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Friday, March 16, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Fickle family finds female feeling forlorn Dear Annie: I live five hours away from my par- ents and a married younger brother. I work two jobs and can only afford to visit my folks once a month or so. Lately, when I have dri- ven out to see them, I am the last to discover that the four of them have already made plans. They never think to ask if I want to join them. Sometimes, I end up attending the same concert but sitting in the back, alone, while they have better seats. Or I house-sit while they spend the weekend at a casino. I have tried phoning weeks ahead to let them know when I am coming, and I've changed my plans if I learn they are already busy that weekend. Yet asking to join them seems to sur- prise everyone and invariably ends up being quite awkward. What drove me to tears was Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar ried. I'd like to be with them, but if I am going to be ignored, how do I handle that? — Exiled Fifth Wheel Dear Exiled: We don't think this is deliberate so much as thoughtless. Your parents and brother make plans together when it is convenient for them and don't consider your pres- ence a factor because you are usually away. You could try explaining how hurt you are when they do this, but don't expect it to change much. Let your parents know when you are planning to visit, and ask whether they have already made plans. If so, don't try to join them. Come the weekend before or after. And in the meantime, do more things on your own or with friends. Dear Annie: My uncle (my when they made plans to go to Mex- ico for a week this summer, and I found out about it when my father told me offhandedly that the four of them had booked their flight. When I asked why I wasn't invited, he responded by saying that they were given paired tickets, and because I am single, it would have meant one unused ticket. My mother then said I was welcome to come if I paid for my own plane ticket and hotel room. I always thought I was close to my family, but now I see that I'm being left out because I am not mar- mother's brother) and his two sons, both of whom are in their mid-50s, are planning to visit me. Their mom died last year. While I was close to my aunt, I have never communicat- ed much with my uncle or cousins. They didn't even send an email when my dad passed away three years ago. Now, suddenly, these three men are planning to drive from Vermont to my house in Florida. One says he'll make his famous chili in my kitchen. I told them, ''Thanks, but no thanks.'' My mother is angry with me for not welcoming this male trio. They will be at my mother's house for several days, and my husband and I have offered to drive there (it's three hours away) and take every- one out for dinner instead. Am I doing the wrong thing? — Florida Daughter Dear Daughter: No, and your offer to treat them to a meal at Mom's is lovely. Some men are notoriously poor communicators, and the niceties of sending letters or emails escape them. It is obvious that Mom wishes you had a closer relationship and hoped this would provide an opportunity, but wel- coming them into your home is entirely your decision. Dear Annie: The letter from ''Confused in Connecticut'' hit home with me. I was an overweight child myself, so I feel for her. When I was 24, I decided I didn't want to be overweight anymore, so I joined Weight Watchers. It gave me a healthy program to follow and helped me learn what triggered my eating. It taught me to eat appropri- ately and keep the weight off. That was 33 years ago, and I have been a lifetime member and leader since. Thank you for letting me help. — Bremen, Ind. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. What the health reform law does for medicare We hear a lot of back and forth these days about the Affordable Care Act – aka the federal health reform law – but not much about how it affects people with Medicare. When you sort through all the rhetoric, one thing is clear: the 2-year-old reform law contains some real benefits for those who get their coverage through Medicare. Take the so-called "donut hole" in the Medicare prescription drug program, Part D. The donut hole is a gap where you don't have coverage even though you're still paying premi- ums. After you've paid a certain amount out of pocket, your coverage resumes. Congress intended the hole to hold down costs in the drug program, the biggest expansion of Medicare benefits in many years. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the hole is being gradually closed until it completely disap- pears in 2020. This year, the law gives people with Medicare a 50-percent discount on covered brand-name drugs in the donut hole, and a 14-per- cent discount on covered generics. In 2011, more than 319,000 Medicare benefi- ciaries in California saved a total of $171 million in the donut hole. That's an average savings of $538 per person. The ACA also helps people with Medicare by eliminating coinsurance and deductibles on vital preventive health ser- vices. Such services can help keep people healthy and detect disease in its earliest, most treatable stages. As a result, Medicare now offers a long list of preventive health services with no out-of-pocket costs, including screen- ings for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and shots for flu and pneumonia. The health reform law also adds new preventive screenings and counseling for obesity, alcohol abuse, and depression. More than 2 million Californians with Medicare received at least one Medicare-covered preventive health benefit in 2011. The health reform law also creates another important benefit for peo- ple with Medicare: annual wellness visits. If you've had Medicare Part B for longer than 12 months, you can get a yearly wellness visit with your doctor to develop or update a personalized plan to prevent illness based on your current health and risk factors. The annual wellness visit is in addition to the one-time "Welcome to Medicare" preventive visit when you first enroll in Medicare. More than 165,000 Cali- fornians with Medicare took advantage of a wellness visit last year. Because of financial incen- tives in the ACA, seniors also can expect to see better quality in their Medicare Adv antage health plans. check your plan's rating, go to www.Medicare.gov) Lastly, the ACA pro- vides a variety of new tools to crack down on Medicare fraud. David Sayen Such plans are operated by private insurers and generally require you to stay within a network of physicians and other providers or face higher out-of-pocket expenses. Medicare Advantage plans that receive quality ratings of three stars or more under our Five-Star Rating System will get bonus payments. We believe the bonuses will motivate other plans to improve their quality as well. Medicare Advantage plans that receive five stars – the highest rating – will be able to market to and enroll seniors year- round, not just during the open enrollment period in the fall. That means seniors can switch to the best plans at any time. (To Survey aims to improve mobility, access, air The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), along with other state agencies, is conducting a survey of California residents' travel behavior. The California Household Travel survey will help transportation planners ensure improved access to jobs, air quality, and quality of life in each region of the state. The comprehensive survey is a part- nership among Caltrans, the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission, and local trans- portation planning agencies and is intended to inform decision-makers on ways to improve the travel options available to Californians. Efforts are already underway to contact a random sample of house- holds to participate, and after an initial The North State's premier supplier of stoves STOVE JUNCTION The Over 25 years of experience Accessories with purchase of any stove 20% OFF Stove Good through March 31, 2012 Tues-Sat 9am-5pm • Closed Sun & Mon 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2595 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. household interview, respondents receive diaries and are asked trip-relat- ed questions including where and when they travel and how they get to and from their destinations. Approxi- mately 57,000 households around the state are expected to complete the sur- vey. In addition, a small sample of households who choose to participate will be provided with a global posi- tioning systems (GPS) or on-board diagnostic devices to record their vehi- cle movements. All Californians who are contacted are urged to participate. The survey will continue through February 2013. For more information visit http://www.californiatravelsurvey.com /. The law not only toughens federal sen- tencing guide- lines for fraud (meaning crooks will spend more time in prison), it also allows us to suspend payments to providers sus- pected of trying to rip off Medicare. now using sophisticated predictive In addition, we're analytics software to identify pat- terns of fraud and target crooks. This is the same type of software credit card companies use to stop fraud. David Sayen is Medicare's regional administrator for California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii and the Pacific Trust Territories. You can get answers to your Medicare questions by calling 1-800-633- 4227. Cataract surgery improves vision DEAR DOC- TOR K: I have cataracts. What are my treatment options? DEAR READ- ER: "Cataract" means "huge water- fall." And that's how some people with cataracts describe their clouded sight — like trying to look through a waterfall. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. Light enters our eyes and then passes through the lens, a structure inside the eye. The job of the lens, like the lens of a camera, is to focus images. With a digital cam- era, the lens focuses images on a light-sensitive plate. With our eyes, the lens focuses images on a little light-sensitive "wall" in the back of the eye, the retina. The focused image is then sent by the retina to the brain. That's when we see things. A healthy lens is clear, so that light can pass through it without being distorted. Cataracts are cloudy areas in the lens. At first, you don't notice them because they don't affect your vision. Your doctor might see them during an eye examination. It's not uncommon for me to see that a patient of mine is developing cataracts, but doesn't know it. Over time, however, the cloudy areas gradually get larger and interfere with vision. They distort or block the passage of light through the lens. Cataracts can occur in one eye or both. If they affect both eyes, they often proceed at a different pace: They may be more advanced in one eye than in the other. Cataracts are a long-term problem, and in most patients, vision gets worse over time. You may be able to improve your vision by using eyeglasses, magnify- ing lenses or stronger light- ing. However, if cataracts get bad enough in one eye, they can affect depth per- ception. That, in turn, makes driving haz- ardous and sports difficult. If the cataracts get bad enough in both eyes, they can lead to blindness if not treated. The only way to cure cataracts is to remove the clouded lenses and replace them with a clear plastic lens. Compared to when I was in medical school, cataract surgery today is much simpler and more effective. There are two surgical options for taking out the cloudy lenses. The first is called extracapsular cataract extraction. In this procedure, most of the cataract may be removed manually. Or, sound waves may be used to break the clouded lens into tiny pieces, which are then vacuumed out. The capsule surrounding the lens is left intact. In the other surgical pro- cedure, known as intracap- sular cataract extraction, both the lens and the lens capsule are removed. Once the cloudy lens is out, you can have a clear plastic lens placed in the eye, or you can wear a con- tact lens or special cataract glasses with very powerful magnification. Cataract surgery improves vision in the vast majority of patients who have it. In some people who have extracapsular surgery, part of the lens capsule may eventually become cloudy. This can be corrected with laser surgery. You cannot prevent age- related cataracts. But you can lower your risk by limit- ing your time in the bright sun, not smoking and con- trolling your blood sugar if you have diabetes. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Shasta College plant sale The Shasta College Horticulture Department announces its Annual Plant Sale will be 8 a.m.-5 p.m on Thursday and Friday, April 19 and 20, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 21. The sale will take place at the Shasta College Farm, in the Horticulture office and Greenhouses at 11555 Old Oregon Trail. Among the many plants being sold will be many vegetable plants and vegetable garden starters, as well as huge variety of flowers, plants, and bowls. The plants are all grown and cared for by Horticul- ture students and all the proceeds received from the sale will go to buy materials, seeds, and to fund for future projects. For more information, contact Leimone Waite, Shas- ta College Horticulture Instructor at 242-2210 or email lwaite@shastacollege.edu.