- Help them make a list of pros and cons of giving up driving. Some pros include saving money spent on insurance, maintenance, and gas.
- Some books about broaching difficult topics with elders suggest you try giving up your own car for a few days before having this conversation. This somewhat extreme suggestion can help you become truly compassionate about the issue and also better inform you about other transportation options available in your area.
- After your initial discussion of driving, set up another time to talk after you and your relative have had more time to think about solutions to problems posed and other transportation options. Unless their driving is posing a significant threat to themselves and others, set minimal preliminary limits to their driving such as staying close to home or not driving past dark. Talk about more long-term restrictions during your next discussion.
- Be sure that from the beginning you make it clear you have the person’s best interests at heart by being compassionate and preventing this conversation from becoming a battle.
- Use “reflective listening” to support your loved one by rephrasing their own concerns to encourage thinking about how obstacles can be overcome. For example, you might say “I know it will be harder to get to your weekly lunches with friends in town. Let’s figure out how we can make sure you don’t miss out on these.”
- Allow plenty of time for this conversation and allow your loved one to reflect on memories they have about driving such as how they bought their first car or road trips they took with family. To show your support, ask to see pictures or hear more about these memories.
Driving is a privilege and freedom which most people do not want to let go of, especially as they age. When it becomes necessary to have a discussion about giving up driving with a loved one, it is important yet difficult to approach the subject carefully to avoid family conflict. These types of discussions should be approached with realistic understandings that change will most likely be resisted and will not come immediately. Think of your broaching the subject as a preliminary discussion which will lead to more consideration of the issue and somewhat gradual change.
Over the next few weeks, we will be publishing some tips here on this blog about how to begin the conversation about the topic that all families dread: Is it time to take my parent’s car keys away?
Question: Do policy holders really get a rebate of their health insurance premiums paid to the health insurance company?
Answer: Part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was insurance company reform, and part of the reform was the “80/20 rule.” The 80/20 rule requires insurance companies to spend 80 cents of every $1 received in premiums on actual health care, such as paying doctors and other medical providers. The amount over 80% is refunded to the policyholders. In 2014 in Florida alone, $41,679,928 in total rebates were paid to 981,273 insured policy holders. ABC News explains it here: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obamacare-health-insurance-rebates-check/story?id=19701785
Question: How do I choose a health plan on the Obamacare Health Insurance Marketplace?
Answer: Below are some basic questions to consider in evaluating a health insurance plan.
- Is there out-of-network coverage?
- Does that out-of-network spending accrue toward the member’s out-of-pocket maximum?
- Do members need a primary care physician gatekeeper?
- Are my current doctors participants in the plan’s ‘network’?
Kaiser Health News provides these and additional suggestions in an article found here: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2014/august/19/hows-a-consumer-to-know-what-health-plan-is-best.aspx
Q: I am trying to apply for health insurance in the Obamacare federal Marketplace because Florida has refused to create its own exchange. Can you explain the distinctions among the various types of health plans (ie, HMOs and EPOs)?
A: Kaiser Health News recently published a simple definition of the general types of health plans sold on the individual market. You can read the full article here: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2014/august/19/hows-a-consumer-to-know-what-health-plan-is-best.aspx. Below is an excerpt:
- Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) cover only care provided by doctors and hospitals inside the HMO’s network. HMOs often require members to get a referral from their primary care physician in order to see a specialist.
- Preferred provider organizations (PPOs) cover care provided both inside and outside the plan’s provider network. Members typically pay a higher percentage of the cost for out-of-network care.
- Exclusive provider organizations (EPOs) are a lot like HMOs: They generally don’t cover care outside the plan’s provider network. Members, however, may not need a referral to see a specialist.
- Point of Service (POS) plans vary, but they’re often a sort of hybrid HMO/PPO. Members may need a referral to see a specialist, but they may also have coverage for out-of-network care, though with higher cost sharing.
Kaiser Health News recently answered readers’ questions about the Affordable Care Act and the federal Marketplace exchange, which has caused a lot of confusion for folks. Here’s an excerpt From: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/May/20/Andrews-IYH.aspx?p=1
Q: I will be retiring this year from my company, before age 65. My company is dropping retiree health care in January, stating that retirees younger than 65 can elect coverage through the exchanges. Will the company be required to offer COBRA starting in January? I fear that coverage will be expensive through the exchanges since we will not be eligible for any subsidies due to my husband’s $200,000 income. He’s self-employed and covered under my company’s health plan.
A: In general, if an employer discontinues its retiree plan, it’s not required to offer retirees the opportunity to extend their coverage for up to 18 months under the federal law known as COBRA, according to a Treasury Department official. The cancellation of your retiree plan will create a special enrollment opportunity for you to sign up for a plan on the health insurance exchanges. You won’t need the special sign-up period; however, since January is midway through the annual open enrollment period that runs from Nov. 15 through Feb. 15 when people can change plans anyway.
As you note, you won’t be eligible for subsidized coverage on the exchange because your husband’s income exceeds 400 percent of the federal poverty level ($62,920 for a couple next year). But it’s worth checking out plans on the marketplace anyway, says Laurel Lucia, a policy analyst at the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley. Depending on your health needs, a marketplace plan might be a better fit. “The typical job-based plan resembles a gold or platinum marketplace plan, but on the marketplace they’d have the option of buying silver and bronze level plans as well,” she says. Many individuals find the costs of Marketplace plans are much more affordable than COBRA plan rates.
Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the ruling in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius by the Supreme Court of the United States, which upheld the federal Affordable Care Act (a/k/a “Obamacare”). Health News Florida reports that federal data indicates “Floridians who bought health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace and received tax credits got a pretty good deal.” Floridians spent an average of $68 a month, considerably less than the national average of $82. One reason for the low price to consumers was that 91% of those who enrolled in Florida received advanced federal tax credits, averaging $278 a month. To read the full story, go to Health News Florida: http://health.wusf.usf.edu/post/florida-premiums-average-68mo If you have questions about qualifying for public benefits, including tax credits for Obamacare, contact the attorneys at Bach & Jacobs, P.A. for a consultation.
Babette Bach Esq. will be a keynote speaker for the Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota at the 2014 Stroke Conference “Taking The Lead” in honor of National Stroke Awareness Month.
Ms. Bach’s presentation on “The New Medicaid and VA Benefits 2014” will take place from 12:45 – 1:45pm.
LOCATION: Healthsouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota, 6400 Edgelake Drive, Sarasota, FL. 34240.
DATE: Saturday, May 3rd, 2014.
TIME: 7:30am to 4:00pm.
To register for this conference, please call: 941-921-8795 or go online: www.healthsouthsarasota.com. Deadline for registration is April 26th, 2014.
Babette Bach Esq. will be a keynote speaker for the Pines Education Institute at a workshop entitled:
“Costs Considerations in Caring for Persons with Dementia throughout the End of Life”.
LOCATION: The University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee.
DATE: Friday, March 14th, 2014
TIME: 8am to noon.
You can reserve a seat at this free workshop online at www.pinesofsarasota.org/education-institute/programs-edu.html, or by calling JoAnn Westbrook, Director of the Pines Education Institute at 365-0250, Ext. 1114.
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