Food Safety Is Important, Especially During A Pandemic

March 15, 2021

As a result of the pandemic, you may have stocked your pantry and fridge with plenty of shelf-stable and perishable foods to reduce the number of trips to the grocery store. Did you know that most people toss 30-40% of the food they buy? Often this is due to the date consumers find on packaging. With rising food costs, supply chain shortages, and economic challenges you need to decide how soon to consume your stockpiled foods to stretch your grocery budget. So, now more than ever it is important to know what the dates on your food labels mean. What is dating? According to the USDA, ...

Medicare Summary Is A Valuable Tool To Detect Fraud

March 15, 2021

Your Medicare Summary is a valuable tool to DETECT Medicare Fraud! A Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) is a report of doctor’s visits, services or supplies billed to Medicare in your name. ≤ It is mailed every 3 months, but you can go online to MyMedicare.gov to view your MSN 24 hours a day. ≤ It explains the charges that will be paid by Medicare and that will be paid by you or your other health insurance company. ≤ IT IS NOT A BILL — but do not throw it away! Your MSN has four (4) sections for your Medicare Part A (hospital) and Medicare Part B (preventative) ...

Learn About Signing Up For Medicare At June Event

March 15, 2021

Learn about signing up for Medicare! Originally planned for April 7, 2021, this event has been moved to June 23, 2021. Go to www.shiphelp.org to learn more. Registration will open in April. This virtual Medicare fair is for people turning 65 or joining Medicare because of a disability. Learn about Medicare ­ and all its parts — to assist you in your initial enrollment decisions. There is no cost to attend. Get trusted, unbiased Medicare education to help you make Medicare choices that best meet your needs. There will be national expert presenters on Medicare eligibility, ...

NY Connects Aims To Offer The Right Kind Help

February 15, 2021

Finding the right kind of help can be a difficult task. Each situation is different with unique individuals, supports, and needs. NY Connects is your trusted place to go for free, unbiased information and assistance. We can help you link to long term services and supports, such as home care, health insurance needs, transportation options, nutrition supports and many more topics that you may be needing help with. We work closely with many organizations to connect you with the right supports: mental health, the independent living center, Medicaid and more. Our goal is to help ...

Patience Needed With The Vaccine Roll Out

February 15, 2021

Wow! It has been almost a year since we shut down the county due to COVID-19. While we have made a lot of progress toward safely moving around and doing business, there is still a lot to do. We have many more months ahead of us of sanitizing, masking and social distancing even with vaccines beginning to roll out. Getting the COVID-19 vaccine it not a ticket to stop these precautions as we still are unclear if vaccinated people can carry the virus and infect others. So please wear your mask, wash your hands, and keep socially distant whenever possible. As far as the vaccine roll ...

Medicare Coordinates Benefits With Your Employer Coverage

February 15, 2021

If you are 65 + (or turning 65 soon) and will have both Medicare and Employer Coverage too because you are still actively working, you have a number of things to think through. You likely have options to keep your employer insurance and Medicare will coordinate with that coverage. You’ll also want to compare the cost of that employer coverage against what it would cost you to roll over to Medicare as your primary insurance. Doing your research will help you decide on which coverage option is most cost-effective. It can also help you avoid any Medicare late enrollment penalties ...