Page 20 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 9, 2024 avvya yavvy eniiooravvy S iorn or v y Dear Owen, Yes, traditional Medicare does indeed cover some weight-loss treatments like counseling and certain types of surgery for overweight benefi ciaries, but unfortunately it doesn’t cover weight-loss programs or medications. Here’s what you should know. Who’s Eligible For benefi ciaries to receive available Medicare-covered weight-loss treatments your body mass index (BMI), which is an estimate of your body fat based on your height and weight, must be 30 or higher. A BMI of 30 or above is considered obese and increases your risk for many health conditions, such as some cancers, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and sleep apnea. To fi nd out your BMI, the National Institutes of Health has a free calculator that you can access online at nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm. What’s Covered If you fi nd that your BMI is 30 or higher, Medicare Part B will cover up to 12 months of weight-loss counseling conducted by a medical professional in a primary care setting (like a doctor’s offi ce). Most counseling sessions entail an initial obesity screening, a dietary assessment and behavioral therapy designed to help you lose weight by focusing on diet and exercise. Medicare also covers certain types of bariatric and metabolic surgery for morbidly obese benefi ciaries who have a BMI of 35 or above and have at least one underlying obesity-related health condition, such as diabetes or heart disease. You must also show that you’ve tried to lose weight in the past through dieting or exercise and have been unsuccessful. These procedures make changes to your digestive system to help you lose weight and improve the health of your metabolism. Some common bariatric surgical procedures covered include Rouxen-Y gastric bypass surgery, which reduces the stomach to a small pouch that makes you feel full even following small meals. And laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding, which inserts an infl atable band that creates a gastric pouch encircling the top of the stomach. What’s Not Covered Unfortunately, original Medicare does not cover weight-loss programs such as fi tness or gym memberships, meal delivery services, or popular weight-loss programs such as Jenny Craig, Noom and WW (formerly Weight Watchers). Medicare also does not cover any weight-loss drugs, but it does cover FDA approved diabetes drugs that have unintentionally become very popular for weight loss. Medicare Part D plans cover Ozempic and Mounjaro for diabetes only, not for weight loss! So, your doctor will need to prescribe these medications for diabetes in order to get them covered. Medicare also does not cover Wegovy or Zepbound because they’re approved only for weight loss. The reason behind the weight-loss drug omission is the Medicare Modernization Act, which specifi cally excluded them back when the law was written 20 years ago. They also excluded drugs used for cosmetic purposes, fertility, hair growth and erectile dysfunction. Without insurance, weight-loss medications are expensive, often costing $1,000 to $1,300 a month. To help curb costs, try websites like GoodRX.com or SingleCare.com to fi nd the best retail prices in your area. Or, if your income is limited, try patient assistance programs through Eli Lilly (LillyCares.com) which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound, or Novo Nordisk (NovoCare.com) the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy. Medicare Advantage If you happen to be enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan, you may have coverage for gym memberships and some weight loss and healthy food delivery programs. These are considered expanded supplemental benefi ts and have gradually been added to some plans to provide coverage for nutrition, health and wellness. Contact your plan to see what it provides. 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. io iori by Jim Miller Does Medicare Cover Weight-Loss Treatments? Dear Savvy Senior, Does Medicare cover any weight-loss treatments for overweight retirees? I just turned 65 and need to lose about 100 pounds and would like to know if Medicare can help. Overweight Owen Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma LEGAL NOTICE INVITATION TO BID CONTRACT 2024-W-1 2024 WATERWORKS IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS THE CITY OF MALDEN invites sealed bids for Contract 2024-W-1 of its 2024 Waterworks Improvements Program. Bids will be received at the office of the Malden Engineering Department, 215 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor, Room 340, Malden, MA 02148, until 1:30 PM local time on Thursday, February 29, 2024 and at that place and time will be opened and read aloud. In general, the work of this contract shall consist of replacing water mains in 6 streets, Bowers Street, Dennis Road, Revere Street, Rudolf Street, Wilbur Street, and Wiley Street totaling approximately 3,033 linear feet. The work includes installing, maintaining and removing temporary bypass systems; removing existing and constructing new water mains, replacing existing service connections, hydrants and associated valves and fittings; constructing temporary and permanent roadway and sidewalk trench patches; and related appurtenant and incidental work. Contract Documents will become available Thursday, February 15, 2024 and may be obtained at the office of the Malden Engineering Department, 215 Pleasant Street, 3rd Floor, Room 340, Malden, MA 02148, Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. City offices are closed on Fridays. A deposit in the form of a check payable to the “City of Malden, Massachusetts” in the amount of $50.00 will be required for each set of the Contract Documents. A refund of the deposit will be made for Contract Documents returned in good condition within 4 weeks after bids are received. Bidder’s requesting Contract Documents by mail shall include an additional non-refundable check payable to “Hayner/Swanson, Inc.” in the amount of $40.00 per set to cover handling and mailing costs. The bids shall be prepared and submitted in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders. Bids must be accompanied by a bid security, satisfactory to the City, in the amount of five percent (5%) of the total bid. The bid security shall be in the form of a bid bond issued by a company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth; or a certified, treasurer’s or cashier’s check, issued by a responsible bank or trust company, payable to the “City of Malden, Massachusetts”. Cash deposits will not be accepted. A Performance Bond and a Labor and Materials Payment Bond in the amount of one hundred percent (100%) of the bid will be required of the successful bidder. The cost of all bonds and insurances required by this Invitation to Bid and the associated Contract Documents are the responsibility of the Bidder; such costs will not be reimbursed separately by City and shall be included in your bid. Contracts for work under this Proposal will obligate the Contractor and Subcontractors to comply with applicable Federal, State and local provisions regarding prevailing wage rates, insurances, labor, equal employment opportunity, anti-discrimination and affirmative action. All bids are subject to the provisions of M.G.L. Chapter 30, Section 39M. Wages are subject to minimum wage rates determined by the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Industries pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 149, Sec. 26 to 27H. The schedule of wage rates applicable to this contract is included in the Contract Documents. In addition, the prevailing wage schedule will be updated annually for all applicable projects lasting longer than one (1) year. You will be required to pay the rates set out in any updated prevailing wage schedule. Increases in prevailing wage schedules will not be the basis for change order requests. The successful bidder will be required to provide a Certificate of Insurance demonstrating current coverage of the types and amounts set forth in the Contract Documents. Bids may be held by the City of Malden for a period not to exceed sixty (60) calendar days from the date of the opening of bids for the purpose of reviewing the bids and investigating the qualifications of bidders, prior to awarding the Contract. The City of Malden reserves the right to waive any informalities or to reject any or all bids received if deemed to be in their best interest. CITY OF MALDEN BY Yem Lip, P.E. City Engineer Malden Engineering Department February 9, 2024 LEGAL NOTICE
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