October Special Section
Your Local Broker for Medicare Insurance Needs
Jay Looft Owner/Agent
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Are there any changes to my Medicare plan?
Brought
to you by – Jay Looft, Senior Source Medicare
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is here! Almost two weeks into the Medicare AEP, the most common question we seem to get is “Are there any changes to my plan?” It is important to remember that from year to year, your plan will almost always change in some way. For instance, your insurance carrier could lower or raise a hospital copay, make changes to the prescription formulary, or offer new plan options all together. Every insurance carrier must physically mail you the changes for the upcoming year in a booklet called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC for short. If you have not received your ANOC, contact your insurance carrier to request one or contact us through our website at www.SeniorSourceMedicare. com/contact-seniorsource/ and we would be happy to provide you with a booklet with your specific plan changes.
If you have a Medicare Advantage
Plan (also referred to as a Medicare Plan) or a Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), you should review the changes annually. You’ll usually hear from your Medicare Insurance Agent about major changes in the plans; but for more specific changes, like changes to the prescription drug formulary, the insurance carrier would only notify the member and not the agent.
Just remember to check your doctors, check your prescription drugs, and review your ANOC. By reviewing these three items, you’ll know whether you should allow your current plan to automatically renew or if it might be a good idea to look at changing to a new plan.
You don’t have to go it alone! Analyzing Medicare Plans, and recognizing all the extra perks that go with them, can be overwhelming. We are Medicare insurance brokers that do all this for you, while keeping your specific needs in mind. Give us a call today at (770) 913-6464 or check us out online at www. SeniorSourceMedicare.com.
Blue light season has returned
Blue light therapy, also called photodynamic therapy (PDT), is a treatment that can help eliminate precancerous lesions and lower one’s risk of skin cancer. A PDT treatment involves applying a medicine called aminolevulinic acid (ALA) to a patient’s skin and then shining blue light on the treated area to activate the medicine. ALA is an organic, naturally occurring amino acid that our bodies use to make hemoglobin. When applied to the skin and activated by blue light, ALA preferentially kills pre-cancerous cells that make up lesions called actinic keratoses (AKs). Patients can often feel their own AKs by running their fingers over sun damaged areas such as the tip of the nose, the tops of the ears or the scalp. AK’s usually feel rough or hard and will sometimes bleed if picked. AKs can develop into skin cancer if untreated.
PDT has a “season” because most pre-cancer treatments leave the skin temporarily irritated and paradoxically vulnerable to the sun’s rays for a period of a few days to a week as healing takes place. Good cells need time to heal into the place previously occupied by bad cells. After a PDT treatment, a patient needs to avoid the sun for a few days. If a patient is going to see a child or grandchild’s baseball game, go fishing, golfing, boating or otherwise be in the sun, then many dermatologists would recommend waiting to perform preventative skin cancer treatments until a less sunny time of year when it’s easier to avoid the sun’s UV rays.
Now that the days are getting shorter and the sun is less intense, it’s time to start thinking about skin
cancer prevention again. Multiple treatment options exist to help prevent skin cancer including inoffice treatments like PDT as well as at home creams that a patient applies such as fluorouracil, imiquimod, diclofenac and tirbanibulin. A dermatologist can help a patient choose the best, personalized treatment.
PDT and the best topical treatments can eliminate 75% or more of one’s actinic keratoses and dramatically decrease the number of times a patient has to have spots frozen or cancers cut out. Our experience is that thoroughly treated areas that were growing skin cancers at the rate of one per year often go multiple years without another skin cancer after PDT treatments.
Cosmetically, PDT can be part of a skin rejuvenation regimen. On the face of men and women and on the upper chest “décolletage” area of women, PDT treatments can address the precancerous component of sun-damaged skin, and then laser treatments (such as 532/1064nm Nd:YAG laser) can help address aesthetic components of sun damage. These treatments allow many rough, red or brown spots to be eliminated resulting in medical and cosmetic benefit.
If you would like to repair sun damaged skin and treat actinic keratoses or are simply overdue for a skin exam, consider Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta. Dr. Brent Taylor is a fellowship-trained and boardcertified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon. Kathryn Filipek, PA-C has greater than 15 years of experience in dermatology and has expertise in medical dermatology, cosmetic injectable treatments, sclerotherapy, external laser treatments and more.
Insist on the BEST
Dr. Brent Taylor is a Board-Certified Dermatologist, a Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon, and is certified by the Board of Venous and Lymphatic Medicine in the field of Vein Care.
He is an expert in skin cancer and melanoma treatment, endovenous laser ablation, minimally invasive vein procedures and cosmetics procedures such as Botox and injectables.
Kathryn is a certified physician assistant with over 22 years experience as a Dermatology PA and cosmetic dermatology.
Her specialties include general dermatology such as acne, eczema, rashes, hair loss, full body skin exams, abnormal growths etc. Kathryn also specializes in cosmetic dermatology including lasers, injectables, micro-needling, PRP, facial peels, sclerotherapy for spider veins and at home skin care.
Kathryn Filipek, PA-C
Brought to you by – Dr. Brent Taylor, Premier Dermatology and Mohs Surgery of Atlanta
ISTOCK
Dear Reader, I am often asked whether you need to re-do or update your estate plan when you move to a new state. The answer is, yes, you do need to update or re-do your estate plan. Consider it a part of moving expenses. Each state in our country has different rules about what needs to be in your will or trust for validity and also to minimize the amount of reporting that is required of the person you put in charge. Georgia specifically has rules that require reporting by the person in charge of a trust
where a trust owns real estate in GA. Imagine you just moved into your new home in GA and you feel really smart about putting your new home in GA into your trust. The person in charge of your trust (which may be you) is responsible for completing the required reports under GA law even if you don't know that the reporting requirement is there. Surprise! And not a happy surprise for most people. Avoid these kinds of unhappy surprises by consulting with an experienced estate planning attorney who can help you identify the holes in your plan and make the management of your trust easier for you and your future helpers.
Brought to you by- Wilson Legal, PC
Importance of skin checks for mature skin
Brought to you by -
Dr. Kehinde Olumesi of Epiphany Dermatology - Brookhaven
As skin matures, it undergoes various changes that necessitate regular skin checks to ensure overall skin health. Differentiating between age spots, healthy moles and potential skin cancers is crucial. Age spots, often appearing as flat, brown, or black spots on sun-exposed areas, are generally harmless but can be mistaken for more serious conditions. Early detection of skin cancer, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, significantly increases the chances of successful treatment. Therefore, routine skin examinations are essential for mature skin to maintain health and catch any issues early.
Addressing
skin conditions and rejuvenation procedures
Dermatologists can assist with a variety of skin conditions and rejuvenation procedures for mature skin. Common issues such as dryness, age-related pigmentation and conditions like rosacea, psoriasis and eczema, which can persist or develop with age, are also addressed with specialized care plans.
In addition to treating conditions,
dermatologists offer rejuvenating procedures to enhance the appearance and health of mature skin. Treatments such as chemical peels, laser rejuvenation
Cosmetic and dermal fillers can reduce the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin texture and promote collagen production. These procedures not only rejuvenate the
well-being. Establishing a relationship with a dermatologist ensures that your skin receives comprehensive care tailored to its evolving needs, promoting long-term skin
The importance of maintaining dental health as you age
Are there any changes to my Medicare plan?
As you age, oral health can frequently be overlooked when it comes to our health. This tends to happen because other health conditions are the center of conversation, such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Thankfully, regular visits to your dentist for routine x-rays and cleanings help maintain a healthy mouth – and identify early signs of declining oral health. Poor oral health leads to many issues such as periodontal disease, dental cavities, tooth loss and poor nutrition.
You may also start taking new medications, so it’s important to keep your dentist informed and mitigate risks of side effects like dry mouth. Saliva actually serves as a protecting agent against cavities which means dry mouth can lead to an increased risk of cavities. And the earlier we can treat cavities, the less chance it has of developing into something more concerning like abscesses that lead to root canals or tooth loss.
When you experience discomfort
or tooth loss, soft food can become the go-to option, but that makes it difficult to maintain a well-balanced diet and get the nutrients you need from fruits, vegetables and protein. Maintaining good oral health actually helps ensure your ability to maintain good nutritional balance and mitigate the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Brought to you by – Senior Source Medicare
The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is here! Almost two weeks into the Medicare AEP, the most common question we seem to get is “Are there any changes to my plan?” It is important to remember that from year to year, your plan will almost always change in some way. For instance, your insurance carrier could lower or raise a hospital copay, make changes to the prescription formulary, or offer new plan options all together.
Every insurance carrier must physically mail you the changes for the upcoming year in a booklet called the Annual Notice of Change, or ANOC for short. If you have not received your ANOC, contact your insurance carrier to request one or contact us through our website at www.SeniorSourceMedicare.com/contact-seniorsource/ and we would be happy to provide you with a booklet with your specific plan changes.
If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan (also referred to as a Medicare Plan) or a Stand-Alone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), you should review the changes annually.
You’ll usually hear from your Medicare Insurance Agent about major changes in the plans; but for more specific changes, like changes to the prescription drug formulary, the insurance carrier would only notify the member and not the agent.
Just remember to check your doctors, check your prescription drugs, and review your ANOC. By reviewing these three items, you’ll know whether you should allow your current plan to automatically renew or if it might be a good idea to look at changing to a new plan.
You don’t have to go it alone! Analyzing Medicare Plans, and recognizing all the extra perks that go with them, can be overwhelming. We are Medicare insurance brokers that do all this for you, while keeping your specific needs in mind. Give us a call today at (770) 315-8145 or check us out online at www.SeniorSourceMedicare. com.
Paige Gorman Agent
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
While covering Milton election operations, Appen Media analyzed historical voter data and identified possible disenfranchisement.
This reporting caused a statewide watchdog to get involved and, eventually, the city moved to add a polling place to the area. Later in the year, Appen discovered that the feasibility report the City Council used when voting to run their own elections was not the original document. Two residents on a working committee had altered it after city staff had completed it and before its presentation to council. Appen Media reporters identified all of the differences between the two documents and then created an interactive digital document. Readers and officials were able to scroll through the materials and read notes from the newsroom explaining the differences. You can find this document at appenmedia.com/electionsreport.
