With Medicare Advantage plans, you could see changes in the doctors and hospitals included in their networks from year to year, so call your providers to ask whether they will remain in the network next year. Call your insurer or go to the plan’s website if you’ve misplaced that letter. If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, you’ve probably received an “annual notice of change” letter, which details any changes in your plan’s benefits. Start with these steps:Īssess your current coverage. Start researching your options several months before you first sign up for Medicare or before your open enrollment period, says Julie Carter at the Medicare Rights Center. A 2021 study he co-authored found that rural Medicare Advantage plan enrollees were nearly twice as likely to switch to Original Medicare as those in urban or suburban areas, possibly because the network of providers in rural areas is especially narrow, making it harder for people to make appointments and get care. Medicare Advantage plans may be especially problematic for people in rural areas, says David Meyers, PhD, an sssistant professor of health services, policy, and practice at Brown University. “It’s a riskier approach to health care,” Caughill says, which can also end up being more expensive.įor example, a recent Kaiser study found that about half of all Medicare Advantage enrollees would end up paying more than those in traditional Medicare for a seven-day hospital stay. “Some people in Medicare Advantage end up paying unexpectedly high costs when they become ill or find their network lacks the providers they need,” says Tricia Neuman, senior vice president at Kaiser.īut Medicare Advantage plans typically require that you get care from a more limited network of providers, and you may need pre-authorization to see specialists, says Melinda Caughill, a co-founder of 65 Incorporated, a firm that provides Medicare enrollment guidance. And Advantage plans can carry hidden risks, especially for people with major health issues. Choosing between the two requires careful consideration of your finances and health needs. Some also offer benefits not in Original Medicare, such as fitness classes or some vision and dental care. Plus, many people pay extra for Medigap, to cover copays and other out-of-pocket costs, as well as a Part D plan for drugs.Īdvantage plans (also called Part C), on the other hand, provide the benefits of Parts A, B, and often D, usually for about the same amount, with lower copays, so there’s no need for Medigap. That typically costs about $165 a month (with the cost deducted from your Social Security check). It’s easy to see the appeal: Original Medicare requires piecing together care from what’s called Part A, for in-patient hospital and skilled nursing care, and Part B, for doctor services. By 2032 about 60 percent of beneficiaries are expected to sign up for these plans. The pitches work: In 2022 nearly half of those eligible for Medicare were enrolled in Advantage plans, up from about a third in 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s when you can switch coverage between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or change your prescription drug plan. This marketing tsunami is timed to Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct. In your mailbox and on TV you’re being inundated with ads for Medicare Advantage plans, star-powered by the likes of William Shatner, all promising great care with low- or zero-cost premiums. If you get benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), call your local RRB office or 1-80.Įligibility: To learn if you are eligible for Medicare, use the Medicare Eligibility Tool.If you’re one of the 64 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, you know that a deluge has begun. You can call Social Security at 1-80, or visit your local Social Security office for more information about buying Part A. If you have Part A, "Hospital (Part A)" is printed on your card. If you aren't sure if you have Part A, look on your red, white, and blue Medicare card. If you (or your spouse) didn't pay Medicare taxes while you worked and you are age 65 or older, you may be able to buy Part A. This is because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes while they were working. You must meet certain conditions to get these benefits.Ĭost: Most people don't have to pay a monthly payment, called a premium, for Part A. It also helps cover hospice care and some home health care. Medicare Part A helps cover your inpatient care in hospitals, critical access hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities (not custodial or long-term care).
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Through this course, Outward Bound California aims to bring teens together to enjoy a wilderness and urban experience with people who understand the same struggles they go through on a day-to-day basis. “The ability to share space with people who are all in that community is special, because that doesn’t really ever happen.” Most of the teenagers came from smaller communities across the United States, where they might not have LGBTQ role models, let alone a community that’s interested in the outdoors. “I find that in the outdoor industry, people who are LGBTQ are few and far between,” said Liz Sequeira, one of the three trip leaders. Photo Courtesy: Outward Bound California Part of the magic of the trip: It brought together 10 people-nine who identify as members of the LGBTQ community and one ally-in the outdoors. “I did this course, and I think I can do anything else that comes at me in life, both mentally and physically.” “Putting on a heavy pack and going up a mountain, quite literally, is one of the hardest things, but to persevere through that and get to the top of the mountain is so relieving,” a trip participant said. We got see all the wonder that the Sierra has to offer-alpine lakes with granite all around them,” said Elyse Rylander, trip instructor and executive director of OUT There Adventures, who has been leading outdoor trips for 12 years. They enjoyed day after day of clear, perfect weather, and there weren’t even too many bugs. The students discovered how to travel as a group through varied terrain, which included snow, and with some off-trail navigation. They started at 5,000 feet and worked their way over Fernandez Pass, climbing to more than 10,000 feet. Over the course of eight days in the backcountry, the teens and their leaders covered 35 to 40 miles and thousands of feet of elevation. It began with a trek through the Ansel Adams Wilderness, adjacent to the national park. The teenagers, who identified as members of the LGBTQ community, came from across the country, most without backpacking experience, and all without a Pride experience. The two-week course combined a wilderness experience in Yosemite National Park with San Francisco Pride events. The idea came out of the Women in the Outdoors Summit, where members of both organizations met and came up with a unique course, merging a successful course model with the deep LGBTQ history of San Francisco. To create this new trip, Outward Bound California teamed up with OUT There Adventures, an organization built to empower queer young people through their connection with the natural world. But this year was the first time the nonprofit hosted a trip specifically for LGBTQ youth. Since its founding in 1961, Outward Bound’s mission has been to change lives through outdoor challenge and discovery. That pride is exactly what the new LGBTQ Backpacking to Urban Service course seeks to inspire. “I’ve never thought about being proud about my trans identity because I’ve spent so long trying to hide it,” said a trip participant from Ohio, while marching. Among those marching were seven teenagers, aged 15 to 18, and three trip leaders who were taking part in the first-ever teen LGBTQ Outward Bound California trip. On a bluebird June afternoon, blue, pink and white flags waved as thousands of people pressed forward into Dolores Park for this year’s San Francisco Trans March, which took place the Friday before the city’s LGBTQ Pride Parade. Too cute!! Thank you to Simplify Create Inspire for sharing this clever elf hiding spot! 6. Get it? If your kids also loved this song they’ll get a kick out of this punny Elf idea by Homebound But Hopeful. Kristina’s elf got creative, making paper snowflakes out of toilet paper! 4. The Paez family woke up to a silly surprise on their family photo! Fortunately, it was dry erase marker!! 3. More NEW ideas just for 2022: Click here to see more clever ideas from Quarantine Elf, to face mask wearing elf, and social distancing elf! 2. Quarantine Elfįorget to move the elf? No worries!! This trick will buy some time! I’ll keep adding more when I find them, so be sure to bookmark this page! 1. These are the latest and the greatest! Brand NEW Elf on the Shelf ideas JUST IN for 2022!! Toilet paper – that’s always a funny elf idea!.Welcome letters (we have some free printable ideas included below).Supplies and props are super helpful! Here are some of our favorites: Other than that, have fun with it! We’ve got lots of Elf on the Shelf ideas to get you started that kids will love! What Are Some Ideas for Elf on the Shelf? Second, keep it quick and easy! Don’t overcomplicate it! There are so many times I find myself hiding the elf on the shelf late at night after the kids go to bed and super easy ideas are the best! However, little kids and toddlers will likely go straight for it, so it’s especially key to hide the elf out of their reach. If you have older kids, they probably know not to touch the elf. That’s because legend has it that if you bump the elf it loses its magic and might go away and not come back! The most important thing when hiding the Elf on the Shelf is to keep it out of reach or at least out of the way. Related: Click here to see what the elves have in store for this year! Face masks? Social distancing? The elves are here to spread cheer no matter what! Where Should I Hide the Elf on the Shelf? We parents have to stick together, right? It’s almost time for those mischievous elves to make their return!ĪKA…you better start bookmarking new Elf on the Shelf ideas ASAP!!īecause if you’ve had an elf visit your house for a few years now like us, you always need new elf ideas!! Because of course these elves have to do NEW stuff every year!Įvery year I update this post with brand NEW Elf on the Shelf ideas. Over the last few weeks I’ve been scouring Pinterest looking for some fun and eventful yet easy shenanigans for Zippy to get into.Get inspired with this awesome collection of over 500 super funny Elf on the Shelf ideas! You’ll never run out of elf ideas with this BIG list of easy Elf on the Shelf hiding spots! The thing that makes me the most frustrated is, my boys can ALWAYS remember what he has done! Everyday I write down what Zippy did and then I keep it for next year. While I love having Zippy join our family for the month of December, I do not enjoy trying to remember what he has done and what he hasn’t done! It gets to be a bit confusing at times! The thing that makes me the most frustrated is, my boys can ALWAYS remember what he has done! If i’m going to keep this magic alive, I had to get more organized and prepared for Zippy! KEEP. She loves spending time with the husband and two boys, baking, girls nights, shopping and traveling! 40 Elf on The Shelf IdeasĪre you one of the many lucky families to have a little mischief maker join your house, every year around Christmas?!?! We are! Zippy, the Elf joined our family three years ago. She is a mom of two very energetic and inquisitive boys – who keep her on her toes. Hillary is one of the original founders of Great Lakes Bay Moms. Informing PARENTS & Inspiring FAMILIES in the Great Lakes Bay Region since 2012!Ĥ0 Elf on The Shelf Ideas, Notes, Poems, and Jokes! November 27, 2014 |