|
 Thoughts
from the Director:
Rick Hindman
"Extra Help" for RX Available to Low-Income Medicare Recipients
The first week of February is LIS Awareness Week. LIS is a Low-Income Subsidy or "Extra Help" available to some Medicare recipients.
Estimated to be worth an average of $3,900 a year, there may be "Extra Help" for prescription drug plan costs especially for senior citizens who have limited income and resources. The "Extra Help" provides assistance paying for monthly premiums, annual deductibles, prescription coinsurance and co-payments and no gap in coverage.
Medicare's 46 million elderly and disabled beneficiaries have access to the Part D drug benefit offered through private plans approved by the federal government (stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) or Medicare Advantage drug plans).
The drug benefit includes substantial premium and cost-sharing subsidies for Medicare beneficiaries with low incomes and modest resources, including beneficiaries eligible for full Medicaid benefits (dual eligibles).
In 2009, 36 percent (9.6 million) of the nearly 27 million Medicare Part D enrollees were receiving low-income subsidies. But an estimated 2.3 million were eligible and NOT receiving them!
Low-income subsidies (LIS) are intended to reduce or eliminate enrollees' out-of-pocket expenses associated with the drug benefit, including premiums, deductibles, copayments, and costs in the coverage gap (also called the doughnut hole).
Part D plans are required to offer a statutorily defined standard benefit or one that is actuarially equivalent, or in the case of MA-PD plans, an enhanced plan that is available for no additional premium. The standard benefit for 2010 has a $310 deductible, then coinsurance of 25 percent up to $2,830 in total drug costs, followed by a gap in coverage between $2.830 and $6,440 where enrollees pay 100 percent of the costs of their drugs. After enrollees have incurred $4,554 in out-of-pocket expenses, they qualify for catastrophic coverage, and pay 5 percent of drug costs.
One unsettling finding in the national research shows that of the seniors who meet the "Doughnut Hole" about 15 percent who take medications said they stopped taking them when they reached the gap - simply because they could not afford them. Others noted that they began skipping doses or taking medications that were not as effective.
Please help AAA8 spread the word about this great benefit! We know that many in our rural region qualify but they don't even know it. They can find more information by calling our office at 1-800-331-2644 and a trained professional will assess what programs they are eligible to take access. If you would like to host an event, contact us as well. Visit the AAA8 web site for the Governor's Proclamation. |
|
Save the Dates
-
OAAAA Aging in Ohio: April 7
Crowne Plaza Columbus North
October 6
Crowne Plaza Columbus North
-
OAAAA Spring Conference:
March 23 -24
Hyatt on Capital Square Columbus
-
OAAAA Annual Conference on Aging:
Sept. 13-14
Crowne Plaza Columbus North |
|
AAA8 Staff Resources
-
Executive Director: Misty Casto
-
Asst. Exec. Dir. & AAA8 Director: Rick Hindman
-
Home Care Director: Jane Skeen, LSW
-
Programs Manager: Cathy Ash, LSW
-
Communications Director: Gwynn Stewart | |
|
|
|
AAA8 to Host Healthy U Leader Training and Sponsor Lay-Led Community Programs
 The Buckeye Hills Area Agency on Aging District 8 (AAA8) is continuing its no-cost "Healthy U" training program for individuals in the region. The "Healthy U" plan provides training about proven methods in managing chronic conditions such as heart disease, emphysema, hypertension and diabetes.
Program participants meet for 2.5 hours each week for a six-week program. Things like how to eat well, how to manage emotions, ways to exercise or make fitness a priority, medication how-to's, and communicating with medical professionals are all part of the "Healthy U" series.
AAA8 received funding to host 2010 Healthy U program in the region. AAA8 has a supply of books, CD's, Charts, easels and markers for leaders who have already been trained and want to host a workshop.
AAA8 also anticipates receiving additional funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act for Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs (CDSMP). AAA8 is planning to partner with the Washington County RSVP to train lay leaders for the program. The future lay leader training will not be exclusive to RSVP but open to other interested individuals until we get a maximum number for the class. This 4-day program will be held in Marietta.
AAA8 has also with Combined Health Ministries, a group in Lower Salem, to schedule a Healthy U workshop series at the Lower Salem Community building starting March 17 through April 21 from 12:30 p.m. -3p.m.
Another workshop series is scheduled with Nancy Matheny at the O'Neill Center starting on March 8 through April 12 from 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m.
AAA8 would like to see a class in Perry County if possible. Hopefully with the new activities at the Perry Senior Center we will be able to draw interest in the program. In addition, sites and leaders are needed for classes in Athens, Washington and Hocking counties as well as Noble or Monroe. If anyone knows of individuals in Noble or Monroe who may be interested in taking the lay leader training, contact AAA8.
For more details, contact Cathy Ash, L.S.W., AAA Program Manager at 1-800-331-2644. |
 Help with Home Heating Bills
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the typical U.S. family spends about $1,900 a year on home utility bills. Heating and cooling uses more energy than any other system in a home and typically accounts for 56 percent of the utility bill.
This winter, help seniors determine if they are eligible for Ohio's Energy Assistance programs including Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), the Percentage of Income Payment Plans (PIPP) and E-Heap (emergency heat assistance). Residents of the Buckeye Hills Area Agency on Aging District 8 who are age 60+ can find out in minutes if they qualify for Ohio's home heating assistance programs. For an application, call 1-800-331-2644.
In addition, seniors may consider other cost-saving measures suggested by The Ohio Dept. of Aging. A programmable thermostat, easily installed and with starting costs around $30, allows you to automatically adjust the temperature of your home when you are asleep or out of the house, saving you approximately $180 a year, according to the Energy Star program. Turn off kitchen, bath and other exhaust fans within 20 minutes after you are done cooking or bathing - in just one hour, these fans can pull out a house full of warm air. Make sure registers, baseboard heaters and radiators are not blocked by furniture, carpeting or drapes. Fix all holes or cracks around your walls, windows, doors, lighting and plumbing fixtures and electrical outlets that can leak air. |
 Caregiving in the U.S. 2009
According to Caregiving in the U.S. 2009, the most comprehensive examination to date of caregiving in America, 29 percent of adults, or 65.7 million people, are caregivers, including 31 percent of all households.
Caregiving still is mostly a woman's job and many women are putting their careers and financial futures on hold as they juggle part-time caregiving and full-time job requirements. The average age of today's caregiver is 49, and the average age of today's care recipient is 69. The report details the prevalence, implications, costs of caregiving and demographics of caregivers. |
|
Ohio AARP Poll Shows State Should Spend More on In-Home Care  Ohioans overwhelmingly want their older family members to get the care they need at home rather than in an institution. A surprising three out of four would support a tax increase for that to happen, according to a recent statewide AARP poll.
"The numbers are very, very strong, especially in the economic climate we're in here in Ohio," said Bill Sundermeyer, AARP Ohio associate state director. Sundermeyer said he hopes the poll results will bolster efforts to expand in-home care for the elderly, which will be critical as Ohio's population grows older and Medicaid costs put increasing pressure on the state budget.
State demographics underscore the need for change: Those 85 and older are the state's fastest-growing population segment, and the number of Ohioans over 60 is expected to increase by a third from 2007 to 2020.
In the poll, 85 percent said the state should make it a top priority to help people stay in their homes as long as possible. Two-thirds want more money for home services, even if it means cutting funds for nursing homes.
"Not everyone who ends up in a nursing home really needs to be there," said Kathy Keller, AARP Ohio communications director. In-home care is not only popular, it's much less expensive, she said, costing about one-third as much as nursing home care.
When it came to supporting new taxes, home-based long-term care outpolled police protection, jobs, K-12 education and health care.
The poll also showed three-fourths of those surveyed had a positive attitude toward people who care for the elderly. The poll was taken in the fall and has a three-point margin of error. |
 AAA8 Region Notes Grants to Providers of Senior Meal Services
Thanks to a generous donation of $750,000 from the Wal-Mart Foundation, the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) was able to award special grants to 80 local MOWAA Member programs in 40 states to assist them in providing meals to homebound seniors. The "MOWAA/Wal-Mart Foundation Cure Grant Program," as the partnership is called, comes at a crucial time, as Meals On Wheels programs across the country are facing serious financial difficulties due to increased gasoline and food prices, a drop in donations as a result of the economic downturn, and growing demand for services. The winning MOWAA Member programs, which were selected through a competitive grant process, were awarded grants to restore their nutrition services and help cure the disease of senior hunger that is plaguing America today.
In the AAA8 region, Meigs County Council on Aging in Pomeroy received $11,500 and the Community Action Program Corp. in Marietta received $15,000. |
|
Ohio Launches Website to Compare Hospital Performance
Nearly four years after lawmakers passed legislation designed to make hospital shopping easier, the Department of Health unveiled a website that allows Ohioans to compare infection rates, patient satisfaction and other quality indicators.
ODH Director Dr. Alvin Jackson said the website would give people appropriate information when making decisions about their health care. This is a comprehensive, user-friendly system that gives patients deciding where to go for certain procedures access to important quality outcomes among Ohio's hospitals.
Ohio Hospital Compare allows users to compare more than 100 different performance measures among hospitals throughout the state. The website contains information on heart care, surgery, strokes, pneumonia, hospital-acquired infections, pregnancy and delivery, children's asthma, and patient satisfaction. | |
|
