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Club MED
July 2022
Special Dogs Growing Up
OUR PETS MEAN SO MUCH
Growing up in the ‘60s, a feedlot behind our home supplied feed for the Aksarben racehorses. It was called Shepherd's Feed. They had a covered wagon out in front of their barn, a couple of horses, and droves of cats. In the 1960s, we were toward the edge of Omaha — lots of open fields to run and play in. One day when I was messing around with the horses, I found a little box covered in tinfoil buried in the hay. I was about 5. I opened the box. It contained a dead turtle and a note. It said, "Bye, Turtle. I miss you. Sam."
It is incredible how pets affect us.
I remember my first dog, Bullet. We still have 9-millimeter films of us paying with Bullet. My only real memory is the day he died. I was about 6. I was home sick with pneumonia. Someone had poisoned Bullet. He was dying on our front porch. I would leave my bed and go out and pet him. Eventually, when I went out to pet him, he was gone. A boy can't be without a dog, so my dad found a mutt from a litter at my grandparents' neighbor — Beaver. Beaver was part Pekingese and spitz. Beaver was the toughest dog I've ever known. He was like a honey badger. He had no fear. When I was 10, two giant dogs cornered me when I was out roaming the neighborhood. Beaver came out of nowhere like a tornado, tore into the two dogs that were four times his size, and sent them yelping. My mother did not like dogs, but she was the one who usually took care of them. When I was in my 20s, Beaver was half-dead with arthritis, mange, heart problems, and a thousand other things. We begged our mother to let us put him down. The dog had to put his chin on a bucket at night to sleep because he was constantly choking. Finally, our mother said she would do it, but she didn't want anyone with her. I talked my way into the car. I only saw my mother cry a handful of times, but putting down Beaver was one of those.
There were many other dogs after Beaver.
When my father died, we wanted to put the urns from two dogs and a cat — Mickey 1, Mickey 2, and Kitty Cat — in his casket. The undertakers said there was some rule against doing that, so I distracted them while my brothers, Tom and Paul, poured the dust from the urns into my dad's suit coat pockets. Where there is a will, there is a way. I appreciate all of your calls and emails about Max. His surgery went well. I was scared he may have reinjured himself one day, but it was going well. I think it is all going to be okay. I slept with him the night he got home. He was really drugged up, but he has gotten stronger every day since. We're going on short walks a couple of times a day. It's good to have a dog.
–Christopher J. Grimmond
Medicare Insurance Made Easy
402-614-3389 • 1
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR YOU? CHANGES TO MEDICARE ENROLLMENT FOR 2023
enrollment period is Oct. 15–Dec. 31. It coincides with the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, Oct. 15–Dec. 7. 2. If you sign up during the Initial Enrollment Period but enroll in the months after your birthday, Medicare will be effective the first day of the month after registering. 3. Special Enrollment for Part D will allow coverage on the first day of the month following enrollment. 4. Information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be provided to educate eligible enrollees. 5. Medicare coverage will extend for ESRD patients under 65. Before these changes, enrollment periods were restrictive and precise — making it difficult to enroll or change your coverage. The BENES Act helps the Secretary of Health and Human Service to initiate an enrollment period for those with exceptional circumstances. It also enables individuals retiring at the end of their initial enrollment period to have a smoother transition from employer coverage to Medicare.
Medicare is always changing, and one of the complaints most people have is how difficult it is to enroll. Because of confusing enrollment period dates, many people who turn 65 are not Medicare-eligible on their birthdays. Thankfully, upcoming changes will help solve some of these problems. The Challenge of Enrolling Today Due to COVID-19, the only option to enroll in Medicare is online through the Social Security Administration website. Enrolling in Medicare online is not easy — even if everything runs smoothly. Currently, the Social Security Administration website combines email and text confirmation codes to ensure privacy in the process, but some individuals may not have an email address or even use texting.
But the challenges don’t stop there. Even if you can enroll, you could be penalized for not following instructions
(because they are so confusing). These and other issues led to the majority of complaints about enrolling in Medicare. Thankfully, the changes Congress made to the Medicare enrollment process lessens or resolves many of these challenges.
You will get notifications about Medicare enrollment in advance! Some claim they didn’t know about their Medicare enrollment. But the upcoming changes to Medicare
through the BENES Act will include notifying people of Medicare eligibility.
The BENES Act In December 2020, Congress passed the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and
Notifications will start at ages 60–64. Medicare will send
Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act. The act became a law in late 2020 but goes into effect in 2023. New provisions will make enrolling in Medicare easier and less confusing.
information to explain rules such as Medicare eligibility, time frames for enrollment, Medicare penalties, delaying Medicare without penalty, Part B coordination of benefits, and other online resources.
There are three primary components the BENES Act will change.
Hopefully, these changes will help people not miss
1. The waiting period after enrollment during the General Enrollment Period 2. Provisions for Special Enrollment Period in Advantage and Medicare Part D 3. The timing of enrollment periods to lessen confusion and reduce penalties
their opportunities.
All of these changes will take effect on Jan. 1, 2023. We still have a few months, but with all of these changes, and because Medicare and Medicaid are already complicated, you may need help understanding the rules and enrollment. Allow your friends at Omaha Insurance Solutions to assist you. We will be happy to go more in-depth about what the BENES Act is changing and how it affects you. So, call us today at (402) 614-3389!
Upcoming Changes 1.
Coverage will start the first day of the following month after you sign up during the General Enrollment Period. The new
2 • OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
Testimonial
Time for a Gut Check
“I was referred to Chris by my financial advisor. I met with 2 other agents who just wanted to sell me ‘their’ plan. Chris took the time to explain the Medicare Advantage plans and the supplements with all their ‘letters’. He gave me peace of mind, knowing that I
5 WAYS TO NATURALLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR STOMACH If you’ve ever attended an event with older adults, digestion is bound to come up at some point! As we age, our guts sometimes have a difficult time keeping up, causing stomach issues and complications. When people talk about having a “healthy gut,” they are talking about having a good balance of beneficial bacteria and microbes within their digestive tract. Here are some natural ways to keep things healthy and moving along properly: Eat foods rich in fiber. Fiber, found naturally in many foods, including sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, fennel, beans, broccoli, berries, and whole grains, stimulates the growth of the good bacteria that keeps your gut performing in a healthy way. Fiber is also a great way to relieve or prevent constipation! Get moving. Exercising regularly helps to ensure that everything else in your digestive system moves along regularly too! Research shows that regular exercise promotes the growth of different types of beneficial bacteria within both animal and human digestive systems. Reduce stress levels. Did you know that when you’re stressed out, your mental state is affected as well as your stomach and gut, as they are intimately connected? By keeping your cortisol levels low, you can eliminate and prevent some uncomfortable gastrointestinal complications. Stress, research suggests, increases the risk of irritable bowel syndrome, so managing stress can lead to better intestinal health. Drink plenty of water. Hydration plays a key role in both softening and bulking up stools, making them easier to pass through the digestive system. It should be noted that liquids that contain caffeine, such as coffee or tea, can actually have the opposite effect on your body. Take your probiotics. Probiotics occur naturally in your gut. They help to reduce adverse symptoms of digestion, such as pain, discomfort, bloating, and gas. Ask your doctor to recommend a beneficial probiotic to incorporate into your daily lifestyle. A healthy gut yields a stronger immune system, comfortable and effective digestion, and an overall better mood! With these tips, you’ll be on your way to a healthier digestive system!
will probably have the best health insurance coverage I’ve ever had. I thank Chris for being a big part of this first chapter in my retirement!” –Judy M.
Mouthwatering Southern BBQ
Inspired by JustAPinch.com
Summer isn’t complete without some Southern BBQ!
Ingredients
• 3 lbs boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
• 2 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup water • 1/2 tsp salt • 1 tbsp pepper
• 1 tbsp hot pepper sauce • 10 hamburger buns, split • Deli coleslaw (optional)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar • 18 oz barbecue sauce
Directions
1. In a 4-quart slow cooker, add the roast and 1 cup of water. 2. Cover and cook the roast on high for 7 hours or until tender. 3. Once tender, shred the meat. 4. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker. Stir in salt, pepper, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, Worcestershire, and hot pepper sauce. 5. Cover and cook on the lowest setting for an hour. 6. When finished, serve barbecue on buns with coleslaw (optional).
402-614-3389 • 3
11414 W. Center Rd., Suite 250 Omaha, NE 68144 402-614-3389 OmahaInsuranceSolutions.com
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
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INSIDE This Issue
Our Pets Mean So Much to Us
1
The BENES Act Is Changing Medicare Enrollment
2
3
Naturally Improve Your Digestive Health
3
Testimonial
Mouthwatering Southern BBQ
3
4
Be the Superhero Your Garden Needs
Protect Your Garden From Heat
With Help From Your Kids Not all gardening tasks are suitable for the entire family. Fertilizers can be dangerous, and you definitely don’t want a young child wielding sharp tools. But there’s one gardening project you and the kids can tackle together: protecting your plants from the heat. Last June, heat waves scorched the country, sending temperatures in Portland, Oregon, of all places to 110 degrees F. This is uncomfortable at best, and at worst a massive heat wave can ruin an entire spring’s worth of effort in the garden. To avoid that, rope your kids into helping you with easy heat solutions like these: 1. Build shade covers — Shade helps people survive the heat, and it’s great for plants too! You can overlay greenery with umbrellas, canopies, “garden fabric,” or even bed sheets draped over your plants. If you have spare lumber or PVC pipe, build a trellis to hold up your shade cover. YouTube has plenty of tutorials for this — just search “Garden Shade DIY.” 2. Spread organic mulch — Adding 2–4 inches of light-colored mulch around your trees, shrubs, and other plants will protect the soil from the sun and keep it damp and cool.
3. Swap out terra cotta pots — Unsealed terra cotta pots are terrible at retaining moisture. If you water a plant in terra cotta, it won’t be long before that water evaporates. To avoid this,
enlist the kids to repot your plants in oversized, light-colored plastic nursery pots. (Some nurseries give these away for free!)
4. Water, water, water — Your garden will dry out twice as fast during extreme heat, so take shifts as a family checking the soil and watering when needed. Don’t rely on your sprinkler system or usual watering schedule. These tips should help protect your delicate fruit and vegetable plants. Next year, get a head start by asking your local nursery to help you choose drought and heat-tolerant species for your region and beefing up your soil with organic matter. According to Farmers’ Almanac, soil rich with 5%–9% organic matter (think compost, manure, and decomposing leaves) retains more water, saving you trips with the hose.
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