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8A Daily News – Monday, January 2, 2012 Vitality & health What Medicare covers in the hospital By DAVID SAYEN One of Medicare's most important benefits is help- ing to cover your expenses if you need to be hospital- ized. But what exactly is covered, and how much do you pay? Medicare helps cover certain medical services and supplies in hospitals. To get the full range of benefits, you must have both Medicare Part A, which is hospi- tal insurance, and Part B, which is medical insurance. What you pay depends on whether you're an inpa- tient or an outpatient. Staying overnight in a hospital doesn't always mean you're an inpatient. You're an inpatient on the day the doctor formally admits you, with a doctor's order. If you aren't sure whether you're an inpatient or an outpatient, ask your doctor or the hospital staff. Or you can call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227). If you're admitted as an inpatient, Part A will help cover your stay. This would generally include a semi- private room, meals, general nursing care, drugs, and other hospital services and supplies. How much you'll pay depends partly on how long you stay. Medicare pays for inpatient hospital care and skilled nursing care based on "benefit periods." A benefit period begins the day you're admitted to a hos- pital or skilled nursing facility – and ends when you haven't had any care in either setting for 60 days in a row. You can have more than one hospital stay within the same benefit period. There's a limit on how many days Medicare covers during a benefit period, but there's no limit on the number of benefit periods you can have over your lifetime. So much actually comes out of your pocket when you're in the hospital? Part A has a deductible, which is $1,156 for 2012. After you've paid that, there's no copayment for days 1 through 60 of each benefit period. For days 61through 90 of each benefit period, there's a copay- ment of $289 per day next year. You also have 60 "lifetime reserve days." These can be used after day 90 of each benefit period, and your co-pay is $578 per day in 2012. After you use up these "lifetime reserve days," you must pay all costs your- self. If that all seems a bit complicated, you can always call us with your questions at 1-800-MEDICARE. You can also find a lot of good information in the "Medicare & You" handbook, which is mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries in the country each fall. The handbook is online at www.Medicare.gov. Keep in mind that Part A doesn't cover doctor fees or other medical services. That's where Part B comes in. To get Part B, you must pay a monthly premium, which for most people will be $99.90 per month in 2012. Then you'll pay 20 percent of the Medicare- approved amount for most doctor services while you're an inpatient. Part B also helps cover outpatient costs, such as doctors' fees, emergency and observa- tion services, lab tests, and X-rays. I should also point out some of things Medicare doesn't cover in the hospital. It doesn't pay for private-duty nursing, a telephone or television, personal items (like toothpaste or razors), or a private room, unless it's medically neces- sary. For hospital outpatient care, you pay a copayment for each individual outpatient service. The copayment can be different for each service, but never more than the Part A deductible. In some cases, your total copayment for all services may be more than the inpatient hospital deductible. I've very much enjoyed bringing you Medicare information over the past year. And I hope you and your family have a happy and healthy holiday season! David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can always get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1- 800-633-4227). LOS ANGELES (MCT) — Dylan Catania turns 2 next month. He likes pasta with red sauce, playing catch or wrestling with his dad, sitting on slick leather chairs at Starbucks to greet strangers and hold- ing his breath underwa- ter. He does not like baby food, sitting in his car seat or taking naps. When he is really, really happy, Dylan likes to sit on the ground, crack a smile exposing his fledgling teeth and spin like a top. The faint scar on his right temple is invisible under a cap of downy brown hair. He was born with half of his brain enlarged and malformed, a disorder known as hemimegalencephaly that occurs in fewer than two dozen births a year. When he was nearly 3 months old, neurosur- geons at UCLA severed the right hemisphere of Dylan's brain from the left in a seven-hour hour operation, radical surgery to stop him from suffer- ing as many as a hundred seizures each day. Neurologists who see him now, scooting across the floor propelled by his right hand, recognize the telltale "hemi scoot." His family and friends see a determined boy who has grown not only stronger but more trusting, empa- thetic and brave. He can say more than two dozen words. He does not cry for his moth- er at the preschool near his family's home in Bev- erly Glen, Calif., but if another child wails, he joins in solidarity. He favors classical music and anything Elmo, wav- ing his right hand to the beat, but has been known to watch in awe as his sis- ter and cousins groove along to their Wii. He has yet to make peace with his left side, slightly par- alyzed by the surgery, but if his parents ask nicely, he will kiss his left hand, known as "lefty." The right side of Dylan's brain was trig- gering seizures that wors- ened steadily after his birth in January 2010, even when he was heavi- ly medicated. Specialists at UCLA recommended fitness Boy battles a brain disorder MCT photo Dylan Catania, nearly 2 years old, laughs as his parents remove his bib foll- woing dinner at the Catania home in Los Angeles on Dec. 16. So far, Dylan remains seizure-free following his hemispherectomy in April 2010. operating as soon possi- ble, before the seizures could damage Dylan's brain. But they warned that the surgery might paralyze Dylan's left side and still not stop his seizures. The Catanias chose to try to save Dylan's mind. Still, they worried if they were doing the right thing for their infant son. The Times documented their decision to operate and Dylan's long recov- ery in an article that was published last Christmas Day. Before the surgery, Ellen and Jeff Catania had lived on the edge. Dylan's seizures grew increasingly frequent. His tiny body would tense, arms clenched, and he would wail. When it was over, they would give him a cocktail of anti-seizure drugs that left him sluggish, eyelids at half-mast. They kept him close by, never mov- ing him into his nursery. More than a year and a half after the operation, Dylan has not suffered another seizure. He still has trouble sleeping through the night (Elmo helps) and beds down in his parents' room. But he stopped taking his anti- seizure medication months ago. His brown eyes, once hooded, are now open wide, taking in the world. "If you ask him to press a button, he does it. He knows exactly what you're talking about," Jeff Catania, 61, says. "He lays down when asked, and when we go to leave the house, he lifts up his legs to put on his shoes." Dylan's right arm is so strong, when they play catch, he slings the ball over his father's head. "I don't underestimate him anymore," Jeff Cata- nia says. "So I give back a little bit." The Catanias do not measure their son's progress in the typical childhood milestones. Doctors say Dylan's development is delayed but that he is making good progress. "He'll need support and all the things that go with it, but he's already achieving a level of activ- ity that we would not have expected if we had not gotten seizure con- trol," says Dr. Gary Mathern, the UCLA neu- rosurgeon who operated on Dylan. "He's already beating expectations." Mathern is working with the Catanias and other parents through the nonprofit Brain Recovery Project to develop thera- pies for children who have the same surgery as Dylan. The Catanias, who both work as fundrais- ers, still have a moun- tain of medical bills from Dylan's care. They just learned that he will need surgery in order to correct the crossing in his right eye. Ellen Cata- nia, 48, sits up at night reading stories on the Internet about other children who had Dylan's surgery. "Some go all the way to 15 and have a seizure," she says, grimacing. "You feel so joyful for every day with him, but then you still worry about his future." His pediatric neurolo- gist, Dr. Raman Sankar, said there is no guarantee that Dylan will remain seizure-free. But at a time when his brain is rapidly developing, stop- ping the seizures has given Dylan's mind space to grow, Sankar said. "I wanted him to be able to make his own decisions, and he does," Jeff Catania said as he watched Dylan repeated- ly punching a button to activate an electronic Santa Claus set up next to the tree in their living room. Dylan's 11 year-old sister, Isabella, rolled her eyes as Santa danced and sang for the umpteenth time. "He sure knows a lot of ways to say no!" she said as Dylan shot her a grin and began spinning. On Nutrition: Applications for healthy living By BARBARA QUINN table. The Monterey County Herald (MCT) "Don't eat too fast!" our friends wrote on a box of fresh crab they dropped off at our house this week. Oh the holi- days ... Every 4, 11, 18 & 25 Wednesday January Our vacation started with the family's "favorite Caesar salad and pizza" (Allegro's in Carmel, Calif.). Food always tastes better with friends and family it seems. We continued with a scrumptious buffet feast on Christmas day. I will spare the details but suf- fice it to say we got a lot of exercise carrying plates of food back to our My sister and I were glad that our feast had "settled" by the time we went whale watching the next day. (Other travelers on our boat were not so fortunate.) We learned a lot from our guide on this excur- sion. For example, gray whales eat continuously for a few months every year so they will accu- mulate extra fat to fuel their 7 months of migra- tion. And, I was remind- ed, I am not a gray whale. So, as we move from these holidays into the New Year, here is a par- tial list of health and nutrition applications _ compiled by nutrition intern Monica Slinger- land _ that may help us maneuver into health in 2012: Epicurious features more than 30,000 recipes from professional chefs, cookbooks, and maga- zines such as Bon Appetit and Gourmet. Free application for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Fooducate scans bar- codes on food packages to provide detailed nutri- tion information. Free for iPhone and Android. Good food Near You provides menus and nutrition information from restaurants and gro- cery stores in your vicin- ity. Free app for iPhone, Android and Blackberry. James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Pine Street Plaza 332 Pine Street, Suite G Red Bluff, CA Stacy L. Garcia Hearing Aid Dispenser Lic. #7440 (800) 843-4271 Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114 Lose it! Set your goals and track your food and exercise habits with this free application for iPhone and Android. My Fitness Pal is a food and exercise diary and nutrition database to track your daily progress through the year. Free for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Spark People. Pro- vides a personalized diet and fitness plan and tracks your workouts. Includes healthy recipes and a calorie counter as well. Free application for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. Diabetes Log tracks your food intake, med- ication records and glu- cose readings. Free for iPhone and Android. And no more Christ- mas cookies for break- fast ... until next Christ- mas. Barbara Quinn is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Email her at bquinn@chomp.org.