Connie Francis, Peter Yarrow, Marianne Faithfull, Sly Stone, Bobby Sherman, Sam Moore, Roberta Flack and barely half the year is gone and we can already start a choir of those we have lost.   With all the singers presently in their eighties and beyond(you keep going, Willie)...I suspect that this choir will grow every year at a faster and faster pace. 

Guess what I got in the mail yesterday?   I got a ridiculous mailing from AARP touting a savings of $5.00 if I give them my credit card number so they can charge me $15 this time for my membership, $20 next time for my membership, and whatever it goes up to in the years after that.   WHY DO I CALL THIS A RIDICULOUS MAILING.....................   (1) I don't give out my credit card information to any subscription type entity because it is almost impossible to get them to stop charging your card. (2) I negotiated, by phone, a membership fee of $9 a year for the next five years through 2030, so what made them think I was a candidate for this type of mailing. (3) I have been a member for years and years and the above MEMBERSHIP FEE negotiation was months and months ago so the excuse that things "crossed each other in the mail" DOES NOT fly.   This is just another example of AARP'S chaos in that the left hand never knows what the right hand is doing in the organization.   Normally, that would not bother me but it is MY MEMBERSHIP FEES paying for those RIDICULOUS MAILINGS.   This misuse of OUR MEMBERSHIP FEES should be addressed by the MANAGEMENT of AARP; but it is not.

FROM THE ARTICLE.   By Nancy LeaMond, AARP. Published July 15, 2025.   For nearly 60 years, Medicare has been the cornerstone of health and financial security for millions of older Americans. It’s a fundamental promise: after a lifetime of hard work, you’ll be able to get the care you need, when you need it. At AARP, we’re fighting every day to make sure that promise is kept. Whether it’s hospital coverage, doctor visits, prescription drugs, or preventive care, Medicare is essential to helping older Americans live healthier, more independent lives. But the system isn’t perfect, and as health care evolves, so must Medicare. That means protecting what works, fixing what doesn’t, and ensuring every part of the program is delivering for the people it’s meant to serve.   USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/blog/medicare-is-a-lifeline-aarp-is-fighting-to-protect-it.html

FROM THE ARTICLE.   AARP Endorses Senate Legislation to Stop Medicare Advantage Plans’ Excess Billing. Bill would curb plans’ ability to inflate patient diagnoses, increase government payments.   By Tony Pugh, AARP.   *** There are 3 comments on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. **?   Published July 16, 2025.   AARP is backing bipartisan congressional legislation designed to stop Medicare managed-care plans from inflating patient diagnoses to boost their payments from the federal government. This practice from privately run Medicare Advantage plans, called “upcoding,” is expected to increase the cost of care for Medicare Advantage plan enrollees by $40 billion this year, compared with the cost to cover similar patients in original Medicare, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/advocacy/medicare-advantage-excess-billing/

Connie Francis (born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero) left us 17, July, 2025 at the age of 87.   Her songs led "Pop" and she forged the way for generations of female stars!   Thank you, Lady!   "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" - Connie Francis  

I need some advice. I will be 70 years old in November. I am still working and have my health insurance through my employer.  Because my Primary care physician does not belong to my insurance group I had to switch to a much more expensive tier in order to keep my primary care physician that I’ve had for over 20 years not to mention that it is costing me about two hundred more each pay period. I’m confused as to what I should do.   I’m not sure if I should apply for Medicare or stay where I am.    Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!!!   Anthony LaMonica [email protected]  

Medicare Supplemental plans have asked the New York Dept of Financial Services to approve a rate increase at the % of increase stated per each company.   New York Dept of Financial Services 07/02/2025 - Summary of 2026 Medicare Supplement Requested Rate Actions NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES 2026 MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INDIVIDUAL AND SMALL GROUP REQUESTED RATE ACTIONS 07/03/2025    NewYork is one of the few states in the Union that has continuous enrollment into Medigap plans without any Underwriting.  Thus it opens the door for Adverse Selection - where beneficiaries that are, perhaps, sicker and using a lot of Medicare can obtain a Medicare Supplemental plan at anytime without underwriting and the cost is shared by everybody.   Adverse selection occurs when lower cost or healthier patients opt out of more expensive plans or forego buying insurance until they need it, while higher cost or sicker patients actively buy more protective insurance (with additional out-of-pocket protections and/or benefits) to protect them from risk. This imbalance in enrollment results in fewer lower cost or healthier enrollees and a greater number of higher cost or sicker enrollees in insurance products. The higher use of services by higher cost or sicker patients causes premiums to increase in that insurance product.   Any expected increase in Medicare Supplement premiums from assuring Medicare Advantage enrollees who switch to Traditional Medicare can access affordable Medicare Supplement coverage would depend on the degree of adverse selection. It would also depend on the number of beneficiaries who, when switching to Traditional Medicare, enroll in Medicare Supplement compared to the number of overall Medicare Supplement enrollees. The degree of adverse selection for those switching to Traditional Medicare would likely increase if beneficiaries leaving Medicare Advantage had assured access to affordable Medicare Supplemental coverage.   They have this assurance in New York with its continuous enrollment in Medicare Supplemental plans without underwriting.  The avoidance of this situation is why other state’s Medigap insurers are given the right to underwrite.     New York Dept of Financial Services.gov - Information for Medicare Beneficiaries  From the above link: [copy/paste] Open Enrollment New York State law and regulation require that any insurer writing Medigap insurance must accept a Medicare enrollee's application for coverage at any time throughout the year. Insurers may not deny the applicant a Medigap policy or make any premium rate distinctions because of health status, claims experience, medical condition or whether the applicant is receiving health care services. However, eligibility for policies offered on a group basis is limited to those individuals who are members of the group to which the policy is issued.   While every Medigap insurer offers both plan A and B for policies sold before June 01, 2010, plans A, B and either C or F for policies sold on or after June 01, 2010, and plans A, B and either D or G for policies sold on or after January 1, 2020, not every company offers all standardized plans.  

Lol, the 1st time I got this change, I went back out as the DANCING ITEMS were not showing up. Glitch I thought.   2nd try, they did.   I am wondering IF this is a "new" way for AARP to "weed out" the bots BEFORE they get access to this site.   Now we type in our email address, hit continue.   Next the dancing stuff comes.   Once you pass that test, your password is next.   Geez!   Nicole

I was happy (as happy as one can get when trying to earn points on this site) to see the Staying Sharp videos were back this month.  We went from 24 pages back to 32.  Those videos appear in the list, showing that one will earn points for watching.  However, when you open the video, no red circle for points appears.  If you watch it, you don't get any points.  Almost all of them are like that, putting a big dent in available videos, again.  Then, there are the videos that come up in Spanish, and there are a lot of those.  You can't earn points for watching those.  (Obviously it is not m fault they are in Spanish, or all of them would be.)  So we can assume that nothing will be fixed/changed during the rest of the month, as the first of a month seems to be the only time anyone does any work on this site.

FROM THE ARTICLE.   Actors Over 50 Nab 24 Key Emmy Nominations. Jean Smart, Harrison Ford, Kathy Bates and more vie for TV's top honor.   By Tracey Minkin and Tim Appelo, AARP.   *** There are 2 comments on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. ***   Published July 15, 2025.   It's a great year for grownups on TV, and this week’s Emmy nominations are proof. Performers 50 and older earned 24 nominations in major acting categories in the 2025 Emmy Awards race. They’ll learn whether they’ve snagged a coveted golden statuette when the winners are announced on Sunday, Sept. 14, on CBS.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/emmy-award-nominations-2025.html

FROM THE ARTICLE.   12 Creative Ways for Caregivers to Encourage Socialization. Loneliness has serious health consequences. Here’s how to keep your loved one engaged and inspired.   By Bruce Horovitz, AARP. Published July 16, 2025.   Most of the chores that family caregivers do for their loved ones are crystal clear. Sometimes, it’s how much medicine to give and how often, getting to a doctor’s appointment on time, or feeding nourishing meals three times daily. But there’s one critical chore that sounds easy yet ranks among the most difficult: socialization. Socialization is particularly critical as we age because it gives us a sense of belonging and purpose, says Linda Abbit, author of The Conscious Caregiver: A Mindful Approach to Caring for Your Loved One Without Losing Yourself. She says socialization helps older adults maintain their language skills and boost their physical and mental well-being.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/helping-care-recipients-socialize/

FROM THE ARTICLE.   Medical Bills to Remain on Credit Reports. Federal judge overturns rule that would have helped millions of Americans.   By Maya Dollarhide and Daniel Bortz, AARP. Published July 15, 2025.   Unpaid medical bills will continue to hurt Americans’ credit scores after a federal judge in Texas struck down a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule on July 11, 2025, designed to remove medical debt from credit reports. The CFPB rule would have aided an estimated 15 million Americans currently carrying upward of $49 billion in medical debt on their credit reports. In addition, the rule would have prohibited medical devices, such as wheelchairs, from being used as collateral on loans and allowed for some medical information to be shielded from loan applications.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/medical-debt-credit-report.html

FROM THE ARTICLE.   Here's What You Need to Know If You're Traveling to the Grand Canyon. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge is among dozens of structures lost. Here’s how it could impact your travel plans.   By Berit Thorkelson, AARP. Published July 15, 2025.   The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is closed for the season, leaving some travelers wondering what to do about their travel plans. Here's what you need to know about how the fire started, the parts of the park affected and what's still open.​ The Grand Canyon fire and destruction. A lightning strike on July 4 ignited the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts stoked the fire, which rapidly spread across nearly 9 square miles over the following week.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/travel/travel-tips/grand-canyon-fire-travel-impact/

FROM THE ARTICLE.   Dolly Parton Says She’s Struggling with Grief, Can’t Write Music. The 79-year-old singer’s husband, Carl Dean, died in March.   By Andre Ellington, AARP.   *** There is 1 comment on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. ***   Published July 15, 2025.   Country music legend Dolly Parton, 79, says she's having a hard time writing music because she’s grieving her late husband, Carl Dean, who passed away on March 3, 2025, in Nashville. The 10-time Grammy Award winner recently shared her songwriting struggles as a guest on reality-TV star Khloé Kardashian’s Khloe In Wonder Land podcast.   USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.   https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/celebrities/dolly-parton-struggling-to-write-music.html

No matter how OLD we are, sometimes finding an Income Source maybe a "challenge".   Below is some information that may help hopefully!!!   EVERYONE is welcome to post job-related information.   Thank you, Nicole  💼  (Job Forum)