All posts by Barbara Nevins Taylor

Obamacare Success Stories

December 13th, 2013

The news is slowly getting better about Obamacare and this is a reminder that you have until December 23rd at Midnight to sign up to get insurance that starts January 1, 2014.

Good stories are always nice to hear and that’s why we’re posting Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’s blog that describes her meeting with people who signed up for Obamacare in Miami.

by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius

“Today at the main branch of the Miami Dade Library, I had the opportunity to meet with three Miami-area residents and learn how they successfully signed up for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. They told me their new plans would be less expensive and provide better coverage than what they once had.

Marcelo Cantos, a 22 year-old student at Florida International University, had been uninsured for the last five months. Marcelo used to pay about $160 a month for insurance. But late last month, Marcelo met with an in-personal assistor who helped him find and sign up for a silver plan through HealthCare.gov.

Marcelo said he qualified for a tax credit that reduced his monthly premium to just over $7 a month.

I also met with Mick Erlandson, a young law student at the University of Miami, who told me about his previous plan with high costs and limited benefits that cost about $120 a month and had a $15,000 deductible. After some initial problems signing on to HealthCare.gov in early October, Mick said he logged on in mid-October and was able to sign up for a silver plan in about 30 minutes.

Now Mick has better coverage for only $47 a month and he enrolled in a dental plan that costs him only $14 a month.

He also helped both his parents sign up for coverage, which he says costs half of what they paid before.

Another of the Floridians whom I met today was Nancy Lewe, who’s self-employed. Nancy has been paying nearly $900 a month for coverage through COBRA. She also has gotten a better deal through HealthCare.gov: she’ll be saving $600 a month for better coverage, plus she will now have dental benefits.

Additionally, her deductible is plummeting from $1,000 to $250 a month.

The Affordable Care Act, which made the Marketplace a reality, is “a dream come true,” Nancy said. Before the law, she said, it was “better to take a job you hate than be uninsured.”

I also had the opportunity to talk with Karen Egozi, CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida. Karen is one of the many trained in-person assistors and Navigators across the country helping their neighbors sign up for the coverage of their choice in the Marketplace.

Karen, who has been working on behalf of patients with epilepsy and their families since 2005, knows the importance of affordable, quality health insurance to families’ financial security and peace of mind.

The Miami Dade Library has trained personnel on call daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to work with people who want some personal help in shopping and signing up for the best health plan for them.

If you don’t have health insurance, or don’t like what you have, I want to invite you to shop for a new affordable plan in the Marketplace, like Marcelo, Mick and Nancy. Open enrollment lasts until March 31, but, to get benefits beginning on January 1, 2014, you have until December 23^rd to sign up. And don’t forget the final step – you must pay your premium to the insurance company directly – not to the Marketplace. If you select a plan on HealthCare.gov, you will see an orange message indicating you must make payment to be covered on January 1. Insurers handle payment differently, so follow the instructions from the insurer you select about what forms of payment are accepted and the due date of your first premium – which will be on or before December 31, 2013, depending on the plan you choose.

There are many ways to sign up, including:

Online at HealthCare.gov,
By phone at 1-800-318-2596,
Through a broker, agent, or insurer,
And you can find help in your community at LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov.

Once you’ve signed up for a plan, don’t forget to check with your insurer to make sure your premium was received.

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Refunds For Mystery Debits

December 13th, 2013

Keep an eye out for a refund check if you think a mystery debit sucked money from your bank account. It may have happened after you shopped with an online discount site or while you applied for a payday loan.

Federal Trade Commission Building

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is sending 34,859 refund checks to people whose bank accounts were debited, allegedly without their consent, by Nevada-based payment processor Automated Electronic Checking Inc. (AEC).

A total of $870,000 is on the way to consumers who found these surprise debits on their statements. The amount you’ll receive depends upon how much you lost. The average check will be about $25. It’s not a lot, but it is something and it is the holiday season.

The FTC says the debits occurred “…through a relatively new payment method called remotely created payment orders to give merchants access to consumer bank accounts, AEC debited many consumers who had never heard of AEC or its client merchants.”

floating money

It may seem like found money, but be sure to cash the check as soon as possible. Your check must be cashed within 60 days of the mailing date.

Be aware that some people may contact you and suggest that you pay money or provide information before you can cash the check. That’s another scam. If you have any questions after you receive the check, call the FTC refund administrator, Analytics Consulting LLC, at 1-855-529-6824, or visit www.FTC.gov/refunds

This investigation was part of President Obama’s initiative to fight financial fraud at the consumer level.

If you think you’ve been ripped off in a scheme, file a complaint with FTC in English or Spanish via the online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

What’s Wrong With Payday Loans?

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Holiday Jobs and Your Rights

December 11th, 2013

We’re reposting this blog from the U.S. Department of Labor because it hits home. Many people take jobs to make cash during the holiday season and it’s great to work. But it’s also good to understand the work rules and your rights.

We’re not saying employers will take advantage. We are saying, it’s always a good idea to go into a new situation armed with as much information as possible.

This blog is by:

Laura Fortman, principal deputy administrator for the Wage and Hour Division.

This time of year, many people hold temporary or part-time jobs helping retailers and other businesses with the heavy demands of the busy holiday shopping season. It’s a great opportunity to gain valuable work experience, get a foot in the door for long-term employment or just earn extra cash.

Workers not familiar with this type of short-term arrangement may have questions related to their employment. Here are answers to some most of the frequently asked questions we receive, and additional resources for more information:

How many hours is part-time employment? How many hours is full-time employment?

The Fair Labor Standards Act, which is the governing federal labor law here, does not define full-time employment or part-time employment. That is a matter generally to be determined by the employer.

Am I entitled to overtime pay?

In all likelihood, yes. Most workers in this country, particularly in retail, are employed by businesses covered by the FLSA. That means that they are entitled to at least the federalminimum wage, which currently stands at $7.25 per hour, though some states and localities have higher minimum wage rates. Such workers are also entitled to overtime pay at a rate not less than one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. This is true regardless of whether the employee is considered a temporary worker or a permanent hire. In some instances, however, certain retail or service employees who are paid bycommissions could be exempt from overtime pay.

Are there restrictions for teens working during the holiday season?

Federal law says that 14 is the minimum age for work in retail or at an office, grocery store, restaurant or movie theater. In general, 14- and 15-year-olds can only work during non-school hours and no more than three hours on a school day, including Fridays, and 18 hours total in a week. On weekends, holidays and school breaks, however, they can work eight hours a day and up to 40 hours in a week. And though the law is more permissive during the summer, they can only work between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. during the school year.

Federal law does not limit the number of hours or times of day for workers 16 years and older, but many states have enacted more restrictive labor laws and have higher minimum standards that must be obeyed. It’s important to note that workers under 18 are limited in what they can do and must not be placed in hazardous occupations or given certain tasks deemed hazardous. Check out the YouthRules! website to learn more.

Help is a click or phone call away

If you still have questions and want to learn more, please refer to our Holiday Season Employment Information Guide. You can also check out our website, or call 1-866-4US-WAGE.

Best of luck on the job, and happy holidays!

Ride the 7 Train With Young Immigrants

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Crackdown on Hidden Interest for Medical Credit Cards

December 10th, 2013

How many high pressure sales pitches have you heard for credit cards that hide the truth about their interest rates? When it happens in a medical professional’s office, it’s particularly bad. That’s why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is cracking down on hidden interest for medical credit cards.

The CFPB ordered GE Capital Retail Bank and its subsidiary, CareCredit, to refund up to $34.1 million to more than 1 million victims of deceptive credit card enrollment tactics. These people signed up for credit cards in doctors’ and dentists’ offices, often when they were faced with big medical bills.

They thought the credit cards were interest free, or that they could skate by during a promotional period when there was no interest. Instead, they were shocked to learn the interest rate clock started kicking in from sign-up day if they didn’t pay off the balance in full at the end of the promotion.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray says, “Medical debt is already a big problem for many Americans. Poor credit card transparency should not be making the problem even worse.”

CareCredit is sold in 175,000 dental, cosmetic, vision, and veterinary care offices around the country. Doctors, dentists and other medical providers and their office staffers sell it as a payment option and about 4 million people have active accounts.

About 85 percent are in deferred-interest financing plans during a promotional period that lasts from six to 24 months. The tricky thing is that CareCredit assesses 26.99 percent annual interest on a consumer’s balance throughout the promotion. If the consumer pays off the balance, fine. But most don’t pay it off, and if there’s any balance left, the consumer is liable for all of the accrued interest.

The CFPB says that since January 2009, consumers who signed up for the credit card didn’t get adequate explanations about the interest and what would happen when it kicked in.

GE Capital Retail Bank and CareCredit will have to:

Create a $34.1 million reimbursement fund

1. They will have to notify customers that refunds are due, and the process will be handled by an independent adjudicator

Full Disclosure

1. CreditCare will have to adequately disclose terms to consumers and include a warning at least 72 hours before a promotional period is ending.

2. For transactions of more than $1,000, customers will have to enroll directly through CareCredit and not through a doctor’s office.

Training for Doctors’ Staffers

1. CreditCare will have to train personnel in doctors’ offices to fully disclose the details about interest and the credit card contract.

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Hidden Danger in Proposals to Cut Medicare and Social Security

December 9th, 2013

Guest Post by Max Richtman

President/CEO

National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare Why a “Grand Bargain” Would Hurt Seniors, Veterans and the Disabled

While some in Washington may have given up on a so-called “grand bargain,” many others including the White House, still consider benefit cuts to millions of seniors, veterans and people with disabilities a part of the budget debate.

This so-called “entitlement reform,” actually means benefit cuts targeting seniors including: Social Security chained CPI, extending means testing in Medicare to the middle class, raising the retirement and eligibility ages, and ending traditional Medicare in favor of Rep. Paul Ryan’s “Couponcare” plan.

Each of these ideas shares the same fundamental flaw, requiring the still struggling middle-class to pay down our deficit while giving the wealthiest Americans a pass.

However, the chained CPI plan to change the formula which calculates the cost of living adjustment for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities is the most insidious of these proposals.

Here’s why the chained CPI is so devastating, not only to seniors but to our economy as well.

While some in Washington portray this benefit cut as nothing more than a “technical tweak,” the truth is that it would be a benefit cut imposed on the oldest and most vulnerable Americans who would be least able to afford it.

In our new National Committee Foundation report, produced in consultation with economist Dean Baker, we’ve also clearly shown that the chained CPI will have a huge impact on local businesses, state economies and our national economic recovery.

“The Chained CPI: Shackling America’s Economic Recovery,” provides a detailed look at what the adoption of a stingier cost of living adjustment really means for communities and states.

This study uses the Congressional Budget Office projections for cuts to national spending to estimate cuts that would be made in each congressional district, based on the Social Security Administration’s data on Social Security spending by congressional district. It also makes projections for the economic impact on the reduction in output as well as the jobs lost in each district. The results are striking.

The negative impact of the chained CPI should not be ignored or trivialized. This new analysis clearly illustrates just how harmful this COLA cut will be to seniors as well as state economies and local businesses.

Adoption of this so-called “tweak” could mean the loss of $31 billion in economic output and more than 200,000 jobs nationwide. Washington’s blind determination to cut Social Security benefits in the name of deficit reduction must be stopped and those who continue to peddle the chained CPI should now explain to American workers, retirees and their families how losing billions of dollars in economic output and hundreds of thousands of jobs is a ‘modest adjustment’ we should accept.

While Washington’s well-financed austerity lobby has downplayed the economic impact of losing billions in benefits spent in local communities due to the chained-CPI, step outside the Beltway and state lawmakers and business owners alike understand what this benefit cut would mean.

That’s why this study applies these calculations to each congressional district. It’s time members of Congress see in clear dollars and cents what the chained CPI actually means to their communities and constituents. Many districts with large populations of retirees would be especially hard-hit by these cuts.

In Florida’s 16th congressional district, which includes Sarasota and other cities along the Gulf Coast, the benefit cuts would be $6.1 million in 2015, $53.3 million in 2020, and $87.7 million in 2023. This implies a loss of output in the district of $8.9 million in 2015, $80.2 million in 2020, and $127.2 million in 2023. The job loss would be 70 in 2015, 550 in 2020, and 780 in 2023.

In Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district, a largely rural area in the southwest corner of the states, the benefit cuts would be $5.0 million in 2015, $44.9 million in 2020, and $71.3 million in 2023. This implies a loss of output in the district of $7.2 million in 2015, $65.2 million in 2020, and $103.3 million in 2023. The job loss would be 60 in 2015, 440 in 2020, and 630 in 2023.

Given the economy’s slow rebound, is this really their plan to strengthen America? Is there any community which can afford to lose millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs over the next decade? This is also at stake if the chained CPI is adopted.

Real dollars, real jobs and real damage to our economy.

Follow Max Richtman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/maxrichtman

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A Memory of Nelson Mandela’s New York Visit

December 6th, 2013

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Last Chance to Change Medicare

December 5th, 2013

The Medicare Rights Center in New York reminds us that we have until Saturday, December 7th, to make changes in Medicare health and drug coverage without any restrictions. You can watch our video that explains all, if you’d like all the reasons to review your plan.

Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center points out there are very good reasons to make a change.

He says, “Plans can change their costs and benefits every year, and what works for you this year may not be your best choice in 2014. It’s important to take stock of your current health and drug coverage and to consider your health and financial needs.”

If you pick a plan now and don’t like it, you have an chance to make a change in January.

Baker says, “People with Medicare who become unhappy with the Medicare Advantage plan they chose during Fall Open Enrollment are able to switch to Original Medicare and a stand-alone prescription drug plan during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP), which begins January 1 and ends February 14. They will also have the right to add a Part D prescription drug plan during the MADP. They will not, however, be able to switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another.”

“The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is a limited window of opportunity that can be useful for some beneficiaries,” said Baker. “But it’s important to remember that if you make a change during that time, you may not be able to get a Medigap plan to fill the gaps in coverage, or your Medigap choices may be limited.”

RIGHT NOW

You may not want to bother to take a second look at your plan. We understand that. But you may find that you’ll be able to save money and it will be worth your effort.

Bakers says, ” It’s best to put the time in now to find the best plan for you, because after December 7 may be too late.”

Making Medicare Decisions

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Changing Medicare Plans and Avoiding Penalties

December 4th, 2013 2 Comments

Time is almost up to change your Medicare plans and you may be able to save money if you do. The Medicare Open Enrollment period ends December 7th.

Some people have tricky situations and may want to figure out a special strategy. Sheila Gassler wrote to us and said she discovered that she has a penalty payment for her Medicare drug plan because she didn’t sign up for Medicare Part D initially. Now she has to pay extra for the rest of her life, and the charges add up.

She says, “I am 79 years old and want to get a Medicare Advantage plan, but the plan came with a drug plan. The plan costs $50 a month.” But the penalty, she says, is an additional $40 a month and it doesn’t seem worth it. She says that she’s been paying out of pocket and finds that she can get cheaper medication when she needs it in Canada.

We asked the experts what someone like Sheila should do.

Rae Carole Fisher, an agent for UnitedHealthcare, told us, “There are Medicare Advantage Plans that do not have a drug component. At United Healthcare we have a Medicare Advantage Plan that is called Medicare Advantage Essentials.”

The plan may not be available in every state, so you have to do a little research and check to see which plans are offered in your area.

The tip is simple

Ask insurers in your area if they have Medicare Advantage plans that don’t require a separate drug plan that will come with a penalty.

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Heavy Browsing on Health.gov

December 4th, 2013

Millions are browsing the Obamcare website, but it’s not clear how many are actually signing up. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is cagey about details and says it will have official numbers in mid-December.

Julie Bataille, a spokesperson for the agency, said that 790,00 people in one day used a new tool that allows you to simply look at health plans that are available. But she wouldn’t tell reporters, during a conference call, how many people purchased insurance since Sunday when the rejuvenated website became easier to use.

Instead she offered 4 Tips If You Get Stuck on Healthcare.gov

If the site doesn’t seem to be working for you, log out and log in again and start a new application. You have to refresh your browser.
If you need help, try the 24-hour hotline 1-800-318-2596
You can forget the site and deal directly with an insurance company, agent or broker.
Once you select an insurance plan, make sure that you pay and confirm with the insurance company that you are signed up.

But all is not well for some who are trying to sign up.

In New Jersey, Brian Kartagener is attempting use Healthcare.gov to get insurance for his wife and two children.

On Tuesday, he was frustrated when he was offered no choices of insurance plans in his state. On Wednesday he said, “The site is working today, but online chat support is clueless. They obviously work off a script.”

At this point, he’s not happy with the plans that he’s finding because they are too expensive. Like others, he needs health insurance and this isn’t fun.

The deadline for applying for Obamacare was extended until December 23 if you want insurance that begins January 1, 2014. But the application process continues until March 15, 2014 for insurance that will start later.

The Obama Administration hopes that 7 million people will sign up by March 15th.

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Help for Those With Student Loans

December 3rd, 2013

If you’re one of the 40 million Americans with an outstanding student loan, you’ve got a friend at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The bureau is stepping up to oversee the seven non-bank loan servicers that deal with student loans every day.

Servicers are the companies you deal with after you get the money. Lenders turn the processing and management of loans over to these companies and now the CFPB says it wants to make sure that loans get processed accurately and fairly.

It’s particularly important because we’re in the middle of a student loan crisis. The CFPB reported earlier this year that outstanding student debt totals approximately $1.2 trillion and about 7 million student loan borrowers are in default.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray said, “Student loan borrowers should be able to rest assured that when they make a payment toward their loans, the company that takes their money is playing by the rules.”

The servicers are big faceless bureaucracies and dealing with them is often frustrating, time-consuming and can cost you extra money because of unfair and unnecessary penalties.

A recent annual report by the Bureau’s Student Loan Ombudsman highlighted the following “repayment stumbling blocks.”

Servicers lose paperwork and make processing errors that result in late fees, especially when loans are transferred from one servicer to another.

If you have multiple loans and attempt to make a large payment, the payment is often split up and applied to all of the loans instead of the loan with the highest interest, or largest balance.

If you make a partial payment, it is often spread across your loans so that there are penalties on all of the loans because you haven’t made a full payment to any of them.

The CFPB is an agency that really wants to help and is extremely proactive.

It created an interactive tool, Repay Student Debt, that allows you to explore repayment options.

It also has Ask CFPB to find answers to common questions, like whether to refinance a student loan.

All of this is great, but if you have trouble with a servicer submit a complaint to the CFPB: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/students/.

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Crackdown on Fast Cash Sites

December 3rd, 2013

We get it. Online ads for fast cash seem really appealing and look like an easy answer to cash flow problems. But in fact, they are like the venus fly traps of lending. They lure you in to very risky loans with high interest rates that can keep you in debt for years.

So it’s welcome news that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and N.Y. Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky continue to go after these payday lending companies and their surrogates.

Payday lending is illegal in New York State and Lawsky’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) sent subpoenas to 16 online companies that don’t make loans, but generate leads for payday lenders.

These companies run sites that advertise fast cash and easy access. Even when you make an inquiry, the sites are likely to ask you to provide personal information including your Social Security number and bank account numbers.

Once they have it, they sell or turn over the information to payday lenders. The DFS says it appears that they have also provided the information to scammers.

Consumers complain that after they filled out information on these sites, they received calls from people soliciting for services with upfront fees, pre-paid debit cards and other shady offers.

DFS Superintendent Lawsky says, “New Yorkers can get sucked into a seemingly endless black hole of consumer abuse if they provide their sensitive personal information to these types of websites.”

In August 2013, 35 companies received notices from Lawsky that they were operating illegally in New York State and apparently the majority stopped working with New York consumers.

But we are told the investigation is ongoing and other companies may be targeted. Governor Cuomo says, “We will continue to follow this investigation wherever it leads and use every tool at our disposal to safeguard New Yorkers from those who seek to prey upon vulnerable consumers.”

DFS is asking the following companies for marketing materials, contracts and consumer privacy policies.

· Allied Cash Advance

· Bahamas Marketing Group, Inc.

· Blue Global, LLC d/b/a 100DayLoans, HighSpeedPayday

· DJR Group, LLC

· Fix Media Group, LLC d/b/a We Fix Money

· Hydra Fund II

· LightSword, LLC d/b/a Aero Advance

· Payday Loan Ranger

· Payday Mobility

· PayDayForest

· PayDayMall

· Personal Cash Advance

· Selling Source, LLC d/b/a MoneyMutual, LLC

· US Cash Loans

· ValleyTrust

· WebMarketerLive d/b/a JustClickHereLoans, CashMoneyNow

If you think you’ve been a victim of an illegal payday lender, file a complaint with the Department of Financial Services at (800) 342-3736.

What’s Wrong With Payday Loans?

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New Start for Healthcare.gov

December 1st, 2013

It’s easy to be snarky about the anemic launch of Healthcare.gov, but December 1, marks a relaunch of sorts and its important for everyone who needs affordable health insurance.

It’s a new day and it should be easier to use the Obamacare website to apply and actually sign up for health insurance.

Jeff Zients, a technology whiz who has supervised the overhaul of Healthcare.gov said, on a Sunday morning conference call, “Healthcare.gov is night and day from where it was October 1st. The site is now stable.”

SAFE TO USE HEALTHCARE.GOV NOW

This means it’s likely that you can log on and go through the application process and shop for insurance without facing error messages, blank pages and frustration.

We’re told that 50,000 people can log on and use the site at the same time and a minimum of 800,000 people can use Healthcare.gov to apply for health insurance every day.

Yet Zients cautions that, “There may be times when there is too much volume and we’ve established a queueing system. If there are too many people on the site at one time, you’ll get a message just like the ones you receive online during a busy customer service experience.”

If the site is at its capacity you will be emailed with information about when to come back to the site. The system will provide a link that allows you to go to the head of the line when you log on again.

FIVE WEEK FIXES

All this is possible because, during the past five weeks, the Obama administration brought on a new team and outside consultants to fix what what was clearly broken. The new team worked round the clock and made 400 software repairs and upgrades to the system. They made key hardware upgrades as recently as this past Friday night. In addition, 12 servers will exclusively handle the website traffic.

Zients told reporters that response times are now under a second and error rates are down under 1 percent and the system is stable with far speedier up-times.

PEOPLE WHO TRIED THE SYSTEM BEFORE GET PRIORITY

People who tried to apply for insurance and couldn’t get through the glitches will now be getting priority. Julie Bataille, a spokeswoman for the Department of Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Sunday morning, “Our focus is on making sure that those who have tried to enroll in the past several weeks are able to complete that process. “

Doctor Considers Healthcare Costs

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Wait Until Sunday to Try Healthcare.gov

November 30th, 2013

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Doctor Considers Healthcare Costs, Or the Doctor of My Dreams

November 29th, 2013

by Barbara Nevins Taylor

I think I found the internist of my dreams. He interviewed me. He talked, reviewed my medical history and actually examined me.

It was kind of like visiting Dr. Friedlander, the general practioner in Laurelton, the community in Queens, New York, where I grew up, or visiting my uncle Dr. Murray Robin’s office in Lindenhurst, Long Island.

This doctor, 39-year-old Gary Palatucci just opened a street level practice on 8th Street in Greenwich Village as part of the Beth Israel Medical Group in New York City. I saw the office, looked him up and decided to try him for a routine checkup.

I hadn’t seen an internist in years primarily because I don’t have a lot of medical problems. I’m tempting fate here. My family is superstitious and as soon as this pops up online, it qualifies as kinahora. That’s the way we use a Yiddish word to describe bringing a curse or the evil eye upon yourself.

But back to Dr. Palatucci. He seemed to embrace a kind of old-fashioned common sense medicine. “Is there a particular reason that you are here?” he asked. I explained that I have no big complaints, but thought it was time to establish a relationship with an internist.

He didn’t rush me off to get a complete blood screening or suggest a battery of expensive tests. He was completely unfazed after I gave him my previous blood tests to review.

I explained that I’ve had high cholesterol for years, and am part a tribe of long-lived Ashkenazi Jews whose genetic marker is the high level and large size of “good” cholesterol.

I know this because I’m in the second wave of subjects in the Longenity Study at Albert Einstein Medical Center run by Dr. Nir Barzilai. He’s been studying Ashkenzi Jews, like my family members who live to 95 and older, to find out if there’s something about us that can promote good health in others.

Nevertheless, every doctor I’ve met previously was eager to keep testing and to sign me up for cholesterol reducing medication, which I always declined.

Dr. Palatucci said, “You know right now there’s a controversy in medical circles about cholesterol testing and risk factors. If you are a healthy, active non-smoker without a family history of heart disease and you have high cholesterol, the risk is different for you than it may be for an inactive person whose family does have a history of heart disease.”

I liked him because he said, “I’m not a proponent of testing for testing’s sake. I tell my medical students at Albert Einstein Medical College that tests are only good if you know what you are looking for.”

His advice to me and other patients is practical: “If you ride a bike, a motorcycle or ski, wear a helmet. Don’t smoke. Don’t eat too much, don’t drink too much.” Uncle Murray and Dr. Friedlander would have said the same thing.

It’s the kind of advice and practice of medicine that can help us stay healthy and reduce what we pay out for routine medical care.

“Healthcare costs in this country are just too high and excess testing is one of the contributing factors,” Dr. Palatucci said.

It’s refreshing to meet a doctor who likes practicing medicine and doesn’t view patients as marching dollar signs. He’s not a cut-rate physician, but he doesn’t ask you to sign up and pay for an annual plan. He doesn’t suggest you buy vitamins online, reminding you to mention on the site that he’s your doctor.

Instead, he makes a point of explaining on his web profile that he’s not in business with pharmaceutical companies. It’s like a breath of fresh air.

I hope that I don’t have to visit the doctor again soon. But I admire and support his approach to treating patients as individuals and to helping us all by keeping an eye on the money issue.

Oh. And did I mention that he accepts insurance and Medicare.

Time to Change Your Medicare Part D Plan?

Holiday Season And How Are Your Aging Parents?

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Holiday Season and How Are Your Aging Parents?

November 27th, 2013 5 Comments

by Barbara Nevins Taylor

When families come together during holiday season, many things are revealed.

We share our love, stories about our lives, and sometimes we even tell the truth.

The last thing most of us want to do is take a critical look at our aging parents. But while we’re all together and relatively relaxed, it is an opportunity to take a second look and give a second listen to what’s going on.

If you do it now, you may save yourself and your family a lot of heartache later. Lou-Ellen Barkan, President and CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, NYC Chapter, says, “You can’t go wrong when you are talking about making people safer. But you can go wrong by ignoring an obvious situation.”

Her personal story highlights the difficulties most families face.

Barkan took care of her aging parents before her current job when she worked in politics and finance. She says, “My parents lived in Florida, which is very far away from New York City, especially if you are busy working person.”

Her dad developed dementia after prostate surgery and years later, after a stroke, the dementia deepened.

“Here was this man who was on his own, ran a business, played golf all of the time, and suddenly he needed a great deal of help,” she said. Her mom was the caretaker. “My mother kept him at home. And was very good to him, but it was tough on her.” Barkan recalls.

After her dad died, her mother began to decline. She was 78 and insisted on remaining in her home. Barkan and her brother did successfully convince their mom to allow someone to come in and help in the mornings.

It didn’t take long for them to understand that something was really wrong. “My mother started falling out of bed. When the aide would come in, she would be on the floor.”

And then there was a bigger event, which is typical for most older people in decline: “She really had a fall. She went to the hospital and from the hospital they would not allow her to go home. At that point, I would say that her cognitive abilities were down 30 to 50 percent.”

Barkan and her family arranged for their mom to move to an assisted living facility in Florida. But six months later she had a stroke and could no longer do anything on her own. Barkan’s family moved her to New York and into the Sarah Newman residence in Mamaronek. Barkin says, “It was a wonderful place. She was there for a year-and-a-half and was safe and comfortable.”

We all want safety and comfort for our parents. But if their memory is slipping and they are still driving, or simply living alone, it’s potentially dangerous.

That’s why as painful as it may be, it’s a good idea to try to evaluate what’s going on

“We have what we call the ten signs of dementia and if you see three or four you need to pay attention,” Barkan says.

10 Warning Signs of Dementia

1. Forgetting dates, asking the same information over and over or overly relying on notes and other things to spur memory.

2. Having difficulty doing routine things like following a recipe, or a plan.

3. Difficulty completing a task like playing a game of Scrabble.

4. Confusion about dates and time.

5. Vision problems that affect spacial judgment or the ability to see colors.

6. Trouble with words or following a conversation.

7. Misplacing things without being able to retrace steps.

8. Using poor judgment like taking excess money out of the bank, or giving away large sums to charities or telemarketers.

9. Withdrawing from company and social activities

10. Changes in mood and attitude that may lead them to be depressed, paranoid or overly suspicious.

When to Choose Assisted Living

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When A Trial Offer Is A Bad Deal

November 26th, 2013

Trial offers, bonus gifts and freebies are often irresistible. Why not get something for free? Let me count the reasons you should avoid them.

Primarily because most are like magician’s tricks. They use sleight of hand to capture your attention and reel you in. Tricks are fun. But the offers are not. They fool you into thinking you’ll get an amazing benefit, when in fact you will pay and pay and pay.

That’s why we’re glad to hear that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) went after a company that lured consumers into trial memberships, supposed government grant programs and money-making schemes.

The FTC says I Works ran an elaborate $275 million scheme. The company, and its subsidiaries, convinced consumers to provide their credit card numbers, to be used for a small handling fee supposedly for materials related to obtaining grants, and then billed the consumers a one-time charge of $129.95 and monthly fees of up to $59.95.

Consumers had not agreed to pay these fees and ultimately received little or nothing of value.

In 2010, after the FTC filed a complaint, the assets of the company were frozen. Now there is an agreement between two of the company’s leaders, Bryce Payne and Kevin Pilon. They are both banned from selling or having a financial interest in any company that sells grant-related products or investment opportunities and selling or disclosing consumers’ financial information.

Payne was hit with a $289 million judgement and Pilon $7.5 million. But apparently neither can pay and will have to forfeit whatever assets they have. Good riddance to them.

But be wary because there are others out there.

HERE ARE 4 TIPS TO AVOID GETTING SNAGGED BY ONE OF THESE SCHEMES.

Research the company and the offer. If people are complaining, consider that a red flag and stay away.
Look at the online or printed signup form carefully. If a box on a form is pre-checked, uncheck it. If you don’t you might be agreeing to something you don’t want.
Check the time limit of a free trial on your calendar. If you’ve signed up, remember to cancel it before the date it is set to end.
Review your credit card statements carefully to make sure there are no mystery charges.

If you think you are a victim of a trial offer scam, contact the FTC.

Almost Hooked by a Job Scam