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LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
Nov 2017
We Help You With Medicare.
A True Family Holiday
WHY I LOVE THANKSGIVING
T he holidays can be a joyful time, but they’re also very heavy with expectations. I suspect we too often place unreasonable expectations on ourselves to make the season perfect, and as a result, we end up with a heap of stress. Maybe that’s why I’ve always enjoyed Thanksgiving. While it may not be a perfect holiday, it at least seems relieved of the nonsense and commercialization that surrounds other major celebrations. If you ask people what Thanksgiving means to them, odds are you’ll hear the same things: family, friends, food, and gratitude. Those are certainly what I consider to be the most important themes of the day. At the Thomas house, we usually stay home for Thanksgiving, as if to gather ourselves for the month of December. We invite our family over and maybe a few folks from the church who may be alone on the day. I look forward to the turkey, but to be honest, it plays second fiddle to another protein. My wife makes a salmon bake with cilantro and sesame that has become a non-negotiable part of our Thanksgiving menu. It’s another of Kathy’s kitchen magic acts! Personally, I stay away from the cooking. However, I remember well how my grandmother taught me to set the table. I make sure the plates and silverware end up in the right places — a huge accomplishment. Ha! When I think about it, it’s a little like crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on a Medicare plan. I’m there to make sure that the details are in order, but I leave the big decisions
to the people in charge. If they need a little guidance, whether that entails a dash of pepper or a prescription drug plan, I’m happy to offer my insight. I have plenty to be thankful for this year. First, I’m thankful for the good health of my family. After my vertigo episode, I’ve realized just how fortunate we are. I’m also extremely thankful for Haley, the newest addition to our family. She and Ian have been very busy since their wedding, but I’m hoping Thanksgiving will give us a chance to catch up and have some quality time together. Haley is a great cook in her own right; maybe she has a family recipe we can add to our turkey and salmon repertoire. It is a real joy to extend my gratitude to another group of people: each of you, my clients. In the midst of the busy season of the Medicare annual enrollment period, I am grateful to be able to serve such a marvelous collection of people. It’s always humbling when each of you, who have endured and prospered throughout the years and achieved so many remarkable things throughout your lives, come to me with questions and concerns. Being able to help in whatever way I can is definitely a cause for gratitude.
I give thanks.
– Lyn Thomas
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www.LT-ins.com
Published by The NewsletterPro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Published by The NewsletterPro • www.NewsletterPro.com
L yndon Thomas Insurance
NEW Medicare CARD
THE LIFE-GIVING BENEFITS OF SAUNAS
Sweat the Years Away
Sometime during the next several months, you will be receiving a new Medicare card.
2015 legislation (MACRA) requires Medicare to issue cards with new identification numbers NOT based on Social Security numbers. Beginning in April 2018 the cards will be automatically mailed out at no cost to more than 58 million Medicare beneficiaries, with completion slated for April 2019. Sample cards published by Medicare show a white card with updated red and blue highlights. Your new Medicare card will have your name, Part A and Part B effective dates, and an 11-digit random alpha-numeric ID number, to be known as the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI). I can imagine that updating the ID number fields in software and database systems from 10 to 11 digits will cause some amount of work for tech departments across the country. It is very important for Medicare Advantage members to know that even as they receive a new Medicare card, they must continue to use their healthplan member ID card for services. Sadly, reports are already emerging that some seniors are being called by scammers. If you are contacted by any means by anyone attempting to charge or get personal information from you, THEY ARE A SCAMMER! When Medicare started in 1965, who could have imagined the types and magnitude of personal and medical fraud that have been perpetrated by the criminals of our day? Thanks to Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the new Medicare card is a significant step in protecting the safety and well-being of Medicare beneficiaries.
Colder weather is hard on our bodies for many reasons. The air dries and cracks our skin, freezing temperatures cause old injuries to flare up and joints to ache, and the conditions make it just plain hard to exercise. What’s a fair-weather bird to do? Head to the sauna! Sauna use has been popular in Finland for thousands of years, and there are compelling reasons why. Not only are there many bodily benefits, but science is telling us it may also protect the mind. We’ve known for a long time that saunas can help with blood circulation, stress relief, and cardiovascular health. Traditional saunas use heat to get your blood flowing and promote circulation, and the sweating that goes on during a sauna experience is said to rid your body of toxins. It’s a rejuvenating ritual that releases stress along with endorphins. Now, the health journal Age and Ageing has found evidence linking sauna use to a lowered risk for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Men aged 42–60 who participated in frequent sauna bathing sessions were found to have lowered rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s. If feeling good and warming you up weren’t enough, a healthy mind is a great reason to sauna. And while the simplicity of the traditional sauna is part of what makes it great, some facilities have added a modern twist: infrared rays. Infrared saunas, already hot in New York City and Los Angeles, are starting to pop up everywhere. If you have trouble dealing with the heat of a typical sauna (average sauna temperatures are kept around 212 degrees F), this latest trend is for you. The average temperature of an infrared sauna is 150 degrees F, making it a more tolerable experience. One New York studio touts infrared’s ability to stimulate collagen production, an added anti-aging benefit. Need another bonus? Infrared saunas are said to release up to 20 percent more toxins from the body than traditional saunas. Whichever type of sauna you decide to visit, the potential health benefits speak for themselves. If you don’t get to escape to Miami or Cancun this winter (and even if you do), it’s a relaxing way to warm up and ease winter ailments. Treat your body and yourself to a sauna experience!
2 216-B E. Matilija St, Ojai, CA 93023 www.LT-ins.com CA# 0D96309
We Help You With Medicare.
Some Thoughts on Annual Enrollment Period
Medicare Advantage Plans Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Humana, SCAN Healthplan and AARP/United Health Care. Medicare Supplement plans Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Humana, Mutual of Omaha, TransAmerica, AARP/UHC, and United American. Part D Prescription Drug Programs Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield, Aetna/First Health, Express Scripts, Humana, SilverScript, AARP/UHC If you have questions about Medicare or any of these plans, please contact me in the way best for you. By phone, 805-646-6409; by text, 805-798-3245; or by email, Lyn@LT-ins.com.
As the Medicare annual enrollment period rolls on and you keep getting all this “junk mail,” remember this has to do with Medicare Advantage plans and Stand-Alone Prescription Drug plans. The annual enrollment period runs from Oct. 7 through Dec. 7 and is the time when anyone with either of those plans may add, change, or drop that coverage. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan with built-in Part D and want to keep it for next year, then you are done with AEP. Go ahead and recycle all that mail and focus on the holidays. Medicare Supplement plans are regulated in a different manner and are most easily changed during the month following one’s birthday. You can either have a Medicare Advantage plan or a Supplement, but not both at the same time. Keep in mind, if you have a Med Supp plan and a Stand-Alone Part D and are interested in changing prescription plans, the annual enrollment period is the time to do that. Caution! If you are a Medicare Advantage plan member and enroll in a Stand Alone Prescription Drug plan, you have dis-enrolled yourself from your Medicare Advantage plan. Please contact me with any questions. Contact me for information.
Please don’t keep me a secret; referrals are always appreciated!
As an independent “full-service”Medicare agent, I represent many plans across the Medicare spectrum.
SUDOKU
Grid n°72300 easy
ROASTED PARMESAN PESTO POTATOES
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It only takes 3 ingredients to make these crispy, flavorful potatoes. They’re the perfect side dish for any meal.
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Ingredients
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2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
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Salt and pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
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2 tablespoons basil pesto
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Instructions
3. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese evenly over potatoes and put pan back in the oven. Roast for additional 10–15 minutes or until potatoes are tender and crispy. Remove from oven and serve warm.
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 2. In large bowl, combine potatoes and pesto. Toss to coat. Transfer potatoes to large baking sheet or shallow roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast 20 minutes and remove from oven.
Wehave all the free sudokus youneed!400 new sudokus everyweek. Make your own free printable sudoku at www.PrintMySudoku.com
Recipe courtesy of TwoPeasAndTheirPod.com.
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CA# 0D96309
805-646-6409
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
PO Box 207 Ojai, CA 93024
INSIDE
CA# 0D96309 | www.LT-ins.com | 805-646-6409
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ATime to Give Thanks
How SaunasWill Change Your Winter Health
NewMedicare Card
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Some Thoughts onAnnual Enrollment Period Roasted Parmesan Pesto Potatoes
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Beloved Thanksgiving Balloons
ICONIC
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons
history. Felix’s influence on the parade is so immense, however, that when Macy’s brought him back in 2016 for the parade’s 90th anniversary, they recreated his original design. Without Felix’s debut, the parade might look a lot different today. SNOOPY When it comes to balloon characters, none is more famous than the classic “Peanuts” beagle. His first balloon floated through the sky in 1968, and he’s been a regular fixture ever since. Charles Schultz’s famous pooch holds the record for most variations in a parade (eight) and most total appearances (40). Though Snoopy doesn’t come out every year, he usually closes the show when he does. PIKACHU The Pokémon mascot didn’t appear until 2001, but he’s become a star attraction, showing up every year since. Bright, expressive, and impossible to miss, Pikachu checks off all the boxes for a successful balloon character. For 16 years, those who predicted that Pokémon was just a fad have gotten a big, yellow reminder of just how wrong they were.
Thanksgiving is a holiday full of traditions, from turkey and stuffing to football and naps. Since 1924, the Macy’s Parade has grown to become not only a Thanksgiving staple but also the world’s largest parade. Over 3.5 million people attended the parade last year, with another 20 million tuning in from home. The main attraction is always the massive character balloons, which first graced the skies in 1927. Over the decades, some of these balloons have become nearly as famous as the character they depict. FELIX THE CAT When the Felix the Cat balloon appeared in 1931, it set the standard for all characters to follow. Sadly, the original balloon got tangled in wires and caught on fire, so it has been lost to
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216-B E. Matilija St, Ojai, CA 93023
Published by The NewsletterPro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Published by The NewsletterPro •www.NewsletterPro.com
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