LYN’S LEDGER
Lyndon Thomas Insurance
MAY 2020
We Help You With Medicare.
AGE-OLD QUESTIONS
into 300 pounds of leaping wreckage and are very adept at performing the nasty trick of jumping in front of your car and doing a lot of damage. Collisions between deer and cars kill a certain number of humans in the U.S. every year. Usually solitary during the warm months, deer will congregate during the winter to look for food. A herd of deer can wipe out a cornfield in minutes or a hay storage lot in a few more minutes — with accompanying economic destruction for the farmer. During the heavy snowfall winter of 1968–69, a few miles from home, we saw a herd of deer numbering in the hundreds. We were glad they were not coming in our direction! The coronavirus event we are now in the middle of renews and elevates age-old questions with new complexity and intensity: How is a disease transmitted? How do we secure effective and affordable means of diagnosis? How do we determine acceptable costs that can mitigate and slow the spread? How do we care for those who are sick? We need help! If you pray, then pray for our leaders as we continue to flatten the curve. Pray for, thank, and encourage our medical providers any opportunity you have. Pray for our communities and support our neighbors as the economic destruction of the shutdown takes its toll on the health and well-being of far more people than will have ever caught the virus. Let’s wrap up on a more cheerful note! Medicare continues to provide coverage for those 65 and over in a magnificent fashion. While health care delivery has been disrupted during this time, Medicare coverage has not. That is a real blessing!
One of my earliest childhood memories is looking out of the kitchen window trying the find the chicken that gave me chicken pox! It made sense to me that if I had chicken pox, then I would have caught it from a chicken. Mom corrected my childhood error. Another early memory is watching out the same window as Dad took aim while he sidestepped a drooling, charging skunk. Any skunk initiating contact with humans, especially in daylight, is assumed to be rabid. Rabies is a deadly virus that transmits easily from animals to humans, and skunks are common hosts. I grew up on a farm in South Dakota. In rural areas, interaction with nature often has a sharper edge than in suburbia. When I was 15, Princess, our shepherd-collie got into it with a skunk that wandered into the yard. When it was all over, the skunk was dead, the dog and the yard smelled horrible, and Princess had a few nicks about her head. So the skunk’s head was sent to the state university lab to be tested for rabies, and Princess went into quarantine. Next to the barn, we built a 6-foot fence out of wire panels. Princess had never been shut inside of anything in her life. We fed her well, visited her often, and spoke lovingly to her, but two days of quarantine was all she could take. When she chose to leave, it was a sight to behold: She sailed over that 6-foot fence with ease. We didn’t put her back in quarantine, but I remember keeping a pretty close eye on her. A few days later the test for rabies in the skunk came back negative. We were pleased that Princess needed no veterinary treatment.
In the movie “Bambi,” the titular deer is cute and lovable. Real life Bambis of the “mule and white tail” variety grow
–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
THE BENEFITS OF MINIMALISM A Perfect Lifestyle for Seniors
or clutter in the junk drawer. Once you’ve taken this first step, move on to something bigger. Soon, you’ll find yourself making steady and rewarding progress throughout the rest of your home. In the process, pay attention to what you want to keep. Carefully select which objects mean the most to you and which ones are still useful. These are the belongings you should surround yourself with.
As we get older, we tend to hang on to mementos that brought some type of meaning to our lives, even after time has diminished their value. Though we may be emotionally attached, this clutter can eventually overwhelm us, especially as seniors. If you find yourself drowning in items you no longer need or want, consider a minimalist lifestyle to free up your space — and your mind.
MINIMALISM
THE BENEFIT OF MINIMALISM
Before taking on a minimalist lifestyle, it’s important to understand what it entails. When someone hears the word “minimalism,” they might think it means getting rid of their possessions one by one, but that’s not entirely true. Instead, minimalist living focuses on having less clutter in our lives but still keeping the things we truly value and enjoy. The idea is to get rid of things we no longer use or need.
Minimalism will help you feel more comfortable in your home and open up other possibilities. You will have more room to invite guests and family over, and you’ll have a sense of space and freedom. Additionally, this lifestyle can also help with your finances. You’ll be less tempted to buy what you don’t need, and you may even rearrange spending priorities or downsize your living space (less rent!). If you surround yourself with meaningful and useful items, you will feel more at peace. Ultimately, minimalism encourages us to free ourselves from the many things that own us as much as we own them. Don’t allow accumulated objects to clutter up your home and life. Take the leap and start living a carefree, minimalist lifestyle.
MINIMALIST LIVING
To embark on a minimalist lifestyle, focus more on the present and consider the value your personal belongings have in your life now. Sorting through hundreds of items with thousands of memories is a daunting task, so it is best to start by removing things that might not require emotional or physical strain, like old magazines, broken items,
HEALTH AND WEALTH REMINDERS
• Medicare plus supplement. Supplement F pays the annual deductible and the 20%; you pay nothing. Supplements G and N pay the full balance of the ambulance bill after you pay the annual deductible. Action to take: Send your Medicare and supplement information to the ambulance company for them to send the claim to Medicare, which also sends the claim to the supplement. Send no money unless have not paid the Part B deductible for the year. • Medicare Advantage. You pay only the emergency transportation/ambulance copay for the plan of which you are a member. Action to take: Pay the copay to the provider, then call the health plan member service number on your ID card and ask them to take care of it from there. Having to take a ride in the ambulance is bad enough! Don’t pay more than you need to! If you have questions about this or other Medicare-related questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
It’s time for a couple of annual reminders …
If you take an ambulance ride and you have Medicare, never pay the full amount billed!
In the event of a medical emergency transport, the EMT staff most likely will not get your insurance information. Their job is to get your broken leg or heart attack to the hospital ASAP! Stopping to get your insurance information would be a dangerous delay. So they take your name and address and send you a bill for the full amount. Here is the important part: Even though the bill may be for the full amount, you are responsible ONLY for a portion based on how you are using Medicare. • Medicare only. You are responsible for 20% of the bill after you pay the annual deductible ($185 in 2019). Action to take: Give them your Medicare number and pay the 20% to the provider.
2 216-B E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023
CA# 0D96309
www.LT-ins.com
We Help You With Medicare.
IT’S NOT THE IRS CALLING YOU!
Your experience is like mine, I’m sure. The scam phone calls never let up.
You can fortify yourself against the scammers by keeping this rule in mind.
The Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security Administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS, a.k.a. “Medicare”) make any needed initial contact to taxpayers and beneficiaries by mail, not by telephone. If you take a telephone call — no matter how urgent — from anyone claiming to be from these agencies, it is a scam! These agencies send initial contacts by mail. For example, you receive in the mail each year your annual Social Security statement of benefits that also lists the amount deducted each month for Medicare Part B. If these agencies need to contact you regarding these benefits, they will do so by mail, not telephone.
SUDOKU
GRILLED PRIME RIB
Who says the cookout has to ruin your diet? Try this paleo-friendly recipe for a main dish that’s worthy of your next barbecue.
Ingredients
• • •
1 1/2 lbs beef rib roast 1 tsp Himalayan salt 1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions
1. Take rib roast out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. 2. Season roast with salt and pepper and allow it to rest for 10 minutes while you heat a gas grill to 600 F. 3. Sear roast for 3–4 minutes on each side. 4. Turn off the grill but continue cooking the steak, flipping every 4–5 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 F. Remove from grill. 5. Allow the roast to rest — its internal temperature will continue to climb — for 5–10 minutes. Slice and serve.
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CA# 0D96309
805-646-6409
Inspired by Primal Palate
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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Age-Old Questions
Minimalist Living for Seniors
What You Should Know About Ambulance Rides
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It’s Not the IRS Calling You!
Grilled Prime Rib
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Bird-Watching for Beginners
BIRD-WATCHING FOR BEGINNERS
WHY MAY IS THE BEST MONTH TO START
GEAR UP
Bird-watching is like a lifelong scavenger hunt that you can play anywhere on Earth. The activity provides a mixture of science, travel, and beauty, and it’s a chance to get outside for feathered adventures and quiet reflection. The month of May is a great time of year to go birding because rising temperatures prompt spring migration. So if you’re eager to begin bird-watching, there’s no better time than now. Here are some tips to get started.
One of the best things about birding is that you don’t need a lot of equipment to do it. As long as you’ve got your field guide and comfortable walking shoes, the only other thing you’ll need is a pair of binoculars. And they don’t have to be fancy. As long as they can zoom in on faraway trees and perches, they’ll work for now. You can always upgrade later.
GO EXPLORING
Your very first birding excursion is important because you don’t want to be overwhelmed or underwhelmed. So use your field guide to home in on a single bird and go find it. It may be local, or you can plan a trip to a specific bird’s natural habitat. Stay focused and don’t get distracted by other species. The thrill that comes with spotting your first bird will keep you coming back to find the rest. Bird-watching is a wonderful hobby because it’s easy to get started and can last a lifetime. As long as you can walk, drive, or look out a window, you can be a birder. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and find some birds!
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Thousands of species of birds span all corners of the globe. That’s why finding them is an exciting prospect — there’s no end to the hunt! Start by researching birds that are native to your location. Purchase a field guide with pictures of each bird and maps of their range and use it to figure out where different birds live. From there, it’s easy to pick your first spotting goal. You can even get yourself extra excited by watching a few bird documentaries.
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216-B E. Matilija St., Ojai, CA 93023
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Published by The NewsletterPro •www.NewsletterPro.com
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