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Medicare News DigestCurrent and Archived Medicare News & Information on the Web. Welcome to the Medicare News Digest. Keeping abreast of current Medicare news and information is part of the remedy that lies in a shift toward paying for long term results. Understanding the nuances of Medicare is vital to recommending preventive health and medical treatments for Medicare eligible individuals. As a practicing primary care physician, I prescribe treatment for patients every day. I monitor their progress and regularly apply technology to learn of the latest techniques and treatments. The Medicare News Digest brings headlines (with direct media links) and information from CMS and related sources to healthcare professionals, caregivers and beneficiaries as a community service from Essence Health Care and our participating hospitals/medical centers in Washington. We appreciate your comment (info@medicarenewsdigest.net) CHARLES WILLEY, MD Your Health Now - A Free Consumer Health MagazineEvery day people are inundated with health information - some of it confusing, and even contradictory. Now, the publisher of The Merck Manuals, a trusted medical resource since 1899 and the world´s most widely used medical reference books, is introducing yet another educational, unbiased, and free resource called Your Health Now. "Increasingly, people want information to help them take more active roles in health care decisions," notes Dr. Robert Berkow, editor emeritus of The Merck Manuals, and editor-in-chief of the new magazine. "Your Health Now is a tool to help people stay informed about health issues and foster productive conversations with their doctors." Your Health Now answers common health questions and also provides information about getting free and discounted medicines. Each issue focuses on a different health theme based on the most frequently accessed topics on the Merck Manuals Web site. An Advisory Board reviews the magazine to ensure that the content is non-promotional and unbiased. Each issue also includes expertise from a guest editor. Checkout the latest issue and sign up for a FREE subscription at http://www.yourhealthnow.com. Pharmacy ConnectionsIn this country there are millions of people with no health insurance. There are many more people who, even though they have insurance, don´t have the money to buy their medications. Although most people are unaware that help is available, there are numerous public and private programs that can help people save money on some of their prescription drugs. Several pharmaceutical companies also offer discount cards for eligible consumers. Certain consumer groups also provide subscribers will discounts on brand name and generic drugs. Drug manufacturers have Patient Assistance Programs that provide no cost or low cost drugs for those who can´t afford their medicines. Some insurance policies offer prescription coverage and low-income individuals may qualify for Medicaid. In addition, certain non-profit disease or disability organizations may offer assistance in funding drugs needed by their constituencies. Pharmacy Connections, a program funded through the Washington State Senate and signed into law by Governor Gary Locke, will help seniors and persons with disabilities meet their medication needs. The Pharmacy Connection will provide consumers information and help them access public and private programs that can help them save money on some or all of their prescription drugs. For more information, please call 1-888-435-3377. Medicare and Foreign TravelReprinted from the May 2003 Senior Services´ I&A Passport with permission. If you are planning to travel outside the country for business or pleasure, be aware that the Original Medicare plan generally does not pay for medical care outside the United States. For Medicare purposes, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands are all considered to be part of the United States. Some Medicare+Choice plans, Medigap policies, or other supplemental insurance will cover services outside the U.S. Check with your plan for details before you leave the country. Ask whether all medically needed services or only emergency services are covered. What are the out-of-pocket costs? Will emergency ambulance or air evacuation be covered? Is there a lifetime or yearly dollar limit on claims for foreign medical care? If you´re planning a cruise, Original Medicare coverage is very limited. Also, under very limited certain circumstances, Medicare can help pay for inpatient hospital care, and associated physician and ambulance services that you get in Canada or Mexico. You may want to purchase short-term traveler´s insurance to fill the gaps. This is usually available with trip cancellation insurance. Wherever your travel plans may take you, remember to bring your Medicare card if appropriate and other pertinent health insurance cards. Take extra supplies of all your medications in case you´re delayed returning. Most of all, have fun! If you have other Medicare questions, visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227), TTY/TDD 1-877-486- 2048 anytime. Are you being overwhelmed by the cost of your prescription medicines?Cross Border Rx Service, in Edmonds, Washington "Your Solution to High Medication Costs" offers you the opportunity to obtain medication from Canada without needing to travel there. Your medication will be shipped to your home. Medication prices in Canada are typically 25-80% lower. Your visit with Dr. John Erb, MD, includes a review of your medical history and medication usage. For more information, visit www.CrossBorderRx.com, or phone 425-778-7852 or 1-800-320-8218. AWARDS application packets now availableWashington State residents ages 55 and older who are interested in receiving discounts on their prescription drugs may now order an AWARDS application packet directly. The AWARDS (A Washington Alliance to Reduce prescription Drug Spending) program, announced last summer by Governor Gary Locke, provides prescription drug discounts to seniors have no prescription drug coverage. There are no income guidelines to participate in the program, and you cannot be turned down for health reasons. The Health Care Authority contracted with Merck-Medco to administer the AWARDS program. How to enroll in AWARDS: * The fastest way to enroll is to call Merck-Medco at 1-800-988-4030. (If you are hearing or speech impaired, call 1-800-759-1089.) Merck-Medco's Customer Services are available 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday (Pacific Standard Time). Using your credit card, the application process can be completed over the phone. The annual fee for individual members is $15, or $25 for families (two or more people). Shortly thereafter, you will receive a membership card in the mail to use immediately to receive prescription drug discounts at participating pharmacies or through Merck-Medco's mail-order service. * If you do not wish to use a credit card, you may request an application kit, and mail in your check or money order with the completed kit. You will receive your membership card via return mail. Want to find out more? Participating pharmacies. Call Merck-Medco at 1-800-988-4030 to ask about participating pharmacies in your area. (You can also find a list of major pharmacy chains participating with the AWARDS program in your county by clicking here.) Mail-order discounts on your prescription drugs. If you take medications to treat ongoing medical conditions, you can call Merck-Medco at 1-800-988-4030 to get a current price quote for specific drugs so you can determine your actual savings. Medicare's Expanded Preventive ServicesOver the past few years changes in Medicare have expanded benefits to cover many cancer screen tests. Since January 1998 Medicare has covered screening mammograms once a year without referral from a physician. Changes in Medicare laws passed last December increased the frequency of coverage for screening pap smears and pelvic exams from once every three years to once every two years. They're covered once every 12 months if you are high risk for cervical or vaginal cancer. Since January 2000, prostate screening tests, including the digital rectal exam and the PSA blood test have been covered annually for all men with Medicare age 50 and older. Colorectal cancer screening tests, such as sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, can detect polyps that can become cancerous. Recent law changes have expanded coverage of colonoscopies for all individuals with Medicare Part B. not just those at high risk. To learn more about other preventive services covered by Medicare, visit the website at www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). This warning forwarded by Judith supplements the same warning given by one of our readers, (I think it was Bill Murphy) some time ago: BOILING WATER IN A MICROWAVEI recently received the following story from a friend. Since I wasn't sure of the authenticity I contacted General Electric's small appliance group and asked if it was correct. Their response supports the danger reported in the story. Anyone who uses a microwave oven to heat water should be made aware of the potential hazards. My 26-year old son decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for but he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed he cup from the oven. As he looked into the cup he noted that the water was not boiling but instantly the water in the cup blew up into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water had flown out into his face due to the buildup of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face which may leave scarring. He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye. The doctor who was attending him stated that this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is, however, a much safer choice to boil the water in a tea kettle. Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter: "Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It is caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime water is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than half a cup). "What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can form. If the cup is very new it is unlikely to have small surface scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As the bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat that has built up, the liquid does not boil, but continues to heat up well past its boiling point. "What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and expel the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated beverage spews when opened after having been shaken." If you pass this on you could very well save someone from a lot of pain and suffering. In a Drug's Journey to Market, Discovery Is Just the First of Many StepsPharmaceuticals are a risky, but lucrative, business. Drug companies turn scientific advances into life-saving medicines that can generate millions of dollars in sales each day, but the process takes time -- an average of 12 to 15 years -- and money. Through a recent wave of mergers and acquisitions, the prescription drug industry is increasingly global. But the companies earn most of their profits, and do most of their basic research, in the United States, the last drug market free of price restraints. The industry consistently ranks as the most profitable among Fortune 500 companies. In this election year, with prescription drugs now the fastest-growing component of the nation's health care bill, the political debate is centered on how to help elderly people pay for their medications. So politicians and consumers are taking a close look at the drug industry, a business that closely guards its financial and scientific secrets. How Companies Stall Generics and Keep Themselves HealthyThe stakes were high on Feb. 2, 1998, when Zenith Goldline Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories squared off here in patent court. For three years, the companies had been fighting about whether Zenith could market a generic version of Hytrin, Abbott´s $500-million-a-year drug for high blood pressure and prostate enlargement. Now a federal appeals judge would hear them out. "Abbott makes a million dollars a day for every day it keeps us off the market," Bill Mentlik, Zenith´s lawyer, argued in court. Without a cheaper generic, he warned, "the public is losing." Some Research Funded By Tax Dollars But Taxpayers Charged Sky-High Prices For Resulting Drugs,For older Americans and others, the rising price of prescription drugs is public issue No. 1. With Congress debating ways to give Medicare recipients a break, many Americans will be surprised to learn they're being double billed for drugs they need. Americans already pay a premium for prescription drugs, but for years now, they´ve been paying for some drugs twice. That's the perspective of Public Citizen's Dr. Sidney Wolfe. "The drug industry is really gouging and getting a good deal by getting some of their research funds paid for by the federal government and then charging as much as they possibly can," he says. The National Institutes of Health use your tax dollars to pay for more than one third of all U.S. medical research. For example, the NIH developed the breast cancer drug tamoxifin, but now the pharmaceutical industry charges a premium: about $241 per treatment. Canadians pay about $34. Still the drug industry claims the U.S. cost is justified. Thinking of buying prescription or over-the-counter drugs online?Is it safe? How can you tell if a Website that sells medical products is legitimate? What is FDA doing to stop sites that are breaking the law? What should you do before you buy medical products online? Here's information on how you can take advantage of the convenience and privacy of online buying while still protecting your health and your money. The Food and Drug Administration has an informative Website that will help you make decisions. The Medicine ProgramEach day many less fortunate individuals are choosing between food and medicine.
Thank you for taking a moment to review "The Medicine Program"...
The Medicine Program was established and is dedicated dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages who are regularly required to take prescription medication, but lack adequate income to fill their prescriptions each month. MOST MAJOR AMERICAN DRUG MANUFACTURERS ARE NOW SPONSORING PROGRAMS WHICH PROVIDE FREE PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION TO THOSE WHO QUALIFY.Our organization assists applicants in taking initial steps to apply for enrollmentin these "Patient Assistance Programs" sponsored by drug manufacturers. Some of the guidelines to qualify require that the applicant must...
The cooperation of the applicant's physician has a significant bearing on the applicant's approval and enrollment into a patient assistance program. Enrollment in a patient assistance program eases a drain on family funds, resulting in increased cash available for other basic needs.If you would like to speak to a representative about our program, please call: 1-573-778-1118. You may also write to:
GOLDEN CARE FREE HEALTH PROGRAMThe GOLDEN CARE FREE HEALTH PROGRAM for Seniors in sponsored by Northwest Hospital. You are invited to join whether you are a registered patient there or not. You can get more specific information by calling (206) 368-1475. Benefits of your FREE membership are Free Counseling for Medical Bills (from any source). Instead of calling all over town for answers, you'll have this dependable office to call for private, highly personalized attention to your needs. Quarterly newsletter Golden Care Northwest publishes a quarterly newsletter for our members. We focus on issues which are important to seniors, concerning health, fitness, family and nutrition. Physician Referral and Health Line. If you have any questions regarding your health concerns or finding a physician call our MED-INFO line at (206) 633-4636 Special Discounts As a member of Golden Care Northwest, you will be entitled to discounts for services in our cafeteria, our gift shop and Lowry's pharmacy. Education: Our Educational Services department at Northwest Hospital provides inexpensive classes and free seminars on all kinds of health topics. And, Golden Care Northwest members receive an additional $5 discount on some hospital education classes. FREE PARKINGAs always, you'll receive free parking throughout our 35 acre campus. Who is eligible for Golden Care Northwest? Anyone 63 years or older. There is no fee to become a member of Golden Care. For questions or to receive a membership form please call (206) 368-1475. GOLDEN CARE NORTHWEST has additional benefits: Because North Seattle has the largest
Northwest Hospital is A FAMILY CARE HOSPITAL. You can think of our hospital as your"complete" health care resource. We are located at 1550 North 115th Street, just off Aurora and not far from Northgate Mall. On the world wide web. 
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