Fwd: Will Medicare pay for my physical?

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Topic of the Month:

New in 2009!

This week, in Marci . . .

Volume 7, Issue 50: Week of December 15, 2008

Dear Marci: Will Medicare pay for my

physical? Get Resources: Resources for

understanding your Medicare options. Health Tip: Tips for keeping your heart

healthy. Survey Says: Women more likely to die

from severe heart attacks.

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Dear Marci,

I will become eligible for Medicare early next year and my doctor says

I’m due for a physical. Will Medicare pay for it?

—Donn (Albuquerque, NM))

Click on the blue, underlined hyperlinks for related

information available through Medicare Interactive!

Dear Donn,

Starting in 2009, you will be entitled to a one-time routine

physical exam within the first 12 months of enrolling in

Part B (in past years you had to take advantage of this benefit

within the first six months of coverage). After you have your “Welcome

to Medicare†physical, Original Medicare will not pay for any

more routine physicals. However, a number of

Medicare private health plans (HMO, PPO, PFFS) cover annual routine

physicals.

To find out more about what is covered in your “Welcome to

Medicare†physical, 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!

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

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

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Health Tip of the Week

According to the

American Heart Association, when winter brings new strains of cold

and flu bugs and other dangers that can negatively impact the health of

Americans of all ages, people with heart disease need to take extra

precautions. Here are some easy tips to help you keep a healthy heart

through the winter and holiday months:

Quit smoking: Cigarette smoking is a

major contributor to heart disease and can also cause several types

of cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Crunch the numbers: Keep track of your

cholesterol and

blood pressure, especially if you have heart disease or there is a

family history of heart disease.

Be a lifesaver: Learn

CPR and how to use an

automated external defibrillator (AED) to keep a heart beating while

emergency help arrives.

For more tips on how to keep a healthy heart during the winter months,

visit the

American Heart Association and the University of North Carolina at

Chapel Hill’s

UNC Health Care publication. Being careful is a small part of staying

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

visit

Medicare Interactive.

Survey Says . . .

According to a new study in the journal

Circulation, women who suffer the most severe form of heart

attack are twice as likely as men to die in the hospital.

The study of more than 78,000 people treated for heart attacks at 420

U.S. hospitals between 2001 and 2006 found the same overall in-hospital

death rate for men and women. However, 12 percent of women with an

ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI heart attack, had a higher

chance of dying in the hospital than men with the same diagnosis. A STEMI

heart attack is usually caused by complete blockage of a coronary artery,

which means that more heart muscle dies than if there were only partial

blockage.

In searching for a reason for the discrepancy, the study found that there

was a clear difference in the treatment given to men and women. Women

were 14 percent less likely to receive early aspirin, 10 percent less

likely to be given beta blocker drugs, 25 percent less likely to receive

reperfusion therapy to restore blood flow, and 13 percent less likely to

have artery-opening angioplasty within 90 minutes of arrival at the

hospital. However, women may also develop heart disease at a more

advanced and frail age and in some cases may be more likely to experience

confusing heart attack symptoms, such as unexplained fatigue, rather than

the classic symptom of crushing chest pain, making it more difficult to

diagnose.

For a summary of the study, visit

The New York Times.

To find out more about how Medicare covers screening tests for heart

disease, visit

Medicare Interactive.

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.

* * * * * *

Want to learn about upcoming Medicare changes?

Check out MRC’s latest FREE educational web seminar, “New

for 2009†to learn about important upcoming changes to Medicare in

the new year.

Listen to a recording of this online presentation.

* * * * * *

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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