Today at least 5.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, and that number only continues to grow. A recent study conducted by the Rand Corporation revealed that by the year 2019, nearly 15 million Americans will be living with mild cognitive impairment, which could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Currently, there are no disease-modifying treatments, but results from recent trials indicate there could be one or more therapies available as early as 2020. The federal government set a goal in 2012 to achieve prevention and disease-modifying treatment by 2025.

Feeling exhausted is so common that it has its own acronym, TATT, which stands for “tired all the time”. At any given time, one in five people feels unusually tired, and one in ten have prolonged fatigue, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Women tend to feel tired more often than men.

What State or Federal laws, regulations, or policies (including Medicare, Medicaid, and other sources of payment) reduce or restrict competition and choice in healthcare markets?

Medicare can be confusing or even overwhelming, especially when a person has chronic illness, limited resources, or a lack of help. Choosing among traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage (MA), Medicare Part D, and supplemental or “Medigap” options can make it almost paralyzingly complex. We rely on people with Medicare to make informed, savvy choices—in other words, to “vote with their feet”—so that competition can reward plan innovations that work, identify bad actors and problematic behaviors, and reduce both beneficiary and program costs. Yet, studies show that older adults struggle to compare plans1 and often do not change MA or Part D plans even when doing so may lead to lower premiums and reduced cost-sharing.2 To put it simply—people with Medicare are overwhelmed with information, but it may not be the information they need.

As policymakers consider putting beneficiaries on the hook for plan and health care choices, the absence of quality, useful information becomes increasingly punitive. We cannot support proposals that will shift costs to people with Medicare, penalize them for failing to make optimum choices, or otherwise transfer burdens onto their shoulders. Doing so becomes especially egregious when people are kept in the dark about what their choices are or what they might mean. The existing resources are insufficient. They must be improved before new complexities are added.

Currently the only Medicare choice tool is Plan Finder. While Plan Finder allows head- to-head comparisons of prescription drug plans, its utility is limited as it does not even allow a beneficiary to search across plans for particular providers. And there is no adequately-resourced tool to fill the gaps. The vital State Health Insurance Assistance (SHIP) program, which offers one-on-one personalized assistance,3 is woefully underfunded, faces challenges meeting current demands, and is constantly under threat.4 1-800- MEDICARE, while a needed resource, is no substitute for in-person assistance. We urge the administration not to move forward with any proposals to increase plan flexibility that would also further complicate beneficiary choice until adequate tools and resources are available for beneficiaries to effectively evaluate and compare their options.

We also note that as plan offerings become more complex, the administration’s responsibility to oversee plans appears to be getting less emphasis. Such oversight is an obligation that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) owes to beneficiaries, and is only increased by increasing complexity.

We might point out that CMS’s inability to negotiate prices for prescription drugs further compounds beneficiaries’ options, as plans are free to choose the pharmaceutical benefit managers that give them the “best price for a restricted formulary” regardless of how it will impact the beneficiary.

Recently an 81 year old beneficiary with diminished capabilities succumbed to marketing mailers from a United Healthcare plan endorsed by AARP and enrolled in a Medicare Advantage HMO plan without understanding the implications of her decision. She just “trusted AARP!” The local HICAP (California’s SHIP) will attempt to unravel her situation to ensure that she and her daughter understand the consequences of her decision, and make any needed changes based on her unique circumstances.

With laser teeth whitening treatments you are able to walk out of the dental office with your teeth a lot brighter. With laser bleaching, a barrier is put around the gums and a strong bleach is put on your teeth. A laser light is used to activate the bleach to make it work. A down side of laser teeth whitening treatments can be the cost since laser whitening is the most expensive of the teeth-whitening options available.

Question: How much will my Share of Cost be?

Reply: The more money you make, the higher your Share of Cost is. You can complain if you think there is a mistake and your share of cost is too high.

If you can not figure out how much your Share of Cost is, you would want to speak to your case worker. Your case worker should be able to tell you how much your Share Cost is and how much your income is over to have a Zero share of cost.

With additional studies showing links of poor oral health to over all health care issue it is important to maintain your oral and dental care health. Seniors may need to see their dentist more then just twice a year if advised by their dentist in order to properly maintain their dental healthcare needs.

However with the rising cost of dental care many seniors tend to put off their dental care needs. One why to address the cost factor is by having dental insurance. There are many different types of dental insurance plans that can address different needs. One this website we offer Affordable low cost dental insurance plans such as HMO and or dental discount plans. Both of these plan types will make dental care much more affordable at a low month cost.

For people that wish to stay with or choose their own dental provider we also offer dental PPO plans such as Dental Dental, StandardLife Dental and Madison Dental to name a few. Take a moment to review our dental insurance and plan options and see which may be the best fit for your dental needs and your budget.

Teeth clenching is the clamping and pressing of the jaws and teeth together in centric occlusion, this is frequently associated with psychological stress or physical effort.

Not only is dental insurance an acceptable expense to meet your share of cost spend down requirements. Having dental insurance help you save money on your dental care needs. Most all our plans provide preventive care free to low cost. Need dental insurance? Call our member services at 310-534-3444 as they will be happy to help you find a plan that best fits your needs.