AARP Bulletin - September 2011

Your Health ; In the News

1 in 6 Number of Americans age 65 and older who live in poverty.

When Is a Physical Not a Physical?

William Schmitz was pleased to read that, under the new health care law, Medi- care had begun covering annual physicals for free. But after he had one, Medicare denied his claim, costing him $70. Other patients say they’ve been charged up to $400. ; “The way it’s set up is misleading,” says Schmitz, a retired engineer from Portland, Maine. ; Medicare’s official handbook for 2011 describes the new yearly “ wellness visit” as a “physical exam.” But it isn’t what doctors usually regard as a physical. “The wellness visit can be performed without the patient ever having to undress, and that sums up the problem,” says Yul Ejnes, M. D., a Rhode Island internist and an officer of the American College of Physicians. ; The visit is mainly a discussion that provides a snapshot of the patient’s health and medical risk factors, and serves as a baseline for future visits. The doctor may refer the patient for other tests and screenings, many of which are now also free in Medicare. Though not a full physical, the visit still has value, Ejnes says: “That Medicare is now willing to pay for this service is a big step forward.” ; Medicare has covered more than 1 million wellness visits since Jan. 1, when the new benefit began, officials say. But they acknowledged that the term “physical exam” in the 2011 handbook is misleading and will be corrected in the 2012 version. ; To get a Medicare wellness visit, ask for it specifically by that name or by its billing code, GO438. —Patricia Barry

; The Poll Impact of 9/11

Ages 18-49 50-plus

For the better

30 27%

For the worse

47 55%
; Do you think
9/11 changed the
country...?
; Has 9/11 changed
you or how you
live in any of the
following ways?
(yes responses)

School for the Second Half of Life Hollywood and Silicon Valley are teaming up with the University of California to help older workers remain viable in today’s tough job market. ; By next fall, the Encore Career Institute (ECI) of Los Gatos, Calif., an Internet start-up, plans to offer UCLA Extension courses online to boomers seeking second careers. ; Tuition for six- to 18-month certificate programs is expected to run $5,000 to $10,000, which will include career assessment, job search and placement as-

; Sherry Lansing

sistance. ECI will deliver the curriculum using state-of-the-art social networking, mobile devices and other web tools. ; ECI is the brainchild of Sherry Lansing, former head of Paramount Studios and Creative

Artists Agency, which represents megawatt celebrities. Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Poizner will head the start-up. “Ten years from now, I hope it’s so normal for people to have an encore career that it becomes just like breathing,” Lansing says. —Elizabeth Pope