Sage is not just a spice — it also means a wise person. How do the Sages of the community keep that positive attitude and stay healthy?
One way is to keep healthy with preventive services available through original Medicare Part B and all the Medicare Health plans in Hawai‘i. As of January 2011, most vaccinations and screenings for diabetes, high cholesterol and cancer are free. The law also allows a free annual wellness visit. You and your doctor may use this wellness visit to develop a personalized prevention plan.
If you don’t want to spend your birthday at the doctor’s office, make your yearly appointment every May — Older American’s Month. Through health screenings, preventive services keep a baseline record of your health. As a Sage, you can find a list of over 25 different preventive screenings on pages 69-70 of the Medicare & You 2016 handbook. You may not need all of them because some screening tests are based on existing health conditions and history.
While you do not have to pay out of pocket for certain preventive services, you may have to pay for the office visit, other services received at the same visit, or preventive services not received in a doctor’s office, but in an ambulatory surgical center or hospital outpatient department. Again, if you need screenings more often than recommended, you may have to pay for them.
HAWAI‘I SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program)
1-888-875-9229 | 808-586-7299 |
help@hawaiiship.org
www.hawaiiship.org |
facebook.com: Hawaii SHIP
This SHIP project was supported, in part, by grant number 90SA0004-02-00 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C., 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.
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