virginia, added that 60% of voters aged 50 to 64 said debt kept them from saving for retirement, showing that even older Virginians are suffering from excessive school debt.

“Let those numbers come into play,” Dau urged. “It’s huge, and it’s shocking and has a real impact not only on Virginia and Virginians today, but it’s going to impact us and where we live in our communities for years to come. future.”

He is urging voters across the state to contact the gubernatorial candidates to explain how they might bring relief.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin both discussed ways to boost secondary education during the election campaign, but neither directly discussed the forgiveness of student loans or the protections.

Studies show seniors are the fastest growing population in the United States to become crippled by student loan debt. Dau pointed out that Americans 50 or older held more than $ 330 billion in student debt in 2020, largely to support family members through college.

“If you default on student debt, your Social Security benefits could be foreclosed,” Dau warned. “So at a time when you don’t have the career, the salary to make up for lost savings, you now find that this great source of retirement security is now consumed more.”

The study found that Virginians of color are particularly affected by student debt pressure. Nearly three-quarters of black Virginians say student debt has kept them from saving for retirement, and more than 60% of Hispanic voters say student debt has kept them or a loved one from buying a home.

A majority of voters polled agree that the state government should protect borrowers from abusive lending practices.

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MADISON, Wisconsin – Prescription drug costs are rising faster than the wages of the average Wisconsin resident. That’s according to a new analysis, which is linked to the push for congressional action.

the last of the AARP RX Price Watch Report said between 2015 and 2019, the average annual cost of prescription drugs increased by more than 26%, while the average income of Wisconsinians increased by almost 14%.

Lisa Lamkins, director of advocacy for AARP Wisconsin, said it was becoming too difficult for people who need drugs to absorb these costs.

“Seniors in Wisconsin are feeling the pinch of inflation in grocery stores and at the pumps,” Lamkins said. “And unfortunately, they feel it even more when they go to the pharmacy to pick up their prescription drugs.”

The AARP and other groups want Congress to give Medicare the power to negotiate drug prices. This approach has surfaced in a house bill, and is a focal point in the Biden administration’s fiscal reconciliation plan.

But opponents, including the pharmaceutical lobby, say that would give the government too much power fixing prices and hampering research and development.

Lamkins argued that pharmaceutical companies make a profit from innovative work heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars.

“The new drugs introduced over the past 60 years – most of the major drugs – have been developed with the help of research conducted in the public sector, such as universities,” Lamkins said.

Looking at specific drugs, the analysis revealed the annual cost of Victoza, which treats diabetes, increased by more than $ 3,000 between 2015 and 2020. Lamkins said this was not helpful to the more than 330,000 Wisconsin residents with diabetes.

Other reforms launched include sanctions for companies that raise their drug prices faster than inflation.

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