New Medicare Cards Debut and 12 Easy Ways to Drink More Water

Medicare Made Simple, LLC

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

Office: 315-676-4933

Fax: 866-476-1211

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The Medicare Lady

November, 2017

Greetings!

Since water is absolutely critical for effective fat loss and good health in general, this weeks Health Corner will be all about water!

Enjoy some tips and tricks to enjoy the sweet stuff or the bubbly craving while still getting your water intake, and other suggestions that can be a much healthier change for you and your family.

Enjoy and stay hydrated!

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

The Medicare Lady

Insurance Corner

New Medicare Cards Debut Next Year

Health Corner

12 Easy Ways to Drink More Water Every Day

Health Corner

12 Easy Ways to Drink More Water Every Day

Add flavor to your pitcher.

Add a bit of flavor by adding fresh fruit (grapefruit, strawberries, lemon), veggie slices (cucumber, ginger, celery), and herbs (basil, mint, lavender) to your pitcher/ water bottle.

Drink a glass after every bathroom break.

Start a habit by linking water with some of your most common daily activities. Every time you pass the water cooler/ kitchen at work, fill up a cup. Anytime you get up to stretch your legs or take a break, drink a glass.

Sip before every meal.

Drinking a full cup before each meal can curb calorie intake because it causes your body to feel more full.

Dilute sugary drinks with water and ice.

If drinking juice, lemonade, or iced tea is a daily habit, you can still get the water you need and the sweetness you love by watering down your sips with H20 and a healthy helping of ice (aim for a 1:1 ratio).

Keep a gallon jug nearby.

It’s easy to remember to fill up on water when the source is nearby. Keep a gallon jug nearby as a constant reminder to drink up.

Invest in a filter.

If you're drinking a lot of water, it may as well taste better and remove some harmful chemicals and toxins.

Choose sparkling or mineral water over soda.

Pouring this bubbly, zero-calorie drink is a great to use as a mixer instead of something sugary/ syrupy and is a great way to fight that bubbly craving that soda gives you.

Eat water-rich foods.

Eat your H2O. Add fruits and vegetables with a high water content to your grocery shopping list. Some top picks include cucumber (96% water), zucchini (95% water), watermelon (92% water), and grapefruit (91% water).

Stick to a one-to-one rule when drinking alcohol.

For every cocktail drink one glass of water. Though this is great for a hangover, you can also use it to make sure you get plenty of H2O in your system to balance out sugar-packed mixers and syrups.

Use a marked water bottle.

This is great to track how much you need to drink to get to your goal and how many times you need a refill!

Insurance Corner

New Medicare Cards Debut Next Year

This is good news! As many people may know, the ID number on your Medicare card is identical to their Social Security Number. This is new information to people new in the medicare world receiving their medicare cards in the mail. It is widely known about the dangers of carrying our SSN with us because of identity theft. Here's what to do to protect yourself.

New Medicare Cards

I am happy to let you know that the government is aware of this concern, and they are in the process of removing SSN's from medicare cards.In April 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be issuing new cards. With over 58 million beneficiaries, this may take up until December 2019 before all SSN's are removed from all medicare cards.

The new system, randomly assigns a 11 character Medicare Beneficiary Identifier to replace the SSN ID number. The way this will work is that in 2018 you will receive an email with information about the new card, and what to do with your old one. You can start using your new medicare card as soon as you receive it and there will be a timeframe between 2018- 2019 where you can use the new medicare card number or your old SSN medicare card.

Protect Your Identity

Here is what to do to protect yourself while you are waiting to receive your new medicare card.

Only carry the medicare card with you when you are visiting a health care provider for the first time, so they can photocopy it.
With a marker, black out the last 4 digits of your SSN and carry that in case of emergency, you still have your card.
If your SSN gets lost or stolen, call 800-772-1213 or contact your Social Security Office. Request a new card online at SSA.gov and a new one will arrive in about 30 days.
If your medicare card that has your SSN on it gets lost or stolen, you will want to be aware of medicare fraud. Check quarterly medicare summary notices for things like services or supplies you may not have received.
Check medicare claims online by creating an account at MyMedicare.gov or call at 800-633-4227. You can reach the Inspector General's fraud hotline at 800-447-8477 if you spot anything strange or suspicious.
You can report directly to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 877-438-4338 if you see signs of identity theft. This includes someone using your SSN to obtain credit, loans, accounts, services, goods, and more.

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