Lewis and Clark Chapter

June 2007 Newsletter

Luau at the Meader's

Bill and Sharon Meader will host our last meeting of the season on Friday, June 15, at 6:30 p.m. This will be a luau, just fun and eating (and we'll install the officers for next year). Sharon will provide Kailua Pork, sweet potatoes, bread, beverages, and a salad. Please bring an appetizer, salad or dessert, and if you are up to it, we'd like a couple of dishes of Teriyaki Chicken to round out the main course. And bring a lawn chair if you have one.

The cherries should be ripe; if you'd like some, bring a container.

Sharon needs an accurate head count by Wednesday, June 13, and an idea about what you'd like to bring. Call her before then at 627-0424 or email sobmeader@member.afa.org.

Map to the Meader's in the mailed copy of the newsletter.

From HQ MOAA

Having Trouble Finding a TRICARE Provider?

MOAA is conducting a survey to identify locations where military beneficiaries are having trouble finding doctors who will accept TRICARE or Medicare patients, as applicable. We've had more than 2,500 responses to our survey so far, but that's not enough to validate the existence of any problems. We want to hear about your experience in this area, good or bad.

Please take the survey, and ask your TRICARE-eligible friends to do the same. http://moaaonline.org/ct/XpqS-dY1jRUr/

Abusive Medicare Advantage Sales Tactics

May 8, 2007, New York Times editorial states some Medicare Advantage plan salespeople have been caught using hard-sell tactics to pressure seniors into signing up for policies that may leave them worse off than they would be with traditional Medicare coverage.

The abusive sales tactics are particularly egregious among private fee-for-service plans and partly explain why fee-for-service plans are the fastest growing types of coverage among private Medicare plans. Another reason for the high sales growth of private fee-for-service plans is the high rate of government subsidies provided to companies who sell the plans. Several states are investigating a range of sales abuses that already have been observed. Illegal tactics have included enrolling unwilling consumers and forgery of signatures. Consumers must be careful to ensure their doctors will accept the private fee-for-service plan and fully understand the copayment provisions of the private plan.

Be a well-informed consumer and don't allow yourself to be pressured into action. Ask people you trust for guidance if you have questions.


  

Lewis & Clark Chapter
Webmaster: Bob Allen
Last update: June 2007