You At Your Best

BY Karen rice YOu aT YOur BesT Many baby boomers are continuing to work past their 65th birthday and have group insurance at their workplace. However this is not necessarily the best option, according to Medicare advisor Tony Cristee. Tony has been studying Medicare, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement health plans and says he's amazed at the menu selection that exists in the marketplace. "Everyone's needs are different," Tony points out, "I encourage everyone of Medicare age to carefully compare the coverage they have at work with coverage they are able to obtain on their own. In many cases the coverage available with a traditional Medicare supplement is more complete and cost less than group coverage obtained through employment." Through his agency, Criscare Medicare Guidance, Tony has met with many people who are continuing to work just to qualify for insurance. "Prospective clients come to find out what is available for health coverage and learn that they can enroll in a plan that covers all of their medical expense with one low monthly payment, no co-pays and no deductibles," he says. "They have been surprised that coverage of this kind is available and affordable." If a person has had continual coverage at work since becoming Medicare eligible they are qualified for a plan regardless of their health. Some may have been cautioned by their HR department that if they leave the group coverage they will not be able to return. "This can be very disturbing to people that have pre-existing conditions," Tony points out. "They are very excited to learn that coverage is available at an affordable price…often more affordable than their employer plan, since many employers are forced to have plans with very high deductibles in order to provide coverage at all." Tony encourages anyone of Medicare age or approaching it to give him a call to explore options, at no cost. He can be reached at 479-426-2304, by emailing Tony-C@cox. net, or visiting www.criscaremedicare.com. planning for health care in retirement cOurTesY aMerican hearT assOciaTiOn With doctors' visits down during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say keeping tabs on your blood pressure at home is even more important. Adding the do-it-yourself method can be more effective and cheaper than office measurements alone, but improved patient education, provider training and insurance coverage are needed, according to a new policy statement by the American Heart Association and American Medical Association. "Self-monitoring blood pressure is not only convenient for patients – it is superior to in-office blood pressure measurements for predicting cardiovascular events and is potentially cost-effective," said Dr. Daichi Shimbo, associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and the statement's lead author. Numerous blood pressure guidelines endorse measuring your blood pressure outside a medical office, usually at home. Experts say the method can prevent "white coat hypertension," meaning you have higher blood pressure only at the doctor's office, or "masked hypertension," where your pressure gives a false normal reading at the office. High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood flowing through vessels is consistently too high. It's considered high when systolic pressure (the top number in a blood pressure measurement) is 130 millimeters of mercury or above or the diastolic (bottom number) is 80 or above. Of the millions of Americans with high blood pressure, just over half have it under control, and many cases go undiagnosed. And almost 60% of Black Americans have the deadly condition, more than any other racial and ethnic group. The policy statement reviews how self-monitoring could help diagnose and manage high blood pressure, improving its control in low-income and medically under-resourced communities. Savings could come from reduced office visits, fewer cardiovascular events as a result of improved blood pressure control and less overtreatment in patients with white coat hypertension, according to the statement. aha, aMa urge widespread self-measured blood Pressure monitoring 8 | YOu aT YOur BesT | YOuaTYOurBesT.nWaOnline.cOM March - Wellness | sunDaY, FeBruarY 27 2022

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