Fwd: When can I disenroll from my Medicare health plan?

[Guest guest]

Topic of the Month:

Medicare Options

This week, in Marci . . .

Volume 7, Issue 45: Week of November 10, 2008

Dear Marci: When can I disenroll from my

Medicare health plan?

Get Resources: Resources for

understanding your Medicare options. Health Tip: Tips for a healthy

Thanksgiving meal. Survey Says: Women’s hands carry more

germs than men’s.

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Dear Marci,

My father signed up for a Medicare private health plan last year, but he

has not been happy with the coverage. How can he get back into Original

Medicare?

—Judith (Eau , WII)

Click on the blue, underlined hyperlinks for related

information available through Medicare Interactive!

Dear Judith,

Although disenrolling is a simple process, it can only be done during

specific times of the year. Your father can switch plans during the

Annual Coordinated Election Period (ACEP), which runs from

November 15 through December 31 every year. If he misses the ACEP, your

father can also switch plans once during the Open Enrollment Period

(OEP), which runs from January 1 through March 31 every year. If your

father was misled into joining his current Medicare private health plan,

he might be entitled to a

retroactive disenrollment or a Special Enrollment Period

(SEP).

You father should call 800-MEDICARE to

request his disenrollment from his private health plan. As soon as he

disenrolls, he will be automatically enrolled in

Original Medicare.

To find out more about when you can change your Medicare health

plan, visit

Medicare Interactive.

— Marci

Looking for past Dear Marci Answers? Have other Medicare

questions? Find your answers with Medicare Interactive (MI), an

independent, public resource of the Medicare Rights Center. MI offers

expert information and advice on Medicare.

Visit Medicare Interactive today!

Do you need individual counseling? Call the Medicare Rights

Center's consumer hotline at , between 9 a.m. and 5

p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. A Medicare counselor will be

happy to answer your question.

You can also call your

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for personal

counseling on Medicare benefits, rights and options. Call

Social Security () for questions about enrolling

in Medicare or applying for Extra Help!

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send comments about Dear Marci or suggestions

about topics you would like Dear Marci to cover.

Health Tip of the Week

Although turkey is often blamed for the nap epidemic that hits homes

across the country after the Thanksgiving table has been cleared, the

celebratory bird is

not entirely responsible. As it turns out, the combination of

carbohydrates, alcohol, fats and overeating in general is much more

likely to cause the post-meal drowsiness. This Thanksgiving, try some of

these healthy tips—they just might help you stay awake longer to enjoy

the festive mood:

Slow down: It takes

20 minutes for your body to realize it’s full. Fast eaters eat more

food and, by the time they start feeling satiated, have consumed more

calories than slower eaters.

Eat the turkey, not the skin: A three-ounce serving of

skinless white turkey meat contains 25 grams of protein, about three

grams of fat, and less than one gram of saturated fat. Dark meat has more

saturated fat than white meat, and eating the skin adds an unnecessary

portion of

bad fats.

Try the pumpkin without the pie: Even if you have been waiting

all year for pumpkin pie to start showing up in bakeries, you know too

much of it is not good for you. Pumpkins, however, are very healthy. Low

in fat and calories, and loaded with

potassium, vitamin

A,

beta carotene, and vitamin

C, pumpkins are a great addition to any diet when you leave the pie

crust behind.

Go for whole: Choose whole grain breads (proven to help lower

the risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes) instead of enriched white

bread. Always read the labels carefully—if something is “multigrain,â€

it onlyy means it contains more than one grain, not that whole grains

were used.

For more tips how to have a healthy Thanksgiving, visit

About.com. For a list of healthy recipes you can use to plan your

turkey day, visit

Harvard Health Publications. Eating healthy is only part of being

healthy. To find out what preventive services are covered by Medicare,

visit

Medicare Interactive.

Survey Says . . .

According to a new study published in the

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, women have a

greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Colorado at

Boulder, found a typical hand human has roughly 150 different species of

bacteria living on it. While the researchers detected and identified more

than 4,700 different bacteria species across 102 human hands, only five

species were shared among all 51 participants. Unfortunately for

germaphobes, the study also showed that the diversity of bacteria on

individual hands was not significantly affected by regular hand

washing.

The researchers speculated that skin pH may play a role in the higher

bacterial diversity they found on women’s hands, since men generally

have more acidic skin, and other research has shown microbes are less

diverse in more acidic environments.

To read a complete summary of the study, visit

The Los Angeles Times.

With flu season getting ready to start, visit

Medicare Interactive to find out how Medicare will cover your flu

shot to help prevent the bacteria on your hands from getting you sick.

Spotlight on Resources

Find answers to your questions about Medicare health plan options on

Medicare Interactive. For information about services and resources

for older adults and persons with disabilities, visit the

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. For free one-on-one

counseling and assistance on Medicare and related issues, contact your

State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). For help getting

screened for benefit programs available to older adults with limited

incomes, visit

Benefits Check Up.

* * * * * *

MRC's Hotline for Professionals

Do you help people with Medicare? Where do you turn to for help? Call the

Professional Hotline, a national service offered by the Medicare Rights

Center to support people serving the Medicare population. Dial

from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time for accurate, up-to-date

information and ongoing technical support.

* * * * * *

Need Help Choosing a Medicare Part D Plan?

Check out MRC’s next FREE educational web seminar,

“Comparing Medicare Prescription Drug Plans: The Medicare Drug Plan

Finder†to learn how to search for the Part D plan that best meets

your needs.

Check back on November 14th to

listen to a recording of this online presentation.

* * * * * *

MRC’s Silent Auction

Jump start your holiday shopping on the Medicare Rights Center

Celebration 2008 Silent Auction

website. From fantasy trips to fun gifts, you’ll find

one-of-a-kind items galore to bid on for others or for yourself! Visit

the

Medicare Rights Center to begin bidding on a house in Ireland for a

week, tickets to a Metropolitan Opera Dress Rehearsal, autographed sports

memorabilia and much more.

* * * * * *

Newly Updated Medicare Drug Coverage 101

MRC’s Medicare Drug Coverage 101 is an advocate's guide that

tells you everything you need to know about Part D.

Get a

FREE

copy of this great resource.

* * * * * *

Newly Updated Medicare Part D Appeals Help for Advocates

MRC’s

Medicare Part D Appeals: An advocate's manual to navigating the

Medicare private drug plan appeals process offers an

easy-to-understand, comprehensive overview of the entire appeals process,

including real-life case examples.

Get a

FREE

copy of this great resource.

* * * * * *

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