THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 28, 2020 SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 10 Want to “shout-out” a felby Jim Miller Ten Things Medicare Doesn’t Cover Dear Savvy Senior, I will be enrolling in Medicare in a few months and would like to fi nd out what they don’t cover so I can avoid any surprises. Almost 65 Dear Almost, While Medicare (Part A and B) covers a wide array of health care services after you turn 65, it doesn’t cover everything. If you need or want certain services that aren’t covered, you’ll have to pay for them yourself unless you have other insurance, or you enroll in a Medicare Advantage health plan, which may offer some additional benefi ts. Here’s a look at some commonly needed medical services that original Medicare doesn’t pay for. Most dental care: Routine dental care including checkups, cleanings, fi llings, tooth extractions and dentures are not covered by Medicare. However, some Medicare Advantage plans do cover basic dental care services. Routine vision care and eyeglasses: Medicare does not cover routine eye exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses (except following cataract surgery), but tests, treatments and surgeries for medical eye diseases like cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration are covered. Some Medicare Advantage plans do off er routine vision benefi ts. Alternative medicine: Acupuncture, chiropractic services (except to fi x subluxation of the spine), and other types of alternative or complementary care are not covered by Medicare. Prescription drugs: Medicare (Part A and B) doesn’t provide coverage for outpatient prescription drugs, but you can buy a separate Part D prescription-drug policy that does, or a Medicare Advantage plan that covers both medical and drug costs. Cosmetic surgery: Most cosmetic procedures are not covered; however, if the surgery is due to an injury or deformity, it might pay. For example, Medicare will cover a breast prosthesis for breast cancer survivors. Hearing aids: Medicare will not pay for hearing exams or hearing aids, but may cover a hearing and balance exam if your doctor determines it’s necessary. Some Medicare Advantage plans do off er hearing benefi ts. Long-term care: Nursing home care and assisted living facilities are not covered by Medicare. But, Medicare will help pay up to 100 days of skilled nursing or rehabilitation care immediately following a hospital stay of three or more days. Personal home care: If you need to hire help for bathing, dressing or getting out of bed, Medicare typically won’t cover these costs either, unless you are homebound and are also receiving skilled nursing care. Housekeeping services, such as shopping, meal preparation and cleaning are not covered either unless you are receiving hospice care. But a few Medicare Advantage plans do off er in-home support services. Routine foot care: Medicare does not cover most routine foot care, like the cutting or removing of corns, calluses and toenails. But they do cover medically necessary podiatrist services for foot problems like hammertoes, bunion and heel spurs, along with exams, treatments and therapeutic shoes or inserts if you have diabetic foot problems. Overseas coverage: In most cases, health care outside of the United States is not covered by Medicare except for very limited circumstances – such as on a cruise ship within six hours of a U.S. port. But, Medigap supplemental plans D, G, M and N cover 80 percent of emergency care abroad, and some Medicare Advantage plans cover emergency care abroad too. The best way to fi nd out what Medicare covers is to talk to your health care provider, visit Medicare.gov/coverage and type in your test, item or service, or download the Medicare “What’s covered” app on the App Store or Google Play. And to look for Medicare Advantage plans that off er additional benefi ts visit Medicare.gov/plan-compare. Also keep in mind that even if Medicare covers a service or item, they don’t pay 100 percent of the cost. You will have to pay a monthly Part B premium (which is $135.50 for most benefi ciaries) and unless you have supplemental insurance, you’ll have to pay your annual deductibles and copayments too. However, most preventive services are covered 100 percent by Medicare with no copays or deductibles. 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. low Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents, or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with the mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/ or photo. Citizen input session was productive I think the Board of Selectmen would agree that Tuesday night’s (Feb. 25) citizen input session in the second fl oor auditorium at Saugus Town Hall was time well spent. Most of the members of this board have their individual and collective goals for things they’d like to see accomplished over their two-year term in offi ce. But they also are interested in what residents think should be the board’s top priorities. So, selectmen did get a bunch of recommendations and ideas – some of them very good – on Tuesday night. More than 50 people attended the session. Twenty-five people went up to the microphone to address the selectmen – two of the people made a second trip up. Many of the people who spoke were Town Meeting members, which means they were probably speaking on behalf of the residents of their respective precincts. Although the session was promoted as an opportunity for citizens to sound off while selectmen sat and listened, selectmen did take time to respond to many of the comments, briefi ng the citizens on ongoing or future action that town government is taking in response to the concerns. All in all, it was a very productive night. And, it seems like the session could have potential infl uence on possible Articles crafted for this year’s Annual Town Meeting in May. Selectmen that I spoke with after the meeting seemed quite pleased with the turnout and the comments they received. It would have been nice, though, to see the auditorium fi lled to capacity, with more citizens not connected to Saugus town government participating. Early primary voting ends today Today’s the fi nal day of the week-long Early Voting for the upcoming March 3, 2020, Presidential Primary Election. Early Voting will take place in the Town Clerk’s Offi ce today from ~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Essex Probate and Family Court 36 Federal Street Salem, MA 01970 (978) 744-1020 Docket No. ES20C0020CA In the matter of: Peyton Avery Higgins Of: Saugus, MA CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME A Petition to Change Name of Minor Peyton Avery Higgins of Saugus, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to: Peyton Avery Sullivan. IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purposes of objecting to the Essex Probate and Family Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 03/13/2020. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by this proceeding. WITNESS, Hon. Jennifer M. R. Ulwick, First Justice of this Court. Date: February 14, 2020 PAMELA CASEY O’BRIEN REGISTER OF PROBATE February 28, 2020 Page 19 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Absentee Voting will remain the same as in all past elections. Dog Days are here The new 2020 Dog Licenses are now available in the Town Clerk’s Office – must have a copy of the Rabies Certifi cate to license your dog or use the new web portal. A chance to serve your town The Saugus Board of Selectmen is accepting applications for appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Library Board of Trustees in Saugus. These are volunteer/nonpaid positions for Saugus residents. Those interested may submit a letter of interest/resume no later than March 17, 2020, to: Saugus Board of Selectmen Saugus Town Hall 298 Central St., #4 SAVE 2020 Environmental Scholarship available Saugus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) is pleased to announce that it is off ering a $500 Environmental Scholarship to Saugus residents in the Graduating Class of 2020. This is a scholarship for students who will be attending a two/four-year college or other educational institution and pursuing a degree in an area that would positively impact the environment. Applicants can download the SAVE 2020 Environmental Scholarship Application Form found at www. saugusSAVE.org. Together with the completed application form, please include a separate sheet (identified with your initials only) that provides a brief summary of any of your activities relating to the environment and describe how you feel your career choice will positively impact the environment. Please mail your application (postmarked by April 24, 2020) to: SAVE, P.O. Box 908, Saugus, MA 01906 or email your application (no later than midnight on April 24, 2020) to: SAVE President Ann Devlin at adevlin@aisle10.net. Again, the deadline for applications is April 24, 2020. Special Town Meeting to keep police mechanic working Veteran Saugus Police Offi cer Kevin Nichols doesn’t want to be forced into retirement when he turns 65 this spring. That’s why he requested a Special Town Meeting that would authorize selectmen to fi le special legislation that would allow him to work beyond the mandatory retirement age for law enforcement. Selectmen voted unanimously to schedule the meeting for Monday, March 9. It’s the only Article on the agenda for that night. Books in Bloom 2020 gearing up It’s not too early to begin thinking about this awesome, creative event that allows the Saugus Public Library to host a grand celebration of flowers and books at the same time. The Saugus Garden Club SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 20
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