PAX Centurion - May / June 2013

www.bppa.org PAX CENTURION • May/June 2013 • Page 53 BPPA Retired Patrolmen’s Division News Directors of the Retired Patrolmen’s Division of the BPPA: John Murphy David Mackin Joe Vannelli Joe O’Malley Billy Flippin BPPA RETIRED PATROLMEN’S DIVISION MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Date:_ ____________________________________________ Name:____________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________ City, State, Zip:_ ___________________________________ Home Phone:_ ____________________________________ Cell Phone:_ ______________________________________ Date of Appointment:______________________________ Date of Retirement:________________________________ Email:_ ___________________________________________ Annual Dues are $24.00. The year runs from March to March. Please mail this application and $24.00 annual dues to the: BPPA Retired Patrolmen’s Division 9-11 Shetland Street, Boston, MA 02119 AttentionMedicare Beneficiaries – Do you know about observation status? ByAlice Mercer, Director, Milton Council onAging A s Director of the Milton Council onAging and a very strong advocate for seniors, I feel compelled to share with you some very important information concerning your Medi- care health coverage. Have you heard the term “OBSERVATION STATUS?” It is not a term you will find in your Medicare handbook or be told about if you are in the ER of a hospital but it is extremely important that you understand it!!!! I would like to share with you the following scenario. AMedicare beneficiary comes to the ER after a fall or some other acute event. They are taken from the ER to a regular hospital floor where they are treated just like any other patient. They stay overnight in a hospital bed, wear a wristband, are served hospital food, given medication, tested, monitored, etc. Their family thinks they are a regular hospital admission and, when they are finally well enough to be sent to a re- hab or skilled nursing facility for further help, they learn that Medi- care will not provide coverage because they did not have a “qualify- ing” three day inpatient stay. They must then choice between paying privately for skilled care, (often $15,000/month), or foregoing the skilled care they need. Medicare policy states that observation care is generally not supposed to last for longer than 24 hours and, in rare cases, up to 48 hours. A recent Milton senior was under “observation” for 96 hours before she was told of her status. It is also not required that Medicare gives these patients notice of their status and hospitals don’t read- ily give this information without being asked. It is so important that anytime you are brought to an ER and sent up to a floor you need to ask,” AM I ON OBSERVATION STATUS????” The only excep- tion to asking this question would be if you are on Medicaid and then everything is covered. To say that those of us who work with the elderly are furious about this issue is an understatement. Recently, a class action lawsuit was filed against the Secretary of Health & Human Services that seeks to end this unfair practice. As we all know, things like this don’t get changed very easily. Please take the time to contact your Congress- man or Senator to ask them to take a stand against this violation of our senior citizens. Most of these seniors have done the right thing by paying into the system, only using it when they needed it.Yet, when they need it most, the system does not work for them but against them. PAX CENTURION CENTURION To advertise, contact Director of Advertising Sponsorships Michael Joyce at: Cell: 617-529-9288 Office 617-989-BPPA (2772) Email: mjoyce@bppa.org Fax: 617-989-2779 Advertise in the We Salute Our Friends of the BPPA and the BEMS! Thanks for all you do!