Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 17, 2025 SCAM | FROM PAGE 17 the phone number can help prevent scammers from contacting you again. • If you receive a text message impersonating a road toll collection service, report it. You can file a report with BBB Scam Tracker to help warn others about this new scam, and you can search for other reports of the scam in your area. In addition, file a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov. Reporting scams helps consumers become aware of scams and helps law enforcement track down scammers. For more information, at bbb.org you can learn more about how to spot a scam by identifying common red flags in various scam types, and read BBB’s tip on text message phishing scams. Savvy Senior by Jim Miller Does Medicare Cover Talk Therapy Services? Dear Savvy Senior, What types of mental health services does Medicare cover? I struggle with anxiety and depression, and my primary care provider recommended I see a therapist or psychiatrist. Anxious Annie Dear Annie, Medicare actually covers both outpatient and inpatient mental health care services and programs to help beneficiaries with anxiety, depression and many other mental health needs. Here what you should know. Outpatient Coverage If you’re enrolled in original Medicare, your Part B coverage will pay 80 percent (after you’ve met your annual $257 Part B deductible) for a variety of counseling and mental health care services that are provided outside a hospital, such as in a doctor or therapist’s office, hospital outpatient department or community health center. These services can also be received via telehealth. You, or your Medicare supplemental (Medigap) policy, is responsible for the remaining 20 percent coinsurance. Medicare also gives you the expanded option of getting treatment through a variety of health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical nurse specialists, clinical social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors. To get this coverage, you’ll need to choose a participating provider that accepts Medicare assignment, which means they accept Medicare’s approved amount as full payment for a service. If you choose a nonparticipating provider who accepts Medicare but does not agree to Medicare’s payment rate, you may have to pay more. And if you choose an opt-out provider that does not accept Medicare payments at all, you will be responsible for the entire cost. To locate a mental health care professional in your area that accepts Medicare, go to Medicare.gov/care-compare, click on “doctors & clinicians” and type in your location, followed by “clinical psychologist” or “psychiatry” in the Name & Keyword box. You can also get this information by calling Medicare at 800633-4227. Inpatient Coverage If you happen to need mental health services in either a general or psychiatric hospital, original Medicare Part A covers this too, after you’ve met your $1,676 Part A deductible. Your doctor should determine which hospital setting you need. If you receive care in a psychiatric hospital, Medicare covers up to 190 days of inpatient care for your lifetime. And if you use your lifetime days but need additional care, Medicare may cover additional inpatient care at a general hospital. Additional Coverage In addition to the outpatient and inpatient mental health services, Medicare also covers yearly depression screenings that must be done in a primary care doctor’s office or clinic. Annual depression screenings are covered 100 percent. And if you have a Medicare prescription drug plan, most medications used to treat mental health conditions are covered too. Medicare Advantage Coverage If you get your Medicare benefits through a private Medicare Advantage plan, they too provide the same coverage as original Medicare does, but may impose different rules and will likely require you to see an in-network provider. You’ll need to contact your plan directly for details. For more information, call Medicare at 800633-4227 and request a copy of publication #10184 “Medicare & Your Mental Health Benefits,” or you can read it online at Medicare.gov. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. OBITUARIES Howard C. Topping Of Malden. Passed away January 10th. The son of Harry and Lucy (White - house) Topping he was born and raised in the Malden. He was the beloved husband of the late Carolyn Topping and loving father of Susan Bickford and William Shackelton. Howard spent 20 years in the United States Air Force serving during Vietnam. Howard is survived by his daughter Susan Bickford and husband Tom, his grandchildren Amanda Shackelton, William Shackelton and Ann Dixon, great grandchildren Hayden Maloney, McKenzie Dixon and Allison Dixon as well as many other family members and friends. He was predeceased by his wife Carolyn, son William and his sister June Reinstein. Visitation for Howard were held at be held at the Weir – MacCuish Golden Rule Funeral Home, Malden on Thursday January 16th with interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Kevin M. Kilbride Kevin M. Kilbride, age 62, of Wilmington, passed away unexpectedly on January 11, 2025, while skiing in New Hampshire. Kevin was born on March 14, 1962, in Malden, MA; he was the cherished son of the late Francis M. and Barbara A. (Worth) Kilbride. Kevin was raised in a large and loving Irish family in Malden; he attended Malden Public Schools and was a graduate of Malden High School Class of 1980. Following high school, he attended Salem State College for his Bachelors, Cambridge College for his Masters, and later in life attended American International College for his Certificate of Graduate Studies. In 1996, while attending a summer course at the University of Galway, Ireland, Kevin met a beautiful woman named Maura Glynn; the couple were soon inseparable and married on June 14th, 1997. He called her “Ma Cushla” which translates to “my heartbeat”. Kevin and Maura settled in Wilmington, MA, in 1997 where they raised three beautiful children named Eamon, Maeve, and Conor. Kevin had more hobbies than he had time for. He loved golfing and skiing so much that he moved to Colorado for five years. He loved to travel, especially on road trips and to Ireland. He loved any and all sports, never missed a game, and attended the Olympics not once, but twice. Music was a big part of who he was, and he could sit for hours listening to any genre, but he was especially connected to John Lennon. He felt most at home in nature, especially the mountains, the woods, and his backyard. He loved the simple things in life too, like playing a game of chess, picking up a good book, cooking, and building a fire. He was employed from the age of 10, beginning with a paper route in Malden’s Maplewood Square. He worked at Conville’s Pub in Littleton, CO and most prominently, he was an educator for Malden Public Schools for 30 plus years. He was a self-proclaimed “Jack of All Trades; Master of None.” Kevin loved being a father and a husband and took great pride in each of his children and his wife. He loved spending time with his family as “The Kilbride 5”, but also individually with each of them. Between road trips, summers spent camping in Maine, vacations all over, and time spent sitting together at home, Kevin truly loved being around family, immediate and extended. He was intelligent and well-versed in any topic you could think of, especially history. He could win any game of Jeopardy he watched and never lost a game of Chess. Kevin always said that he felt closest to God in the mountains. Kevin is survived by his beloved wife Maura T. Kilbride (Glynn), he was the devoted father of Eamon Kilbride of Orono, ME, Maeve Kilbride and her fiancé Max Hubbard of Wakefield, MA, and Conor Kilbride of Wilmington, MA. He OBITS | SEE PAGE 19
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