Lexington Herald Leader Logo

Kentucky voices: Boomers, study Medicare options | Lexington Herald Leader

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • All News
    • Business
    • Communities
    • Counties
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Lexington
    • Local
    • Most Wanted
    • Nation/World
    • News Photos
    • News Videos
    • Politics
    • Searchable Databases
    • State
    • Watchdog
    • Columns
    • Tom Eblen
    • All Sports
    • UK Sports
    • College Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • High School
    • Horses
    • Kentucky Speedway
    • Lexington Legends
    • Reds
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NASCAR
    • NFL
    • Sports Photos
    • Sports Videos
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Columns
    • Mark Story
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • All UK Sports
    • Next Cats Recruiting
    • Baseball
    • Basketball - Men
    • Basketball - Women
    • Recruiting
    • Ex-Cats
    • Football
    • UK Photos
    • UK Videos
    • More UK Sports
    • Columns
    • John Clay's Blog
    • Mark Story
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • All Entertainment
    • Books
    • Celebrities
    • Comics
    • Puzzles & Games
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Restaurants
    • Stage & Dance
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Entertainment Photos
    • Entertainment Videos
    • News Blogs
    • Kentucky Weather
    • Photo Archive
    • Sports Blogs
    • John Clay's Blog
    • High School
    • UK Football
    • UK Men's Basketball
    • UK Women's Basketball
    • Lexington Legends
    • Entertainment Blogs
    • Walter Tunis on Music
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Joel Pett
    • Letters to the Editor
    • National Columnists
    • Op-Ed
    • Submit a Letter
    • All Living
    • Celebrations
    • Family
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Fru-Gal: Deb Morris
    • Health & Medicine
    • Home & Garden
    • Paul Prather
    • Religion
    • Travel
    • Readers' Choice
    • Kentucky Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Submit an Obituary
    • Customer Service
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • E-edition
    • Page Reprints
    • Photo Reprints
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Site Information
    • Advertise With Us
    • Archives
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Google+
    • Today's Circulars
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Cars
    • Homes
    • Homeseller
    • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Mobile & Apps

Op-Ed

Kentucky voices: Boomers, study Medicare options

By Rich Vollmer

    ORDER REPRINT →

October 17, 2012 12:00 AM

Every day approximately 11,000 baby boomers age in to Medicare. In addition, people under 65 with disabilities account for more than 16 percent of the total Medicare population.

While the Medicare-age population will continue to grow as the flood of baby boomers reaches 65, the health challenges faced by these boomers are enormous:

31 percent of people turning 65 in 2011 said their physical health is worse than they thought it would be.

14 million — or one out of every four boomers — is expected to be living with diabetes by 2030.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

The future could be challenging for beneficiaries in general, and boomers in particular, who do not start to focus on their health and well-being today. Boomers need to realize there is an array of preventive care benefits the federal health care system provides for them. And it pays to learn what Medicare and Medicare Advantage, the private-sector Medicare option that one in four Medicare-eligibles chooses for their coverage, deliver and how to access these benefits. For example:

Preventive screenings, like blood glucose tests, are now offered by all Medicare Advantage plans.

Regardless of the plan they choose, beneficiaries can participate in a comprehensive "Welcome to Medicare" session with their physician. These sessions provide preventive tests and screenings, including mammograms and colonoscopies, a medical history review and planning for a healthy future.

Such preventive health care is critical to help ensure boomers aging into Medicare and other beneficiaries live healthier, more productive lives, which will allow them to spend time doing the things they enjoy most.

With Medicare's enrollment period for 2013 starting this week, boomers will want to research Medicare health care and prescription-drug plans before they enroll for the coming year. Choosing a Medicare plan can be daunting. Here are three ways to help make the right choice.

Look at past year's expenses — hospital, pharmacy and physician costs — to determine if that year was typical and to help make the best estimate for the year ahead.

Medicare.gov (www.medicare.gov) is an excellent resource, enabling beneficiaries to find and compare Medicare health plans and prescription drug plans.

For estimating costs, valuable information can be obtained from Family Health Budget (www.familyhealthbudget.com).

In addition, once boomers and other beneficiaries understand the options available to them, they can visit the Web sites of specific health plans such as www.humana-medicare.com and compare.

With the Medicare enrollment period underway, boomers should learn about their health-plan options, including preventive care, to prepare for a healthy future.

  Comments  

Videos

Herro says Cats think they’re the best team in the country

John Calipari lauds return of good Ashton Hagans as key

View More Video

Trending Stories

UK student got a chance to win $19,000 with a half-court shot. He nailed it.

February 16, 2019 12:41 PM

Dontaie Allen honored at Rupp during Kentucky’s busy recruiting night

February 16, 2019 08:30 PM

Here’s what John Calipari had to say after Kentucky’s blowout of No. 1 Tennessee

February 16, 2019 11:47 PM

PJ Washington leads Kentucky to a convincing victory over Tennessee

February 16, 2019 10:30 PM

How No. 5 Kentucky and No. 1 Tennessee match up — with a game prediction

February 15, 2019 11:38 AM

Read Next

Kentucky cannot afford a new generation of nicotine addicts

Op-Ed

Kentucky cannot afford a new generation of nicotine addicts

By Ben Chandler

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 15, 2019 08:07 PM

Kentucky’s legislature should mandate smoke-free schools, a crucial step in reducing adolescent and teen tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke and e-cigarette aerosol. Without action to stem rising youth smoking, the state will face the expense of an entirely new generation addicted to nicotine.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Lexington Herald-Leader

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE OP-ED

McConnell prime for the Pelosi treatment, if only Dems had the spine

Op-Ed

McConnell prime for the Pelosi treatment, if only Dems had the spine

February 15, 2019 07:55 PM
Tribalism, media prejudice ruining America

Op-Ed

Tribalism, media prejudice ruining America

February 15, 2019 04:42 PM
Shunned by Sunday school, Slemp seeks something to worship.

Op-Ed

Shunned by Sunday school, Slemp seeks something to worship.

February 15, 2019 11:01 AM
Killing solar jobs, businesses in Kentucky would not be conservative

Op-Ed

Killing solar jobs, businesses in Kentucky would not be conservative

February 14, 2019 07:51 PM
‘Not true.’ Equine vet responds to lawsuit over X-rays at Keeneland horse sales

Op-Ed

‘Not true.’ Equine vet responds to lawsuit over X-rays at Keeneland horse sales

February 14, 2019 10:42 AM
A plea from the mountains: Don’t snuff out solar energy’s economic opportunities

Op-Ed

A plea from the mountains: Don’t snuff out solar energy’s economic opportunities

February 13, 2019 07:06 PM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Lexington Herald Leader App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Archives
Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Local Deals
  • Digital Solutions
  • Media Kit
Copyright
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story