Premium Tax Credit Tax credits are an important way of making marketplace coverage afford- able for lower and middle income families who are not eligible for pub- lic or employer-sponsored coverage. If you qualify, you may choose how much advance credit payments you want to apply to your premiums each month up to a maximum amount. If the amount of advance credit pay- ments is less than the tax credit you're due, you'll receive a refundable credit when you file your federal income tax return. If your advance payments are more than the amount of your credit, you must repay the excess advance payments with your tax return. Medicare Reform The advantage of being 65 and older and covered by Medicare is that you are not as directly affected by the new health care reform rules and regula- tions as those age 64 and under. There will there be no cuts to Medicare Parts A and B benefits. In addition, you are already eligible to receive Medicare-covered preventive services at no cost. For those who have reached "the donut hole," the coverage gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage, the coinsurance rate for generic drugs is being reduced, and there are larger brand-name discounts. Over time, the donut hole will be eliminated and cost-sharing for drugs will continue to decrease. Those enrolled in Medicare Advantage may want to revisit their insurance plans. Changes are likely to take place here because government payments to this plan, run by private insurers, will be reduced over the next 10 years. Penalty For No Coverage The law requires that all U.S. citizens and legal residents are required to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. If you can afford health insurance and don't have coverage by 2014, you may have to pay a fee plus all expenses for your health care. You won't be protect- ed from the kind of very high medical bills that can lead to bankruptcy. The fee in 2014 is 1 percent of your yearly income or $95 per person for the year, whichever is higher. The fee increases every year. In 2016, the fee is 2.5 percent of income or $695 per per- son, whichever is higher. Open enrollment ends on March 31, 2014. You won't be able to get health coverage through the marketplace until the next annual enrollment period unless you qualify with some type of minimum coverage, including Medicaid. ❑ Weisberg Gift Assists Elderly At Beaumont B eaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, has opened a 26-bed inpatient unit designed to address the special needs of a grow- ing number of patients aged 65 and older. It's focused on maximizing recovery so that patients return to the quality of life they enjoyed prior to hospitalization. The unit's creation was supported with a $1.5 million gift from Alvin and Henrietta Weisberg of Bloomfield Hills and is named the Henrietta and Henrietta & Alvin Alvin Weisberg Weisberg Center for Acute Care for the Elderly. Working with patients' attending physicians, the unit offers multidis- ciplinary care directed by Beaumont geriatricians. All of the unit's nurses and nursing assistants have completed specialized training in gerontology nursing through a national organi- zation (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) dedicated to improving care of older adults. They collaborate with care managers, phar- macists, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists and social workers who also specialize in geriatric care. "Beaumont saved my life five years ago, and we are so pleased to be able to support a specialized center for seniors" says Alvin Weisberg, who grew up on Detroit's west side, the son of a grocer. "We wanted to give back to Beaumont. As they say, the coin is round and it always comes back" Dr. Michael Maddens, Weisberg's doctor, chair of the department of med- icine at Beaumont, Royal Oak, says, "Their gift will help us not only add years to life, but add life to the years of our senior patients" The unit features a dayroom that offers a home-like atmosphere encour- aging family and patient interaction, with activities that promote mental and physical function and socialization. Patients have the option of eating in their own room or with others in the dayroom. There's also a family conference room equipped with Skype and a SMART interactive whiteboard to allow family members near and far to take part in conversations about the care of their loved ones. For more, visit www.beaumont.edu/ acute-elderly-care. ❑ For the Best Stroke Treatment, Come to St. Joe's A stroke is an emergency. When you or a loved one has a stroke, call 911 and get to an emergency room immediately. A stroke is a brain attack and can take two forms: a clot or a bleed in the brain. As the brain is deprived of oxygen, millions of neurons can die. If not treated quickly, you can suffer brain damage or death. For the best, technologically advanced stroke treatment, come to the leader in stroke care—St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO). As the home base of the Michigan Stroke Network (MSN), SJMO has top stroke specialists—vascular and interventional neurologists, a neuro intensivist, neurosurgical and neuroendovascular specialists, neuroscience nurses and a whole team of clinicians—to treat your stroke and restore your quality of life. St. Joe's stroke specialists use the latest treatments to resolve a stroke. In some cases, a clot-busting drug can dissolve the stroke. In more severe cases, an interventional procedure is performed using the latest technology, such as stent retrievers, to remove the clot and restore blood flow to the brain. For a bleed in the brain, other technologies are available. In 2004, SJMO, a member of the Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, became Michigan's first certified primary stroke center. This laid the foundation for the MSN, which was launched in October 2006 by Trinity Health and SJMO. The MSN provides technologically advanced stroke care not only at St. Joe's, but also to more than 30 partner hospitals throughout Michigan via telemedicine, using two-way, audio-visual robotics to provide remote clinical health care. The MSN works in partnership with the Wayne State University Physicians Group to provide access to stroke care, ongoing clinical trials and stroke research across Michigan. To protect yourself from a stroke, know your risk factors and the signs and symptoms of stroke. By Jack Weiner, President and CEO St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Risk factors for stroke include: • Irregular heartbeat • Diabetes • High cholesterol • Smoking • Alcohol abuse • Belonging to certain ethnic groups, particularly African American • Family history of stroke • Sleep apnea • Age greater than 55 years Use the acronym FAST to remember the signs of a stroke: • F: Face numbness or tingling • A: Arm weakness or paralysis • S: Speech abnormality • T: Time is critical Ramesh Madhavan, MD, DM Be aware of stroke symptoms, including: • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding • Sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination • Sudden severe headache with no known cause "By knowing the signs and symptoms of a stroke, you can help save a loved one, says Ramesh Madhavan, MD, DM, an SJMO vascular neurologist and Medical Director of Telemedicine. "Patients experiencing the symptoms of a stroke need to act fast by calling 911 or going to the nearest primary stroke center, such as SJMO." Dr. Madhavan advises "to prevent a stroke, follow a healthy diet, reduce your sodium intake, keep your cholesterol and blood pressure down, exercise and don't smoke." To learn more about stroke care at SJMO, visit michiganstrokenetwork.com . DISCOVER REMARKABLE ADVERTISEMENT September 26 • 2013 43