AUGUST 2017 Edit ion KimWetze l

B R I D L E W O O D N E W S August Birthdays Madeline Carmichael

Rosalee Carney

Doris Clough

Donald Clute

Pat Coburn

Harold Dewall Charles Koludrovic

Tony Marino

Norman McNeal

Marvin Munster

Sharon Munster

James Murphy Catherine Nakamura

Marilyn Pierce

Renate Shein

Karen Thompson

Charlene Wilson

Patricia Wilson Elizabeth Tritschler

Donald Anderson

Diana Aruffo

Susan Blitz

John Giffin

Patricia Allen

Pat Braun

Roxana Corbett

Dolores Fry

Richard Knudson

Marie Matthys

Joanne Peat

Jean Kleinhuizen

Letha Lucas

Joesph Oviatt

Jerry Smith

Maxine Clark

Kathleen Green

Jane Markel

Diedre Oflaherty

Shirley Duffy

Yvonne Stuart

Jack Whidden

Jerry Maccini

Emma Noriega

Pamela Appell

Jim Lutes

Marilyn Escher

Jerry Rutschman Birthdays Cont. p.2

THE FIVE IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT YOUR MEDICARE PLAN

There are five very important things that every senior should know about their Medicare plan. 1. WHAT PLAN TYPE DO I HAVE? There are two types of Medicare plans. The first one is

called a “Supplement” plan, which allows you to go to any doctor or any hospital in the country, that accepts original Medicare. With this plan, you may or may not have a de-ductible or co-pays, depending on the plan. With a Supplement plan, you will also need a separate prescription drug plan. The Part D drug plan and the Supplement plan each have a monthly premium.

The second type of plan is a Medicare Advantage plan. Most of these plans INCLUDE the prescription drug coverage in the plan and have a small or no monthly premium, but you will have co-pays for each type of service you receive - doctors visits, hospital stays, surgeries, tests, etc. With these types of plans you choose a primary care physician and you work within their networks of specialists and facilities (i.e. Sharp, Scripps, etc.)

2. WHICH DOCTORS CAN I SEE? A Supplement plan allows you to go to any doctor or any hospital in the country, that accepts original Medicare. With this plan, Medicare remains your primary insurance, and the Supplement plan covers any costs that Medicare doesn’t cover (except prescription drugs). With an Advantage plan you choose a primary care physician and you work within their network of specialists and facilities (i.e. Sharp, Scripps, UCSD, etc.)

3. DOES MY PLAN COVER VISION, HEARING OR DENTAL? When it comes to Medi-care think of it covering everything “from the neck down”. Most Supplement plans do not have this coverage, but a few do have vision coverage as an added feature. With an Ad-vantage plan it depends on the insurance provider, but many cover vision and hearing to a degree, and some have dental coverage as an optional rider. Check with your agent if you are unsure.

4. CAN I CHANGE BETWEEN THE TWO TYPES OF PLANS? Yes . Each year you can make changes from one plan to the other during the Open Enrollment period between October 15th and December 7th. You may be able to make changes during other times of the year based on a Special Election reason - a change of address, losing employer coverage, etc.

5. WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE QUESTIONS? Call you me at (858) 753-1920, and I

will make sure you know exactly what you have and how it works for you.

Medicare - 5 Things you need to know

August Funnies (Please do not read if you are easily offended!)

A Golfer and a Dentist A man and his wife walked into a dentist's office. The man said to dentist, "Doc, I'm in one heck of a hurry. I have two buddies sitting out in my car waiting for us to go play golf, so forget about the anesthetic and just pull the tooth and be done with

it. We have a 10:00 AM tee time at the best golf course in town and it's 9:30 already. I don't have time to wait for the anesthetic to work!" The dentist thought to himself, My goodness, this is surely a very brave man asking to have his tooth pulled without using anything to kill the pain. So the dentist asked him, "Which tooth is it sir?" The man turned to his wife and said, "Open your mouth, honey, and show him your tooth."

Hearing Is Learning An elderly gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the

gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor, and the doctor said, “Your hearing is perfect.. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.” The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations. I've changed my will three times!”

The Woman Who Married Four Times The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten mar-ried for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation. "He's a funeral director," she answered. "Interesting," the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living. She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she an-swered proudly, explaining that she had first married a banker when she was in her 20's, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40's, and a preacher when in her 60's, and now in her 80's - a funeral director. The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers. She smiled and explained, "I married One for the money, Two for the show, Three to get ready, and Four to go."

Birthdays Continued: Gerald Clark

Maria Garcia

William Pansegrau

Sandra Pettit

William Greenwall

Terence Collins

Martha Steffens

Alan Fishman

Josh Sikora

Thomas Pearcy

Jeanne Ambrose

Linda Winslow

Sharon Hewitt

Bill Nielsen

Janice Bigelbach

Roger Osborne

Nancy Wahlmann

Grete Templeton

Ava Mayne

Ron Maigaard

Dennis Goetz

Lauro Gomez

Melvie Maigaard

Jaqueline Schloeder

Leo Fernandez

Jim Lafferty

Deborah Ewing

Roy Richard

David Smith

Theresa Huckins

Tony Fucci

Hans Noordhoorn

Ken Gimble

Thomas Deans

Pick Pickrell

Barbara Foster

See the 90+ Club on page 3

Page 2

Fall Vaccines Soon fall will be in full swing, meaning colorful foliage, delicious pumpkin treats, and - perhaps best of all - cooler weather! It is important to remember that cooler weather can also mean greater risk of getting sick. Scientists have proven that cooler temperatures weaken our immune system, making us more susceptible to illness and infection. Here’s a list of three vaccines that Medicare helps pay for and that you should talk with your doctor about to help protect yourself from illness this winter and beyond. INFLUENZA VACCINE – What is the flu? The flu—or influenza—is a contagious respiratory illness that can be severe and life-threatening. Why is it important for older adults to get the flu shot? Older adults—

even if you are healthy—are at higher risk when it comes to the flu due to age-related weakening of our immune systems, making it more difficult for us to fight off disease.

How does Medicare cover the cost of the flu shot? The flu vaccine is a once a year, cost-free Medicare Part B benefit. For Original Medicare, you must use a physician or healthcare provider who accepts Medicare, and for Medicare Advantage, you may have to use an in-network doctor or pharmacy.

SHINGLES VACCINE – What is Shingles? Shingles is a painful skin rash that’s caused by the same virus responsible for chicken-

pox. Shingles is less contagious than chickenpox, and can only be passed on to another person up until the point when the infected person’s blisters begin to scab. Even after shingles passes, long-term pain can linger.

Why is it important for older adults to get the shingles vaccine? Researchers believe that the age-related weakening of our immune systems can trigger the “reawakening” of the dormant chickenpox vi-rus. One in three adults contracts shingles at some point in their life—the majority of whom are 60 years

or older—and the older you are when you get shingles, the more likely you are to have se-vere side effects, like fever, exhaustion and loss of appetite.

How does Medicare cover the cost of the shingles vaccine? All Medicare Part D drug plans, or Medicare Advantage plans that include prescription coverage, typically cover the shingles vaccine. However, there is usually an out-of-pocket cost. Depending on your plan, you will either be responsible for a copayment (fixed dollar amount) or coin-surance (percentage of the vaccine’s cost). You are likely to have the least out-of-pocket

expenses if you use a pharmacy in your plan’s network. Each plan has specific rules for covering the vaccine itself, as well as the administration of the injec-tion, so it’s best to contact your insurance company directly to find out your specific out-of-pocket cost, and any rules you must follow regarding where you receive the vaccine.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINE – Why is it important for older adults to get the pneumococcal vaccine? Pneumococcal disease kills 18,000 adults 65+ each year. A weakening immune system means that older adults are at greater risk, and can face more severe side effects, especially those who are manag-ing chronic diseases. How does Medicare cover the cost of the pneumococcal vac-cine? The pneumococcal vaccine is a cost-free benefit covered by Medicare Part B. For Original Medicare, you must use a physician or healthcare provider who accepts Medicare, and for Medicare Ad-vantage, you may have to use an in-network doctor or pharmacy.

Page 3

90 + Birthday Club

1. Jens Edvardson –101!! 2. Manuel Rezendes - 97 3. Ralph Ransom- 97 4. Donald Vaughan - 95 5. Gisela Probst - 95 6. Jack Sharpe - 94 7. William Schloeder- 92 8. Ruth Williams- 92 9. Donald Anderson - 91

10. Christine Long - 90

11. Howard Bailey - 90

Happy Birthday to ALL and we hope you enjoy your day!!

Birthdays Continued:

Grete Templeton

Lawrence Fimon

Jack Sharpe

Earl Asbury

Page 4

Personal Notes:

Is it just me, or have you noticed how quickly time is flying by. This summer

has been a blur of weddings, graduations, trips and baby showers. It is August

already and we will be moving one daughter up to Fullerton, another daughter

is moving to Minnesota, and this is the year that we hope our third daughter,

Madison, will get a full-time teaching job here in the Poway Unified School

District!

I remember as a kid how much we looked forward to summer vacation We

dreamed of the days we could sleep in (until 8:00!), and then after our chores

and breakfast, the day was ours to spend with our friends. We could ride our

bikes to the lake to fish or swim. We could get a group of kids together and

play baseball or flag football. We could bike to the local park and go for a

nature walk or a picnic. We went to girl scout day camp, and we took swim-

ming lessons. It didn’t matter what we did, as long as we were with our friends and we were home for dinner.

When we were a little older, we often had summer jobs. Most summers I would work for several different

farmers in the area, cleaning out cattle stalls, picking up eggs or “walking beans” (which meant you walked

acre after acre hoeing out the weeds and the occasional stalk of corn from the rows of soybeans). By the end

of the day, you were sunburnt, bug-bitten and dead tired. But there was a sense of pride when you collected

your paycheck at the end of the week and put it in the bank. I saved all my money from two years of babysit-

ting and farm chores, and bought my first car - a 1972 Chevy camaro, which my dad and I worked together

to refurbish.

When the fall rolled around, we were just as eager to get back to school, so we could see all of our friends

again, hang out after sports practice, and attend the Friday night football games. Oh, the good old days!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Jeff Wetzel, President of Bridlewood Insurance

Office Phone: 858-753-1920

Email: Jeff@BridlewoodInsurance.com Email: Kim@BridlewoodInsurance.com Web Site: www.bridlewoodinsurance.com

Referrals For July

Jim Breule referred George & Judy Root

Judy Baldwin referred Debbie Elwood

Charles Lekus referred Howard Levine

Steve Arnold referred Mona Arnold

We try hard to recognize every referral we are aware of, but if we missed any-one, please let us know! If you have sent us a referral, just send us a quick email so that we won’t forget it and we can send you a “thank you”. We want all of you to know that it is our privilege to serve you, and the greatest compliment you pay us is the referral of your family and friends. Thank you!