Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Emails from Medicare’s MyMedicare about Preventive Services

I recently received an email from Medicare with the subject “Important Message from Medicare.”  It came a couple of weeks before my birthday and was designed to remind me to get all the Medicare preventive services I am eligible for.  If you have signed up to get email from MyMedicare.gov you will no doubt also get one not too long before your birthday.
As most of us first get Medicare on our 65th birthday, and thus are first eligible to begin getting the program’s many preventive services on that occasion, this makes sense.  This is because a number of these services, especially the annual wellness visit, may be used every twelve months, and getting a reminder about this is helpful.  But you will probably find the information in the message confusing, and possibly ignore it because of this, or even think is some sort of phishing expedition.  This is because the information in the email about the specific tests and services you are eligible to receive is in some cases correct, but in most cases, wrong.  The email will indicate not only what tests area available to you, but which month it will be available.  And this information is sometimes correct but sometimes wrong; at least in my case.  For example, it correctly showed in which months I was eligible for my annual wellness visit, my PSA test, and even my colorectal (colonoscopy) exam, but the information on many other tests was wrong.  My guess is that as time goes on Medicare will get more skilled at using their claims data base to refine these reminders.
But in the meantime, take advantage of this reminder to make sure you have all your preventive services lined up.  (And be aware that Medicare will send you this email at other times, in addition to your birthday, depending on when you might be eligible for certain preventive services.) 

If you have purchased Managing Your Medicare, go to the publisher’s website www.self-counsel.com  and use your CD to access the 2013 detailed listing of available preventive services.  [As the information is a little complicated, I actually have six lists, three for women and three for men, each divided into ages 65 and older, 50 to 64, and below 50, to simplify it.]  Otherwise I suggest that you refer to page 51 of your 2013 Medicare & You Handbook, which lists all the preventative services.  Unfortunately, it gives no details on them, so you have to flip back and forth through the adjacent write-up of Part B services to see if and when you might be eligible for each listed service.  Or you might want to go on the Medicare website and order a helpful and up-to-date publication, “Your Guide to Medicare’s Preventive Services.“  To do this, go onto www.medicare.gov, click on the “Forms, Help & Resources” tab, then on “Publications,” and then enter the title or 10110 in the search box, which will bring up this item.  Then proceed to order a copy which will be snail mailed to you.  When you get the booklet, just go through it and write down the services you are eligible for and call you doctor to line them up.
And just the usual friendly reminders about preventive services.  You need to anticipate them as it may take a while, in some cases quite a while, to get an appointment to actually get the service, so line them up as early as possible.  And get all the ones that you are eligible for, some may be uncomfortable, either the procedure itself, or perhaps even talking to your health care provider about a condition, but your health is your most valuable asset, and these services are critical to protecting it.     
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