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
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker