By Wiley Long
President
MediGap Advisors

What’s in It for Me:
Over-65 Plans and Wellness Benefits

Newsletter Issue #10

I’m Wiley Long, President of MediGap Advisors, and I’m back with this tenth edition of our “Guided Path to Medicare” newsletter, aimed at helping you navigate the sometimes confusing waters of health care options available to you in your senior years.

In our last newsletter, I gave you something of a checklist of all the things you should be doing to get ready for enrollment in your senior health care coverage. This month, we’ll talk about the features of these health plans specifically aimed at keeping you healthy.

According to the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) data (2016), the U.S. life expectancy worldwide was at 76 years for males and 81 years for females. That means Americans have it substantially better than those from Sierra Leone, who can plan on only about 38 years, but we’ve got a ways to go to catch up with Japan, whose citizens can expect to live 86.2 years on average.

It’s my sincere hope that you have many happy, healthy, and productive years left and that you celebrate many birthdays beyond number 79. Clearly, taking care of your health has never been more important, and you should know about the provisions in your health care plan that help you to do so.

Take the first step with free health club memberships to improve your fitness and overall health.

SilverSneakers, Silver & Fit, and Renew Active are free health club memberships that are often included in Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans. These programs are designed to help seniors stay active and social, two keep ingredients in good health.

All three have different bells and whistles, but the core of what they offer is essentially the same. These programs give members access to gyms around the country. You’re entitled to all of the amenities and services afforded as part of a basic membership. Some locations even have social activities geared toward either SilverSneakers, Silver & Fit, or Renew Active members.

The classes involve total-body conditioning and are designed to improve muscular strength, endurance, range of motion, flexibility, agility, and coordination. These programs have been proven to help older adults manage their health and improve strength, balance, and endurance–and doing these things improves your overall health and well-being.

If you can’t conveniently access any of the locations, you can enroll in self-directed physical activity programs you can do on your own at home. You’ll receive the tools you need to develop a plan to increase your physical activity and a whole library of on-demand video exercises to follow.

My team can help you to find a plan that offers one of these free health club memberships, so you don’t miss out on this important feature of many of the Medicare supplement and Medicare Advantage plans we offer.

We talk a lot about what these plans pay when you’re sick, but it’s almost as important to consider what they pay when you’re well.

Knowing how your plan pays for wellness visits is crucial. First, let’s talk about your first visit with your doctor once you begin to be covered by Medicare – the Welcome to Medicare Preventative Visit.

Within twelve months of the start of your coverage, you should schedule this initial visit. It’s covered in full. The visit includes a review of your medical history; screenings for certain diseases, vaccinations, and referrals (if necessary); blood pressure, and height/weight measurements and body mass index determination; vision test; and screening for depression. If you choose, you can even get counseling about end-of-life options.

After that, you’re entitled to a yearly wellness visit, during which you’ll discuss your medical and family history, review of all of your providers and prescriptions, and get the routine height and weight measurements, as well as blood pressure. You’ll have a cognitive impairment evaluation and other preventive services as necessary. This visit is free. Your Medicare plan also covers certain preventive care services, like mammograms and colonoscopies, without the typical Part B coinsurance and deductibles.

A word of caution: Make sure your provider accepts the payment amount approved by Medicare for your wellness exam. If a more thorough exam is performed, it might not be fully covered, and you’ll be left paying the difference.

I hope you’re finding the information in these newsletters helpful. Next month, we’ll talk about taking steps to sign up for a plan to ensure you have coverage in place on the day you turn 65.

 

Best regards,

Wiley P. Long III
President – MediGap Advisors