Press Release - Open Enrollment for 2011 Medicare prescription drug and health plans begins Nov. 15th

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Your Name:Your Email:Recipient's Name:Recipient's Email:CloseOpen Enrollment for 2011 Medicare prescription drug and health plans begins Nov. 15thNov 16, 2010 This press release is an announcement submitted by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and was not written by Diabetes Health.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is encouraging all Medicare beneficiaries to take advantage of the annual Open Enrollment period to make sure they have the best coverage available to meet their health care needs in 2011.

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period this year begins on November 15th?and runs through December 31st.? During the Open Enrollment period, current or newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries, including people with Original Medicare, can review current health and prescription drug coverage, compare health and drug plan options available in their area, and choose coverage that best meet their needs.

"The Affordable Care Act will make Medicare stronger and more sustainable.? There will be new benefits available to nearly every person with Medicare starting in January 2011, including free annual wellness visits and free recommended preventive services like mammograms and colonoscopies. ?Seniors who fall into the donut hole in 2011 will be eligible for a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs.? These new benefits make this year's Medicare Open Enrollment Period especially important," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. ?"Every year, the Medicare Open Enrollment Period gives Medicare beneficiaries a chance to evaluate their current plans and see what other options might be out there that serve their needs, especially if their health status has changed.? Those enrolled in Medicare can think of the Open Enrollment Period as a yearly coverage "check-up." ?It is important for people with Medicare to look closely at their plan, look at the options available to them, consider their health status, and find what works for them."

"There's never been a better time for Medicare beneficiaries to check out their Medicare coverage," said CMS Administrator Donald Berwick, M.D. "With better plan choices available for 2011, Medicare beneficiaries can think of Open Enrollment as their yearly coverage ‘check-up'."

"During Open Enrollment, AoA's national network of community-based organizations will work with seniors, individuals with disabilities and their caregivers across the country to help them understand the new benefits available under the Affordable Care Act," said Kathy Greenlee, Assistant Secretary for Aging.? "In addition, we urge seniors to protect themselves from potential fraud and identity theft. ?We know there are people who use this time to scam seniors and rip off Medicare. ?Seniors should protect their Medicare number the same way they do their Social Security number or credit cards."

Resources for Medicare Beneficiaries
People with Medicare, their families and other trusted representatives can review and compare current plan coverage with new plan offerings, using many proven resources, including:

Visiting?www.medicare.gov, where they can get a personalized comparison of costs and coverage of the plans available in their area. The popular Medicare Plan Finder and Medicare Options Compare tools have been enhanced for an efficient review of plan choices. Multilingual Open Enrollment information and counseling is available. Calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for around-the-clock assistance to find out more about coverage options. TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. Reviewing the 2011?Medicare & You?handbook. It is also accessible at www.medicare.gov and has been mailed to the homes of people with Medicare benefits. Getting one-on-one counseling assistance from the local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Local SHIP contact information can be found: At?http://www.medicare.gov/contacts/organization-search-criteria.aspx, or On the back of the 2011Medicare & Youhandbook or; By calling Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY,1-877-486-2048) Through a listing of national stand-alone prescription drug plans and state specific fact sheets can be found at:http://www.cms.hhs.gov/center/openenrollment.asp

Medicare beneficiaries who cannot meet the costs of prescription drugs may be eligible for additional resources. Based on eligibility for "extra help," some people Medicare will pay no more than $2.50 for each generic drug and no more than $6.30 for each name brand drug.? The program, called Medicare's Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition (NET) Program, can also help pay for premiums and other out-of-pocket costs.

There is no cost to apply for this extra help. Medicare beneficiaries, family members, trusted counselors or caregivers can apply online at?www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp?or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY users should call 1-800-325-0778) to find out more.

Protecting Against Fraud and Identity Theft
The new health care law also provides better tools to help fight waste, fraud and abuse to help protect Medicare. CMS offers tips to help beneficiaries protect themselves against fraud and identity theft during the Open Enrollment period. Medicare recommends that
people treat their Medicare number as they do their social security number and credit card information.?

Beneficiaries should not give personal information to anyone arriving to their home uninvited or making unsolicited phone calls selling Medicare-related products or services. Beneficiaries who believe they are a victim of fraud or identity theft should contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY,1-877-486-2048). More information is available atwww.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

?

More information is available at?www.healthcare.gov, a new web portal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Source:

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2010pres/11/20101115a.html

Categories: Government & Policy, Health Care, Health Insurance, Medications

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Patients Benefit When Pharmacists Are Added To Docs' Offices

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist;??Diabetes;??Heart Disease
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Adding pharmacists to the primary care team right in doctors' offices may help patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes better manage associated risks, a new University of Alberta study had found.

The blood pressure of patients with Type 2 diabetes dropped significantly when pharmacists were included in the on-site clinical examination and consulting process, the U of A study showed. Among 153 patients whose hypertension was inadequately controlled at the beginning of the study, the 82 who had advice from a pharmacist were more likely to reach blood pressure treatment targets recommended by the Canadian Diabetes Association.

As well, the study showed that with input from pharmacists, the predicted 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease for patients with Type 2 diabetes will drop by three per cent.

The results were reported online by Diabetes Care, and are scheduled to appear in the January 2011 issue of the journal.

"Pharmacists can play a more active role in primary care and community clinics," said Scot Simpson, lead author of the study. "We've already been actively collaborating on health care teams for years in hospitals."

Placing pharmacists in the doctor's office instead of in a more traditional role at the neighbourhood pharmacy allows for a more collaborative frontline approach to medication management in primary care, Simpson said.

"The doctors, nurses and pharmacists can directly discuss issues specific to any one patient, and by doing so, have the best outcome for the patient."

High blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors are common in people with diabetes, so effective management of medications is key to helping reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke, Simpson added.

Source:
Scot Simpson
University of Alberta

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Potential Target For Diabetes, Heart Disease Treatments

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Diabetes;??Heart Disease
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Cardiac researchers at UC have found a new cellular pathway that could help in developing therapeutic treatments for obesity-related disorders, like diabetes and heart disease.

This research was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

Tapan Chatterjee, PhD, and researchers in the division of cardiovascular diseases found that action by the enzyme histone deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) can lead to obesity-induced body fat dysfunction and that HDAC9-regulated pathways could be targets for potential treatment options in obesity-related diseases.

"Failure of fat cells to differentiate and properly store excess calories in obesity is associated with adipose tissue (fat) inflammation, fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, diabetes and increased cardiovascular diseases," Chatterjee says. "We know that dysfunctional fat tissue is the underlying culprit in obesity-related diseases; however, we do not know why fat tissue becomes dysfunctional when a person becomes obese."

Chatterjee says researchers in this study first identified HDAC9 regulator of fat cell differentiation within the living organism.

"Caloric intake promotes HDAC9 down-regulation to allow the conversion of precursor fat cells to 'functional' fat cells, capable of efficiently storing excess calories for future use and also maintaining whole body lipid and glucose stability," he says. "Ideally, fat cells should function as a reversible storage site of excess calories and as an endocrine organ to maintain systemic lipid and glucose stability.

"Unfortunately, during chronic over-feeding, we find HDAC9 level is up-regulated in fat tissue, thereby blocking the conversion which leads to adipose tissue dysfunction and the onset of diseases such as diabetes, liver disease, high blood pressure and heart disease - the nation's No. 1 killer."

Researchers examined various members of the HDAC family of proteins and found that only HDAC9 showed a direct correlation to differentiation of precursor fat cells, both from human and mouse fat tissues.

"HDAC9 down-regulation is necessary for the differentiation of precursor fat cells to mature fat cells; forced up-regulation of HDAC9 by genetic manipulation blocks the differentiation of the precursor fat cells," Chatterjee says. "On the other hand, precursor fat cells from HDAC9 genetic knockout mice showed accelerated differentiation.

"We believe that HDAC9 keeps precursor fat cells in the undifferentiated state; metabolic cues trigger HDAC9 down-regulation allowing conversion of the precursor cells to mature fat cells. We are exploring the cellular signaling mechanism that promotes such down-regulation of this enzyme during the normal fat cell differentiation process."

Chatterjee says researchers were really interested in the tie between increased HDAC9 levels in fat tissue of mice and the caloric overload.

"Fat tissues from these obese mice showed dysfunction, with increased expression of pro-inflammatory agents and decreased expression of hormones responsible for maintaining whole body lipid and glucose stability," he says. "The fat tissues of these mice are not capable of efficiently storing excess calories and are not able to perform proper endocrine functions.

"The adaptive response fails for some reason during chronic caloric overload, leading to the generation of fat tissue mass that is dysfunctional."

Chatterjee says the HDAC9 level in fat cells is the underlying molecular culprit for dysfunctional fat tissue during obesity.

"We are currently examining HDAC9 knockout mice subjected to chronic high-fat feeding and think that HDAC9 gene removal will protect mice from obesity-linked adipose tissue dysfunction and associated metabolic disorders," he says.

"Identification of HDAC9 as a novel regulator of fat cell differentiation and the finding that elevated HDAC9 levels are associated with adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity are extremely interesting and novel findings," he continues.

Chatterjee's team is pursuing studies to understand how diet regulates HDAC9 levels in fat tissue and how HDAC9 up-regulation can be prevented during diet-induced obesity through pharmacological means.

"Our findings may help lead researchers to targeted therapies that may prevent the development of obesity-related disorders in humans."

This study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Source:
Katie Pence
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center

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Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

All opinions are moderated before being added.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

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For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

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