News & Calendar
Beneficiary information about the $250 Part D Rebate
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted at www.medicare.gov (under "What's New") "Closing the Prescription Drug Coverage Gap" brochure that describes details about the tax-free, one-time check for $250 for people who enter the Part D donut hole and are not eligible for Medicare Extra Help. The first checks are being mailed June 10 and checks will be mailed monthly after people have entered the coverage gap.
To help fight fraud and protect beneficiaries from potential scams, Medicare is reminding seniors there are no forms to fill out to receive this benefit. Medicare will automatically send a check. The envelope will have the US Department of Health and Human Services symbol on it and will say "Medicare Part D." Beneficiaries don’t need to provide any personal information. They don’t need to provide any personal information like Medicare, Social Security, or bank account numbers to get the rebate check. They are reminded not to give any personal information to anyone who calls about the $250 rebate check.
People with Medicare should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report any suspected fraud or scams or with any questions.
Don’t Be Scammed:
What You Need to Know About the $250 Prescription Drug Rebate
If you reach the Part D prescription drug coverage gap – also known as the donut hole – and are not eligible for Medicare Extra Help, you will receive a one-time, tax-free check for $ 250. This rebate is one of the benefits of the recently passed Health Care Reform law. The first checks are being (were) mailed in mid-June and checks will be mailed monthly after people have entered the coverage gap.
To help fight fraud and protect beneficiaries from potential scams, Medicare is reminding seniors there are no forms to fill out to receive this benefit. Medicare will automatically send a check. The envelope will have the US Department of Health and Human Services symbol on it and will say "Medicare Part D." Beneficiaries don’t need to provide any personal information. They don’t need to provide any personal information like Medicare, Social Security, or bank account numbers to get the rebate check. They are reminded not to give any personal information to anyone who calls about the $250 rebate check.
People with Medicare should call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to report any suspected fraud or scams or with any questions.
Seven Quick Fixes to Health Care
To hear the rhetoric on both sides, you'd think the health-care overhaul in the Senate would change the U.S. system overnight.
In reality, most of the changes -- such as the new health insurance exchanges and insurance mandates for individuals -- would not take effect until 2014 (or 2013 in the House version).
Still, a few provisions are set to begin next year, if the legislation passes.
Some of the most significant changes would extend existing programs and rules in order to immediately reduce the number of uninsured Americans. Others would end unpopular practices in the private insurance industry.
Protect Yourself from a heart attack.
Bayer introduces a new aspirin:
Something that we can do to help ourselves. Nice to know.
Bayer is making crystal aspirin to dissolve under the tongue. They work much faster than the tablets.
Why keep aspirin by your bedside?
About Heart Attacks
There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.
One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.
Note: There may be NO pain in the chest during a heart attack... The majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart attack during their sleep did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.
If that happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.
Afterwards:
CALL 911
- say "heart attack!"
- say that you have taken 2 aspirins..
- phone a neighbor or a family member who lives very close by
- take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for their arrival and...
~ DO NOT lie down ~
A reminder to all: purchase a box, keep one in your car, pocketbook, wallet, bedside, etc.
PLEASE NOTE:
ALBANY OFFICE HAS A NEW LOCATION!!
New address:
8 Airport Park Blvd., Albany Airport Park, Latham, NY 12110.
518-482-3509 Fax: 518-482-0970
IMPORTANT DATES:
2010 Annual Convention :
October 19-22 , 2010 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, N.Y.
State Legislation Meeting:
November 14, 15, 16 , 2010 at the Radisson Hotel in Utica, N.Y.
COST- OF- LIVING ADJUSTMENT
The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for September 2010 through August 2011 benefit payments will be 1.2%. As a result, an eligible retired member with an annual benefit of $18,000 or more will receive a monthly increase of $18.
This latest COLA brings the cumulative maximum monthly increase since COLA legislation was enacted in 2001 to $210
New York's permanent, automatic COLA is designed to help offset inflation's adverse effects on the fixed retirement benefits of the state's public retirees. By law, the COLA is calculated by taking 50% of the March-to-March Consumer Price Index increase (rounded up to the next higher one-tenth of 1%) and multiplying it by the first $18,000 of the retirement benefit. (The CPI increase from March 2009 to March 2010 was 2.31%.) The annual increase is a minimum of 1% to a maximum of 3%.
To be eligible for a COLA, you must either be:
At least 62 and retired at least five years; or,
At least 55 and retired at least 10 years; or,
A retiree receiving a NYSTRS disability benefit for at least five years (regardless of age); or,
A surviving spouse of an eligible retiree receiving a lifetime benefit. (By law, the spouse receives an increase equal to one-half the COLA the retiree would have received.) Retirees who become eligible for the COLA after September will receive their adjustment when first eligible.
Thinking about taking a vacation? Click on "Member Services", enter your member number, to research the array of discounted travel opportunities offered to NYS RTA members by Collette Vacations, Sugar Tours, and AAT Travel!
