My Part D USA

Modernized Medicare Supplements begin June 1, 2010!

Thank Goodness we now have some better choices for your Medicare Supplement Coverage. Many of you are getting rate increases on your Medicare Supplements.  Some of you are losing your coverage with your Medicare Advantage Plans and/or want to get off of them.

There are NEW plans now with NO UNDERWRITING, GUARANTEED ISSUE no matter what your health conditions.  You can still go to any doctor or hospital of your choice with no network to choose from.

Even though they don’t begin until June 1, you can go ahead and get your application.  Just fill out our worksheet online or give us a call today!    866-752-1795   We are so excited to be able to offer this to you!

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose, Nothin’s not worth nothin, but it’s free….Kris Kristofferson – lyrics from “Me & Bobby McGee”

We’ve all heard this great song time and time again, but I don’t know if many of us ever get to the point in our lives where we have “nothing left to lose.”  I talk to and receive emails from people every day who have come to feel that way about their health, health care and their Medicare coverage.

People these days cannot afford to pay for all their prescriptions, even with the help of Part D plans.  Some folks are taking way too many drugs.  They go to different doctors and do not let each doctor know what the other doctor has prescribed.  Please let ALL of your doctors know every drug you take and ask them if there is a better way.  Some doctors are now also recommending supplements to lower blood pressure instead of drugs, such as garlic and omega 3 oils.  Many times taking one drug leads to another and before you know it you are on 10 different medications all with side effects that make us feel even worse!  Never stop taking a medication without approval from your doctor.

I would encourage those of you who need help to try to improve your health so you can get off some of the medications you are taking.  Sure, it may be easier to just “take a pill”, but what is it really costing you?

Your Good Health Is Never Going To Be Free!

TOP 10 FOODS YOU CAN EAT TO GET OFF MEDICATIONS & IMPROVE HEALTH

1. GARLIC – Lowers cholesterol and raises “good cholesterol”.  Lowers blood pressure.  Reduces the risk of blood clots.  Helps fight Alzheimer’s.  Detoxification. This also includes all the allium family such as onions, leeks, chives and shallots.

2.  OLIVE OIL AND AVOCADOS - Shown to reduce death from heart disease and cancer.  Unlike other oils, olive oil is high in antioxidant activity.  Avocados are high in foliate and potassium which can decreade heart attack risk by 55%.

3.  NUTS – Recent Harvard University research found that eating more that 5 oz. a week cut heart attack deaths in women by over 40% and helped deadly irregular heartbeats in men.  ALMONDS and WALNUTS offer the most help.

4.  SALMON, SARDINES, TUNA - These fish contain high amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids – that perform miracles throughout the body, fighting virtually every chronic disease known.  Personally, taking fish oil has helped me feel better, my skin look younger and my joints don’t ache as much.  Please, if you do nothing else, try a good quality fish oil product and stick with it!

5.  GREEN TEA – Drinking even one cup of strongly brewed green tea (you can get Lipton’s in de-caf) cut heart disease risk in half.  Think about drinking it as ice tea and all through the day!  It also helps in appetite control and is very high in antioxidants.  EXTRA HINT – If you drink your first cup of green tea on an empty stomach in the morning with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, it will help your liver and gallbladder function better to cleanse your body of toxins.

6.  BLUEBERRIES – One of the best antioxidant rich foods says Tufts University.  Blueberries are so powerful in retarding aging in animals that they can block brain changes leading to decline and even reverse failing memory.  Eat half a cup of frozen or fresh blueberries a day.

7.  DRINK WATER – You would not believe how many of us are actually de-hydrated.  By cutting out sodas and other sugary drinks and replacing with Green Tea and water, not only will you lose weight, but your health will improve just by feeling hydrated.  Your kidneys will thank you!  NEVER DRINK YOUR CALORIES!

8.  GREEN FOODS - Spinach and other greens are second only to garlic in antioxidant activity.  Rich in folic acid which helps fight cancer, heart disease and mental disorders, it protects aging brains and may help prevent Alzheimer’s.

9.  GREEK YOGURT - This type of yogurt has more protein and calcium and also helps your digestive system with “good bacteria” to keep things running smoothly and calcium to protect your bones and teeth.

10. RED WINE AND DARK CHOCOLATE (AT LEAST 70% COCOA) FOR DESERT – This includes red grape juice, but is not as much fun!  Red Wine or grape juice has 4 times the antioxidants of orange or tomato juice.  Research shows that drinking Red Wine in moderation increases longevity.  Dark Chocolate helps your pleasure center of the brain release serotonin and the endorphins that make you”feel good”, all while lowering your blood pressure.  So, instead of fattening ice cream and sugar laden cakes and pies, have ONE glass of red wine with a couple of dark chocolate covered strawberries dipped in chopped almonds or walnuts!

NOW THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT WAY TO GET HEALTHY TO ME!

Then make an effort to walk or get some kind of activity in each day!  Make a project out if it and begin a journal.  When you look back in 6 months and see how much weight you have lost and how much better you feel,  please write me and tell me your story!  I’d love to share it with my readers.  As you know I am preaching to the choir because I lost 50 lbs last year.  I have to keep myself motivated!  It was hard and it still is hard, but it has been worth it.  I got off my blood pressure medication and I can actually walk around and enjoy myself instead of sitting in pain.  You can do it too!  Let me hear your story soon.

How many of you feel confused about your Medicare benefits?  Well, join the crowd!!  I get so many emails everyday from people just like you who read this blog and wonder…am I getting the most for the money I spend on my Medicare coverage?

March 31st is the last day you can change from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan.  After that you are stuck until the Annual Election Period which begins November 15 and ends December 31st of every year.

RED ALERT: If you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan within the past 12 months and do NOT like it, or you feel it does not meet your needs or that you were mislead by a salesperson or company, you can get OFF of the Medicare Advantage Plan within the first 12 months!!!  If you keep it longer…you may not be able to get on a Medicare Supplement because of the underwriting or health questions.   Call us to check on your options!

ORANGE ALERT:  If you are NEW TO MEDICARE and you joined a Medicare Advantage Plan and don’t like it, you are still within your open enrollment period and cannot be turned down because of health issues.  You can get back on Original Medicare which pays 80% of all doctor and hospital costs and take out a Medicare Supplement that pays the other 20%.  With a Medicare Supplement your only expense is your monthly premium.  There are NO co-pays, NO NETWORKS of doctors you must use.  You can go to any doctor or hospital of your choice! If you are NEW TO MEDICARE, PLEASE, PLEASE start out with a Medicare Supplement and Stand Alone Part D Plan.  We can help you!

GREEN ALERT: If you are losing your Retirement Plan Group Coverage and need to know what Medicare Supplement plans have the lowest premium, we also do a comparison of Medicare Supplement plans along with a comparison of the more than 50 different drug plans in your state!  You do NOT want to join a Medicare Advantage Plan!  All the Medicare Supplement plans include the same benefits…a Plan F is a Plan F, no matter what insurance company you buy it from.  The ONLY difference is the price they will charge you.  Why pay more?

The ugly truth of the matter is many Insurance Salespeople will try their best to get you to join a Medicare Advantage Plan because they get paid double the commission to do so!  Don’t fall for it!

So, that is the what’s up about the March Madness of Medicare!  Call our toll free number or go to the form on this page or go to www.MyPartDusa.com and fill out the form to get assistance.

Joke of The Day:  Old Man – Honey, what has happened to our sexual relations?  Old Woman - I don’t know, Dear, we didn’t even get a Christmas card from them this year.

So, now it is February!  The new year has already started to go fast!

I hope all of you are sticking to your new diets or at least adding supplements to your diets, such as CoQ10 and Fish Oil and drinking lots of green tea.

I lost 50 lbs last year and am going to work on losing a few more by June.  It is hard, but I try to keep motivated by knowing I won’t have to take so many medications and that means SAVING MONEY!!!

One great website to get health info on is www.realage.com

Now, to get down to business of Medicare…..as you know My Part D USA can give you the best service.  Why?  Because we actually do comparisons of drug plans and Medicare Supplements that will give you the coverage you need at the best prices.  Just read the Testimonials.  I get them in from people all over the country everyday.  They are so tired of being confused and not knowing what companies to deal with.  Since we are NOT an insurance company, we do not work for any particular plans and can help YOU find what YOU need, instead of what some insurance agent wants to sell you.

As always, if you have lost your retirement coverage or you are new to Medicare, we can help you any time of year get the plans you need.  Just either fill out the online form or give us a call!  Someone will answer the phone as well!  Many people tell me how nice it is just to hear a human being on the other end instead of all the prompts for #1 if you want to listen to a recording, #2 if you want to leave a message or #3 if you want to pull your hair out!!

Hope you are having a GREAT 2010 so far and we hope to hear from you soon.

JOKE OF THE DAY:  A man goes to his psychiatrist and says “Dr. what should I do, my brother thinks he’s a chicken?”  The doctor says “why don’t you get him committed?”  “I would”, the man says, but I really need the eggs!”

Everyday thousands of Seniors lose the coverage they earned from their employer retirement health care plans.

We can give you comparison prices for MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT/MEDIGAP plans to cover the 20% that Medicare Part A & B do not cover.

It is not too late to get your healthcare started January 1, 2010, just fill out the worksheet at www.MyPartDusa.com or call us toll free at 866-752-1795.

If you read the testimonials, on the right hand side of this page and click in the RED BOX to read all of them and there are literally hundreds on the blog, you will see why people come back to us each year for their drug plan comparison and refer people to us, their friends, family when they area turning 65 and need Medicare coverage.

We make sure you get the best coverage AND the lowest premiums.  As you know a Plan F is a Plan F, or a Plan J is a Plan J, no matter which insurance company offers the coverage.  THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS ONE COMPANY WILL CHARGE YOU A HIGHER PREMIUM FOR THE SAME EXACT COVERAGE. That is where we come in to help you choose an “A” rated company while still getting the lowest premiums!

Our Consultants are NOT like a call center. They actually CARE about you.  It may sound too good to be true, but we are small enough to still care.  Even though we help thousands of people each year, we are not like those big companies that hire anybody that can fog a mirror to assist you with this most important decision.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:   It’s alright to be Goliath, but always treat people and act like David!

HELP!  HELP!  HELP!

This is a word I hear hundreds of times a day this time of year.

You can use our free online comparison at www.MyPartDusa.com

We hope all of you are enjoying the Holiday Season and/or having a Merry Christmas….whatever this time of year means to you.  It is Merry Christmas to me!

I do wish the government would not have had the Annual Election Period right in the middle of the Holiday Season…wonder why they did that?  I can just hear that conversation….if we do it during the most busy time of year for everyone….maybe they won’t have time to figure out all these crazy plans!  HA!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  If you are not confused, you just don’t know what is going on.

• Have you applied for Medicare Drug Assistance (LIS)?

This is a special program for people with limited income and assets where:

1. Medicare would help pay the premium.

2. Your co-pays would range from $2 to $7 on your most expensive meds

3. You Wouldn NOT Have a Donut Hole

Qualifications Income Assets

Single                           $16,245 annually          $11,990

Married                        $21,855 annually          $23,970

(the limits are higher if you have other people living in your home)

You can go online at Social Security to  complete the online application at:

https://s044a90.ssa.gov/apps6z/i1020/main.html OR you can call or visit your local Social Security Office and tell them you want to apply for Medicare Part D Limited Income Subsidy Program

Thanks again for visiting our site, MyPartDusa.com, and working with us.  Make sure you return every year to do a drug plan comparison as Part D drug plans change every year. 

Have a Happy Holiday Season!

ARE YOU ON MEDICARE DISABILITY?

• What do you have to help you with your doctors and hospitals?

In some states, a Medicare Supplement may not be available to you based on the affordability, your eligibility, or your existing health conditions may prevent you from getting through underwriting.

You still need good affordable, quality health insurance, and a Medicare Advantage Plan may be best for you.  The only health condition that would prevent you from obtaining this valuable coverage is ESRD. (end-stage renal disease)

There are many different types of Medicare Advantage Plans, some would include your drugs, dental, and vision benefits.  For more information, please call the Medicare Advantage Plan enrollment center to talk with someone about all your options.

866-752-1795 – Advantage Plans

Please visit MyPartDusa.com for your Medicare Drug Plan Comparison.  We hope you find it helpful in making an informed decision for your 2010 drug plan selection.

As you all know our policy is that the best coverage is a Medicare/Medigap Supplement and stand alone drug plan.  However, for people on disability or who absolutely cannot afford the premium on these plans or they do not have a Supplement for disability available in their state…a Medicare Advantage Plan is the only option.