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LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
June 2022
We Help You With Medicare.
PEOPLE OFTEN WANT FACE-TO-FACE ENCOUNTERS Much Like Dogs
I’ve met a lot of dogs in my day. In the early 1980s, I was a cable TV installer/tech with a company that eventually became Spectrum. A typical day’s work would have me visiting 8-12 homes. From 2008 to 2014, I ran in-home appointments for SCAN Health Plan, with 5-10 home visits each day. Every visit was another possible dog encounter. I’ve met a lot of dogs along the way: big dogs, little dogs, friendly dogs, and not-so-friendly dogs. There’s been a wide range of them, from the really big bulldog that just sat on my foot during the insurance appointment to the Chihuahua that spent over an hour during a cable TV repair sneaking up behind me trying to bite my heels. Then there was the massive pit bull that ever so gently took my forearm in its mouth to let me know he wanted me to keep working on the itchy spot at the top of his tail. And there was the de-barked sheltie that “barked” constantly, but silently, for the half-hour cable TV repair visit. A funny one was the big, red Irish setter that caved in the door of my company truck. I could hear the boss saying, “Tell me that again, I have a repair bill because a dog ran into your truck!?” “Uh, yes sir, he came right out from between the parked cars and bam! Ran right into the door of my truck. Caved it in.” It still makes me laugh. I parked, got out of the truck, confused, thinking, “But the dog ran into me!” The dog’s owner was approaching, swearing up a storm. Then I realized he wasn’t swearing at me for hitting his dog — he was swearing at the dog for running into my truck! “I have a ranch out north of town and this &$#@ dog runs into the #$*& cows all the time!” That made me feel better. The dog was really proud of himself, wagging his tail. Another time, as I entered a backyard to access a pole, the dog there was as friendly as could be. However, with my first step onto the pole to start climbing, the dog charged and was biting at my heels as I climbed out of her reach. During the 10 minutes of line work on the pole, she was circling, snarling and growling. Once finished, I needed to get off the pole and out of the yard.
I had to keep her at bay by swinging my climbing belt back and forth between us. Once out of the yard, my tools and climbing gear stowed in the truck, I thought to myself, “I wonder …” Sure enough, without my utility pole climbing gear, within two minutes of gentle approach, I was scratching her ears and we were friends again. Some utility worker who had been on that pole had hurt her, and she remembered it. I like dogs. I’m no dog whisperer, but owners often say, “That’s funny, my dog doesn’t usually warm up to strangers like that.” Dogs can tell when they encounter “friendly.” When they’re approached gently and on their terms, most dogs know when they are face to face with someone they can trust. People — at least I do — prefer to be face to face when doing business. Certainly there are times when the phone and internet are necessary. Actually, they are a great tool for business. But there is no substitute for the face-to-face appointment to explain the basics of Medicare. You get the sales calls and bushels of Medicare mail. The companies and large brokerages like doing business on the internet and over the phone. It’s more efficient. Cost of acquisition for each policy is significantly less. So is the cost of service. When you need help, your only option is to call customer service. Some companies do better than others in taking care of their members. That’s the niche that Lyndon Thomas Insurance seeks to fill, taking care of our members, assisting to the extent that we are able. While HIPAA laws greatly limit what we are able to do in assisting our members, our growing staff is getting better at taking care of our clients’ questions and needs. Thank you for the opportunity to assist you with your Medicare needs.
–Lyn Thomas
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www.LT-ins.com
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Published by The NewsletterPro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
‘SAY WHAT?!’ Why Hearing Loss Hurts Your Overall Health
Exploring exotic flavors and enjoying memories through scent are just a couple ways our senses allow us to connect with others. But when you struggle with age-related hearing loss, a critical component of how you experience the world can disappear quickly — taking with it your mental well-being. Why is this so? Your Brain Small, challenging activities or “exercises” for your brain can enrich your cognitive well-being as you age. But constantly straining to hear puts the brain into overdrive, and much like overdoing a physical workout, your brain becomes tired very quickly and degenerates. This increases your chance of developing dementia. A 12-year study by Johns Hopkins found that mild hearing loss doubled dementia risk, moderate loss tripled this risk, and those with severe issues faced a risk five times greater than the average person. Your Heart Experts are still determining a direct link between hearing loss and cardiovascular disease, but the research has found a startling correlation. Those with hearing loss are more likely to also have heart conditions. One suggestion is that those with hearing loss also have diminished
blood flow to the ears, which is problematic for the auditory function. Our sense of hearing relies on a strong circulatory system.
Your Mental Health Living in a world you cannot fully understand or hear can exhaust your mental well-being. Those with hearing loss may refrain from common social activities for fear they won’t be able to understand what is happening. Furthermore, they may face exasperated relatives whose patience grows thin after repeating themselves or enduring TV volume above an acceptable level. Due to these situations, those who struggle to hear may experience greater social isolation and diminished feelings of self-worth. Depression is common among those with hearing loss. The best way to prevent these health concerns is to seek professional guidance. Speak with an auditory expert about your hearing concerns and discover solutions that will help you hear better and improve your well-being!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has resources to help you learn more. Visit CDC.gov to access this information.
BEWARE THE LATE ENROLLMENT PENALTY FOR MEDICARE PART D
Since I’ve got Medicare Part D on my mind this month, let’s discuss the Late Enrollment Penalty (LEP). All of my new-to-Medicare clients are informed of the Part D mandate, but I often meet people who are past their initial enrollment period and are then faced with the unpleasant reality of the Part D LEP. In my opinion, Medicare does not effectively communicate to Medicare beneficiaries the consequences of not enrolling in a Part D plan. Whether you’re recently new to Medicare or you’ve been with the program since it began in 2006, you probably did not encounter warnings about the LEP equivalent to the nastiness of the reality. Your Welcome to Medicare letter likely had words to the effect, “… you may enroll in a Part D Prescription Drug Program.” The Welcome to Medicare letter does not include a warning about the Late Enrollment Penalty. LEP information is available in the “Medicare and You” book and on Medicare.gov, but you need to search for it. My tongue-in-cheek description of Medicare is a “one size fits all blunt force instrument for tens of millions of people” that, on the whole, does a really good job. How does the government get tens of millions of people to do what they are supposed to do? Well, penalize them if they don’t do it. Both Part A and B have late enrollment penalties, so does Part D.
From medicare.gov: Medicare calculates the Part D penalty by multiplying 1% of the “national base beneficiary premium” ($33.37 in 2022) times the number of full, uncovered months one didn’t have Part D or creditable coverage. The monthly premium is rounded to the nearest $0.10 and added to your monthly Part D premium. The national base premium may change each year, so any penalty amount may change as well. And the bad news is that the Late Enrollment Penalty is permanently added to the monthly premium of the Part D plan in which you are currently enrolled. The LEP may be appealed. As with any aspect of your Medicare coverage, if you or other Medicare-aged friends have questions about the Part D program and the LEP, call us. We help you with Medicare.
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CA# 0D96309
1211 Maricopa Hwy, Ste 222, Ojai, CA 93023
www.LT-ins.com
We Help You With Medicare.
You get a lot of junk mail. But each month, there is one letter you will want to catch, and that’s the monthly report from your Part D Prescription Drug Program. All Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs have four stages (deductible, initial coverage, coverage gap, catastrophic coverage). Movement during the year to the next stage is based on accumulating drug costs. This monthly statement has important information including prescriptions that were filled during that month, the co-pay you paid for each, and the amount the plan paid for each, which together equals the total drug cost. Another key piece of information is the accumulated total drug cost so far this year. As prescriptions are filled from month to month, the report will show totals to date and how far you need to go before you reach the initial coverage limit (the 2022 ICL is $4,430 of total drug cost). The majority of people do not reach the ICL.* For those who do max out initial coverage and move into the coverage gap, the amount a member will pay for each prescription changes from the co-pay to a percentage — 25% for both generic and brand drugs. Please review your monthly report because going into the coverage gap or “doughnut hole” is even more unpleasant when you find out about it at the time of your next fill at the drug store! The amount the member pays in deductible (if applicable), co-pays in initial coverage, and percentages in the coverage gap are together IT’S NOT ALL JUNK (MAIL)
known as the “True Out of Pocket” amount, or TROOP. If the TROOP reaches $7,050 (not counting premiums), the member has reached the catastrophic stage for the remainder of the year, where the cost of prescriptions goes down to the greater of 5% or $3.95 for generics and $9.85 for all other drugs. Also, during the coverage gap, drug manufacturers contribute 5% of each brand drug price to the member’s TROOP. The silver lining in this cloud is that if you are in the gap or catastrophic stages, all accounts are reset to $0 each Jan. 1, and you are back in the initial coverage stage. If you have any questions about your Part D Prescription Drug Program, do not hesitate to call us. Prescription drug costs can be frustrating. While we can’t bring drug costs down, we try to help you understand your program better and review potential options. *For those with low-income subsidy through Medi-Cal or Medicare Extra Help, coverage gap and catastrophic do not apply as they pay a specific co-pay throughout the year.
SUDOKU
GRILLED CORN AND RICOTTA DIP
Ingredients
• • • • •
6 ears of corn
•
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups ricotta
• • •
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp unsalted butter, diced
2 tbsp thyme, finely chopped
Chives and scallions, finely chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 F. 2. In a large grill pan on high heat, cook the corn until charred on all sides. Let cool, then cut the kernels from the cob. 3. In a food processor or blender, purée two-thirds of the kernels with the cream, ricotta, flour, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in remaining whole kernels. 4. Pour into an 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, and dot with butter.
Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours, until bubbly. 5. Garnish with chives and scallions before serving.
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CA# 0D96309
805-646-6409
Inspired by Saveur.com
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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Dogs and People Have Common Traits
Hearing Loss Leads to Other Health Concerns
Late Enrollment Penalty for Part D
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It’s Not All Junk (Mail)
Grilled Corn and Ricotta Dip
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TikTok’s Grandparents Prove Technology Is for Everyone
TIKTOK FOR THE BOOMERS
WHY THESE GRANDPARENTS ARE PROOF THAT YOU CAN TIKTOK, TOO!
According to AARP, about 11% of TikTok’s users are 50 and older. While some users just scroll through videos, others have gained a mass following that keeps them young and keeps us entertained. For instance, there’s @Grandadfrankk, who dances with his family, and even “duets” videos with other stars. He also makes his own dance moves to accompany videos of other people dancing. Throughout many of his videos, he adds a message of positivity and a new take on trends. Another “granddad” is following suit. @Grandadjoe1933 has more than 5 million followers, and his videos also include candid and humorous expressions of grief over the death of his wife, recovery from a heart attack, and supporting his granddaughter through eating disorder recovery. Others are sharing their wisdom. There’s @youwishiwasyourgranny , who posts guidance for those in abusive situations looking for a way out. As an abuse survivor, “TikTok’s granny” uses her platform for humor and encouragement, helping those struggling with abuse find solace.
Another account, @thekathyproject , is a video diary of sorts for Kathy, who has early onset Alzheimer’s. Similarly, @charlesmallet was created for Charles Mallet by his granddaughter, Basia Mallet, as a way to help him cope with Alzheimer’s. Basia helps her grandfather create the videos for his channel, which has become known for dances, cooking videos, and sweet moments between grandfather and granddaughter.
If you’re interested in joining TikTok, do your research first to protect yourself and your family.
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1211 Maricopa Hwy, Ste 222, Ojai, CA 93023
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Published by The NewsletterPro •www.NewsletterPro.com
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