Greetings!  

Marriage is good for your health!

There are several articles proclaiming the benefits of marriage. They promote perks such as better financial stability, better physical and emotional health, and better sex. ABC news boasts of a research article proving that married couples live longer.

Married people experience better financial status through the sharing of items, such as furniture, food, and insurance, reducing expenditures. Sharing of responsibility is also beneficial such as reducing the need for child care or help with an older parent. Money is generally shared by couples during marriage and can help each other financially through tight budgets.

Emotional and physical health is impacted through marriage. By looking out for each other's health, married people tend to be healthier than single people. Some studies have shown that married people are less likely to be victims of violent crimes, suggesting an increase in safety. Married couples tend to be more involved with family and friends and are therefore less susceptible to depression and alcoholism. The risk for contracting a sexually transmitted disease is greatly reduced among monogamous marriages. More married people report being emotionally and physically satisfied than their single counterparts.

With all these benefits and the promise of a longer life, it is amazing that marriage rates are decreasing. High divorce rates and domestic violence can be strong deterrents. Bottom line, forgiveness and understanding within a happy supportive marriage will keep you on the path to a long, healthy life.

"Ask Jane" Director of Social Services

Dear Jane,

I want to get preventive care from my doctor, but I'm not sure what Medicare covers.

What preventive services does Medicare cover in 2012?

 

Signed,

Mary (Cinnaminson)

Dear Mary,

Everyone who has Medicare qualifies to receive certain preventive care benefits. For most preventive care, you'll usually pay nothing out of pocket (no coinsurance or deductible) if you have Original Medicare and see providers who accept assignment, meaning that they accept Medicare's approved amount as the full payment for a service.

However, you usually will have to pay a deductible or coinsurance if your doctor needs to do further tests or procedures to treat a problem found during a preventive screening.  For example, if a doctor finds and removes a polyp during a screening colonoscopy, that preventive service has become diagnostic and, although Medicare will still cover it, you may have to pay part of the cost.

Medicare covers certain other preventive services at 100 percent only for patients who have certain risk factors for a disease. This applies to services such as diabetes screenings and bone mass measurements.

There are many changes to Medicare coverage of preventive care in 2012. Starting this year, if you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, your plan can't charge you for preventive care services that are free for people with Original Medicare as long as you see in-network providers. Medicare also added several new preventive care services in the fall of 2011. These new preventive services include a depression screening to ensure you are mentally healthy, obesity screening and dietary counseling for people who are overweight, a cardiovascular risk reduction visit during which your doctor will give you advice on how to combat heart disease, and an alcohol misuse screening for people who are at risk for alcohol abuse.

If you have questions about these new benefits or are having trouble accessing your preventive care, you can always call the Medicare Rights Center's national consumer helpline at 800-333-4114.

This information is republished with permission from the Medicare Rights Center. For more info visit www.medicarerights.org.

For additional information please see www.medicareinteractive.org.

Chicken Tortilla Soup 

There's no need to measure lots of herbs or spices for this soup. They're already in the chicken broth and Mexican-style tomatoes.  

• 2 14-ounce cans chicken broth with roasted garlic
• 1 14-1/2-ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about 10 ounces) 
• 2 cups frozen (yellow, green, and red) peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables 
• 1 cup tortilla chips 
• Sliced fresh jalapeno chile peppers* (optional) 

Directions  

1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine broth, undrained tomatoes, chicken, and frozen vegetables.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.
3. To serve, ladle soup into warm soup bowls and top with tortilla chips. If desired, top with chile peppers. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 181, Total Fat 4 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 36 mg, Sodium 1383 mg, Carbohydrate 19 g, Fiber 1 g, Protein 18 g.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

"Sell like hotcakes"

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