2012 tax deduction limits for LTC insurance premiums

Unreimbursed long-term care insurance premiums can be tax deductible. The premium must be for a qualified policy, which must have been issued no earlier than 1/1/97 (though previously-issued policies can be grandfathered by the state insurance commissioner), and must have had inflation and non-forfeiture protection as an option at purchase. The maximum amount deductible for qualified policy premiums depends on your age. Here are the limits for 2012: For those age 40 or under: $350 >40 but <50: $660 >50 but <60: $1,310 >60 but <70: $3,500 >70: $4,370

Medicare adds coverage for obesity prevention

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on 11/29/11 that Medicare is adding coverage for preventive services to reduce obesity. This adds to Medicare’s existing portfolio of preventive services that are now available without cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act.

“Obesity is a challenge faced by Americans of all ages, and prevention is crucial for the management and elimination of obesity in our country,” said CMS Administrator Donald M. Berwick, MD. “It’s important for Medicare patients to enjoy access to appropriate screening and preventive services.”

Over 30% of both men and women in the Medicare population are estimated to be obese. Obesity is directly or indirectly associated with many chronic diseases, including those that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Addressing the prevention of obesity related disparities has the potential to reduce obesity prevalence while also closing the gap on health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries.

Screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries by primary care providers in settings such as physicians’ offices are covered under this new benefit.

While public health professionals applaud CMS for a policy change that attempts to get at the root of obesity-related disease, some are concerned that primary care providers are not well qualified to effectively offer this counseling. Recent studies show that over 70% of primary care physicians have no training in weight-related issues. Obesity specialists also suggest that the benefit is too short-term to effective long-term change in the health patterns of older obese people who often have a long history of unhealthy habits.

The particulars of the new benefit include: For a beneficiary who screens positive for obesity with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, the benefit would include one face-to-face counseling visit each week for one month and one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months. The beneficiary may receive one face-to-face counseling visit every month for an additional six months (for a total of 12 months of counseling) if he or she has achieved a weight reduction of at least 6.6 pounds (or 3 kilograms) during the first six months of counseling.

Today is World AIDS Day

HIV/AIDS may not seem like an issue for older West Virginians to worry about. But it is.

According to the most recent CDC data, people over the age of 50 accounted for: • 17 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 40 states with long-term confidential name-based reporting; and • 31 percent of persons living with an HIV diagnosis;

Many people mistakenly assume that older Americans are not sexually active and therefore not at risk for HIV infection. This is not the case. A 2007 national survey of Americans ages 57 to 85 found that the majority of older Americans are sexually active. This is particularly true for healthy older Americans.

Older people may also be less educated and aware of HIV/AIDS issues than young people who have grown up since the early 1980's, and may not take steps to protect themselves.

Older people also may mistake the early symptoms of AIDS for the aches and pains of normal aging and neglect to get tested for HIV, or they may feel ashamed or afraid of being tested. They may not feel comfortable talking to their doctors about sexually transmitted disease.

But older people are no more immune to HIV/AIDS than anyone else.

Older people can help each other by talking about HIV/AIDS, encouraging prevention and testing, and ensuring an environment where people of all ages with HIV/AIDS are treated with compassion, not discrimination.