Medicare Advantage and Part D plans waiving cost sharing to remove barriers to COVID-19 care

The Medicare Lady™

Celebrating 11 years as a Medicare Specialist, October 2019

📧 tcangemi@MyMedicareMadeSimple.com

☎️ Office: 315.676.4933

📱 Cell: 315.727.4933

Hi there!

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, I hope you are remaining safe and healthy.

In this newsletter, Medicare Advantage and Part D plans are waiving cost sharing to remove barriers to COVID-19 care.

In the health section, I go over exercises to fix your posture for better health and comfort.

Keep reading!

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

"The Medicare Lady™"

Medicare Advantage and Part D plans waiving cost sharing to remove barriers to COVID-19 care

This is a continuation or update on the COVID-19 cost-sharing being waived for Medicare eligibles:

“Medicare beneficiaries are at the greatest risk of serious illness due to COVID-19 and CMS will continue doing everything in our power to protect them. — Seema Verma, CMS Administrator”

CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) issued a memorandum to outline suggested services and items to waive cost-sharing on. These suggested flexibilities include:

Waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 tests
Waiving the cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments in doctor’s offices or emergency rooms
Waiving the cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatments via telehealth
Expanding access to specific telehealth services
Waiving prescription refill limits
Relaxing restrictions on home or mail delivery drugs
Removing prior authorization requirements

The goal is to remove as many barriers as possible and encourage Medicare beneficiaries to receive proper testing and treatment. Knowing that, if you’re enrolled in Medicare and feel like you may have COVID-19, please see your doctor to get tested and self-isolate, so you don’t spread any potential illness you may have.

To learn more, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) central COVID-19 website

Exercises to fix your posture for better health and comfort

Your posture can hugely impact your health and comfort. Although it may feel comfortable to slouch or recline in a chair, you could be adding to a growing problem that could lead to headaches, back pain, and even arthritis. You can reverse the effects of bad posture with persistence, some minor changes, and a few simple exercises aimed at correcting your posture over time.

Stop Making Your Posture Worse
Slouching is one of the most common habits that can lead to bad posture.
Sitting properly in your chair or at a desk is a great way to correct
this form of bad posture.
Try stretch-sitting, sitting at the edge of the sofa, or using pillows to help recline properly.

Other common causes of bad posture relate to technology use.
Did you know there’s a condition colloquially known as “text neck?” This refers to the shape our bodies tend to take as we use our phones, which leads to neck strain, rounded shoulders, and a slumped back.
You can prevent ‘text neck’ by curbing your phone usage or changing the way you hold your phone.

Yoga Poses for Low-Impact Improvement
Yoga is a good exercise for people with arthritis, many of the poses are great for correcting one’s stance without causing more damage.
Even 12-minutes of yoga daily is enough to begin seeing benefits from yoga, though more is certainly better.
Benefits you’ll receive from yoga come from strengthened muscles, primarily your core muscles, and increased flexibility.
The downward-facing dog, which strengthens and helps align back muscles, can help people with their posture
The cat-cow pose, which stretches the spine and can ease tension in the upper back and neck.
The child’s pose helps stretch the back and neck muscles

At-Home Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
Exercises at home that can help relieve the strain from bad posture and promote good posture. These exercises work on strengthening your back and core muscles, along with straightening your back and spine.
The plank, a simple exercise that can greatly improve your posture and strengthen your core muscles.
Door-stretches are also effective because they loosen tight chest muscles, which can help combat a slouch and rolled shoulders.

How to Fix Your Posture in Your Sleep
The best position to lay in is on your back with your knees elevated or supported by a pillow.
Others maintain that the most important sleep pose for posture is one that’s comfortable and gets you the most sleep.
Remember to support your back and neck correctly and to find what’s most comfortable for you.

* This article is for information purposes only. I don’t recommend, support, or diagnose any featured writer or article. I am not a doctor. Your health is one of a kind. What works for one person may not for another, so the information in these articles should not take the place of an expert opinion. Before making significant lifestyle or diet changes, please consult your primary care physician or nutritionist. Your doctor will know your own health best.

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