Medicare Open Enrollment

By Jennifer Fullerton It's almost time once again for open enrollment in the Medicare prescription drug plan. Even those already enrolled have some new information to think about. Prices for the various prescription drug plans are going up. If you're changing your drug plan or enrolling for the first time you need to do so between November 15th and December 31st. The longer an eligible person waits to enroll the more expensive every plan becomes. "It's one percent per month for every month that you didn't enroll when you were first eligible." says Lisa Hietala from Senior Insurance Assistance. The new prices for various plans is taking place on January first and for some plans will be quite significant. "We've see the lower plan in our area which was Humana offered the least expensive plan go from $8.62 to $16.60 a month." says Hietala. The drugs covered under various plans may change as well. Reading the information sent to you from your specific plan will tell you what changes will kick in. While the plans and process may seem a bit confusing, they are helping most. "People that have high ticket drugs or that have a lot of drug expenses each month they're seeing a huge difference in their costs." says Hietalt. So remember if you don't enroll or change your plan between November 15th and December 31st you'll have to wait an entire year before there's another chance. To find information on which plan is best for you and how plans are changing visit the Medicare web site or call 1-800-medicare which has people there to help you 24 hours a day... seven days a week. Source: KRDO

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High BMI, low physical-activity equals estrogen 50% to 100% higher October 9, 2006 - Postmenopausal women who want to significantly decrease their breast-cancer risk would be wise to exercise regularly and keep their weight within a normal range for their height, according to new findings from the Women's Health Initiative to be published in the journal Obesity. The multicenter team of researchers, led by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, found that women who had the lowest body-mass index, or BMI, and the highest physical-activity levels had the lowest levels of circulating estrogens, sex hormones that can fuel breast-cancer growth. Specifically, they found a significant decrease in the two most common, biologically active forms of estrogen, estrone and estradiol, among the most active, lean women studied. The researchers found that women with high BMI and low physical-activity had mean estrogen concentrations that were 50 percent to 100 percent higher than that of women with low BMI and high activity levels. "Women with high levels of estrogens have a two-to-four-times-higher risk of breast cancer than women with very low levels," said McTiernan, a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division and co-investigator of the Women's Health Initiative Clinical Coordinating Center, which is based at the Center. "If a woman can keep her own natural estrogens lower after menopause, it is probably going to be beneficial in terms of reducing her risk of breast cancer." The study, based on a random sample of 267 postmenopausal women nationwide selected from the WHI Dietary Modification Trial, is the first of its kind to examine the dual impact of body weight and physical activity on levels of various circulating sex hormones thought to impact cancer risk. "Other studies have looked at the impact of body weight by itself or physical activity by itself but this is the first to look at both together regarding their influence on hormone levels," McTiernan said. "This gives us a new understanding that combining weight control with high levels of physical activity is necessary for keeping estrogens at a healthy level in postmenopausal women." Exercising vigorously for 30 to 60 minutes a day, five days a week would achieve this benefit, McTiernan said. Editor's Notes: BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. The World Health Organization divides BMI into the following categories for both men and women: underweight (18.5 or lower), normal (18.5 to 24.9), overweight (25 to 29.9) and obese (30 or greater). A BMI calculator is available - click here. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funded the study, which also involved investigators from Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, University of Florida, University of Southern California and Northwestern University. At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit fhcrc.org.

Senior Insurance Scam

Ohio Former Agent Pleads Guilty to $70,000 Senior Insurance Scam October 6, 2006 The Ohio Department of Insurance announced that its investigation has led to the guilty plea of former insurance agent James Moneypenny of Seville, Ohio. Moneypenny, who pleaded guilty to insurance fraud, money laundering and securing writings by deception, defrauded an elderly couple of more than $70,000 in an annuities scam. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 10 in the Medina County Court of Common Pleas. The Department revoked Moneypenny's insurance agent license on November 2, 2005. After Moneypenny sold annuities to the couple, he told them the annuities had become profitable and convinced them to invest more money. Moneypenny presented the couple with a check, which they thought represented investment profits, but which was instead their investment principal. Moneypenny obtained the money by partially surrendering the policies without the couple's knowledge. In addition, the couple wrote an investment check to put more money into annuities that Moneypenny instead used for his personal gain. A full reimbursement of more than $70,000 has been made to the couple Source: Ohio Department of Insurance