DEPARTMENT:

Seniors have more choices for prescription drugs, Medicare

By Kathy Titchen

The time of year is approaching for Medicare recipients to make changes to their health plans if they wish.

Pamela M. Cunningham, program director for Sage PLUS at the State of Hawaii Executive Office on Aging, notes that Nov. 15 to Dec. 31 is the annual coordinated election period to change a prescription drug program.

From Jan. 1 to March 30, 2008 Medicare recipients have the opportunity to change their health insurer if they choose. The Sage PLUS office does health insurance counseling and the service is free.

She points out that the health insurance picture in Hawaii has changed drastically in the last year or so. Consumers used to have a choice of HMSA or Kaiser. Now, she said, there are 14 different health plans here, and 46 prescription drug plans.

“We get couples where one person is 65 and gets Medicare, and the spouse is 62 and doesn’t,” she said, “and they may need different health plans. It’s complicated.”

She and Mary Rydell, Pacific area representative for Medicare, add that there has not only been a proliferation of health plans and a new industry in companies that sell health insurance plans the way they have sold automobile, home and life insurance, there is also a new middleman industry of companies that give seniors advice (for a fee) on these health plans. There have been problems with some companies for marketing misinformation and a few have had their licenses to practice in Hawaii revoked.

Rydell noted, “The plus in Sage (wise) PLUS stands for people learning and understanding the system.” The office has a cadre of senior volunteers to help their peers.

Said Cunningham, “A lot of people are confused about benefits. We have people in Hawaii whose first language isn’t English and it’s especially hard for them. We are an unbiased source of information and our services are free.”

The Sage PLUS insurance counseling telephone number is 586-7299.

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Driver safety course geared to those older than 50

A series of AARP Driver Safety classes is scheduled at three Kaiser Permanente clinics in November and December.

The classes are open to the public and review the rules of the road. The classes are designed to help drivers older than 50 brush up on their driving skills.

Other subjects covered include the effects of aging on driving skills, accident prevention and how to deal with traffic congestion.

The classes last four hours and cost $10. Registration may be made by calling 432-2260.

Following is the schedule:

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Kaiser lecture series focuses on senior issues

The Senior Summit program sponsored by Kaiser Permanente provides ongoing educational opportunities on a wide variety of issues specific to seniors.

Professional specialists conduct a lecture series focusing on medical conditions and other areas of interest to seniors ranging from how to deal with arthritis to cooking vegetarian. The emphasis is on prevention, personal growth, and learning how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

All lectures are open to the public. There is no fee.

The sessions vary and meet at several locations including Kaiser clinics in Honolulu at 1010 Pensacola St., and Waipio at 94-1480 Moaniani St. Waipahu. Other sites are the community auditorium at Pohai Nani Retirement Community, 45-090 Namoku St., Kaneohe, and Diamond Head Room at Kahala Nui Senior Living, 4389 Malia St., Kahala.

Among upcoming lectures at Honolulu clinic are the following:

“New Food Guide Pyramid and Food Label Reading” features Caroline Hamatake, MPH, RD, Kaiser Permanente dietitian. She will guide seniors through what the food pyramid means and how to eat healthfully to live well. Her talk is scheduled Nov. 2 at 10 a.m.

The Arthritis Foundation presents “Arthritis and Aging” Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. Representatives talk about what arthritis is, how to prevent it, how to manage it and find relief from pain and stiffness.
The Waipio clinic offers the following lecture:

“Care Plan for the Caregiver: How to Schedule Your Own Life” is topic for Sandi Brekke, BS, COTA, Healthy Living coordinator. She will tell caregivers how to take better care of their loved ones by taking care of themselves first. Her talk is scheduled Nov. 28 at 10 a.m.

For more information on future lecture topics or to register, call 432-2235.

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New report shows importance of Social Security as primary source of retirement income

As the Social Security Act of 1935 celebrates its 72nd year in 2007, the Center for American Progress released a new report on the significance of Social Security as a source of income.
Social Security remains the only universal source of retirement income for the vast majority of Americans; for most, it is the most relevant source of retirement income after a lifetime of work.
“Retirement income security for the vast majority of working Americans remains an elusive goal. Much needs to be done to get there,” says Dr. Christian Weller, a Senior Fellow at the nonpartisan Center for American Progress and co-author of the new report.

“One important piece of the puzzle is clearly to strengthen and protect Social Security as the primary retirement benefit for America’s middle class,” adds Weller.

Yet Social Security was never meant to be the sole or even primary source of retirement income. To address apparent shortfalls in retirement income, Congress has tried to address retirement income security with changes in the tax code to encourage the growth of private pensions such as traditional defined-benefit pension plans, 401(k)-type defined contribution savings plans, and Individual Retirement Accounts, among a slew of other savings vehicles.

For 2007, the government expects to lose tax revenue to the tune of $109 billion to support retirement savings in these plans.

Policymakers have also made several changes to help seniors seek additional earnings as a supplemental source of income after reaching retirement age, which can be as early as 62.
In 1983, for instance, the so-called earnings test, which set limits for the earnings of Social Security beneficiaries (before their benefits were reduced), was liberalized. This reform allowed for withholding one dollar in Social Security benefits for every three dollars in earnings over the exempt amount after 1990, and gradually increased the delayed retirement credit from 3 percent to 8 percent annually for those at full retirement age between 1990 and 2008.

In addition, the annual earnings test exempt amount for recipients who have attained the full retirement age was raised in 1996, reaching $30,000 in 2002. Most recently, in 2000, Congress eliminated the earnings test for recipients who have attained the full retirement age.

Yet a secure retirement remains an elusive goal for many families. A study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that 43 percent of individuals nearing retirement were “at risk,” or unable to maintain their current standard of living once they stop working. Of those in the bottom third of the income scale, 53 percent were at risk, an increase from 47 percent in 1983.
Further, this increase in the at-risk population among low-income families was principally caused by the reduction in Social Security benefits, a change enacted in 1983, but which affects only people turning 62 or younger in 2000, suggesting that additional savings and more earnings were not enough to offset the cuts in the nation’s premier retirement program.

Based on publicly available data from the Social Security Administration, this report finds the following income trends among those who were 65 and older in any given year between 1980 and 2004:

As the Baby Boomer generation turns 65 between 2011 and 2029, the time has come to vastly improve all forms of retirement savings so that the vast majority of workers can enjoy a decent standard of living in retirement as a reward for a lifetime of hard work.
Read the full report here:

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/08/social_security.html

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Benefit party marks 95th anniversary of Central YMCA

Were you a member of a Hawaii social club in the 1960s, 1970s or 1980s? Then, you’re being invited to a reunion as part of the 95th anniversary celebration of the Central YMCA.

The benefit event is scheduled from 5:30 to 11:30 p.m. Nov. 24 in the Sheraton Waikiki. Mayor Mufi Hanneman and Dean Okimoto are honorary co-chairmen.

A buffet dinner will be followed by dancing to the sounds of Asian Blend.

Individual tickets are $100 each, with part of the proceeds going to the YMCA Teen Development Fund. Reservations may be made by calling 951-1303.

Further information is available from www.centraly.com.