Health plan open enrollment workshop
This year’s annual workshop on the University’s retiree health plans sought to put information about the plans in a larger context. First, John Mach, MD, chief medical officer for Medica, gave a concise but comprehensive summary of the health care needs of retirees.
To maintain good health, Dr. Mach suggested that we should “play bridge and square dance.” This maxim encompasses three major parts of healthy aging: staying engaged mentally, staying physically active, and interacting socially.
Regarding health care itself, Dr. Mach offered several thoughts:
- Don’t get COVID. Some people who recover have long-term effects.
- Keep up preventative screenings during the pandemic. Medical offices are taking many precautions and are relatively safe.
- Be alert for medication side effects. Older people are more susceptible to side effects. Don’t be afraid to report them to your doctor.
- Ask your pharmacist for a review (usually free) of your medications for interactions and side effects.
- Realistically assess your budget and your potential need for long-term care. Both long-term care and long-term care insurance are becoming more expensive.
Our second speaker, Kersh Cooks, LGSW, representing the Minnesota Area Agency on Aging and Senior LinkAge Line, presented an overview of the confusing terrain of Medicare, including Original Medicare Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical), Medicare Advantage plans (Part C), Medigap or Medicare Supplemental Insurance, and prescription drug coverage (Part D).
She spent some time clarifying the differences between Medigap plans, which supplement Medicare payments, and Medicare Advantage plans, which replace original Medicare as the payer. Advantage plans are generally lower cost but more limited in the providers you can use.
A one-stop service center for seniors
Most importantly, Cooks described the Senior Linkage Line, a state agency with the mission of being a one-stop service center for seniors to find help with questions about Medicare, insurance policies, caregiving, long-term care, and other issues. The agency can be reached at mn.gov/senior-linkage-line or 800-333-2433.
Finally, Jeff Altringer and Katie Kolodge from the Office of Human Resources, gave a brief overview of the U of M’s open enrollment process and retiree health plans options for 2021. OHR’s annual Benefits Fair will be virtual this year, available throughout the month of November. It will feature vendor resources, videos on each vendor’s retiree plans, and contact information for the vendor representatives.
The U of M benefits fair can be found 24/7 at z.umn.edu/VirtualBenefitsFair from November 1 to November 30.
The lineup of vendors and their plans for retirees remains essentially the same this year as last, along with the costs. UMRA members should have received their annual Benefit Enrollment Guide by now, which includes forms for changing plans (also available online at z.umn.edu/openenrollment.) If you are not changing plans for 2021, you do not have to submit anything.
—Ron Matross, UMRA Workshop Committee chair
UMRA health plan options for open enrollment
Tue, October 20 2020, 11am
Event to be held via Zoom.
The University Office of Human Resources has been working with UMRA to announce the 2021 retiree health plan options at our October Living Well Workshop. Topics to be covered include considerations in choosing a health plan, a summary of Medicare options, and an overview of the health plans being offered this year during open enrollment.
Medica Chief Medical Officer John Mach, MD, (pictured above) will be among the presenters. Dr. Mach will provide an overview of common health care needs for retirees, including future health care needs, and offer insight into navigating the health care system during COVID-19.
Be sure to register for this workshop, via Zoom, is Tuesday, October 20, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Open enrollment begins November 1 and ends November 30.
More information on the workshop will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
—Frank Cerra, president
Upcoming Events
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.