Don’t forget to sign up and attend MSAA’s live webinar, “The New Insurance Marketplace and MS” tomorrow evening 11/19 from 8PM – 9PM EST. The webinar provides the ins and outs of the Marketplace, explaining everything from common insurance terms down to MS specific policy pitfalls. So, register today and come find out what the insurance Marketplace means for you.
Last week, we shared an infographic with our supporters showing just a few of the ways MSAA improves lives for the multiple sclerosis community. Today, we wanted to post that infographic again in case you missed it.
But we wanted to start by posing a question: What, exactly, is a “good” charity?*
There has been a lot of talk recently about good charities and bad charities. News reports have focused on charities that do little, if anything, to help alleviate social issues…and on companies who profit from the increasing need for funding to ensure missions are fulfilled. The nonprofit world is buzzing with words like “expensive ratios,” “ratings,” and “overhead.” The result: We are now taking a new look at what being a good charity really means.
How can your donation improve a life today?
As an organization, MSAA welcomes this conversation. We believe in using our resources efficiently to best serve the needs of the MS community. We have worked hard over the years to streamline our processes and improve our program delivery.
In addition to the wealth of information and support MSAA provides, for those who would be unable to afford equipment or MRI scans on their own, MSAA’s programs make a tangible difference in day-to-day quality of life. This is attested to time and time again in the unsolicited tesmionials of our clients.
*Excerpt from “Thoughts about Giving” in MSAA’s magazine The Motivator (Summer/Fall 2013)
Also made possible through the help of our supporters…
1,040,554 visits for vital information through our website
About 215,000 MSAA publications distributed to provide information and support
66,596 views of our 36 on-demand video programs
7,174 new downloads for MSAA’s smartphone app, “My MS Manager”
Donate now and improve a life today.
“Thank you so much for getting back to me so soon! After over two years of waiting and being passed off [by other organizations], my MRI is scheduled for a couple of hours from now! Thank you!” – Jordan R. from Colorado.
Improve a life today for someone like Jordan.
The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America is a leading resource for the entire MS community, improving lives today through vital services and support.
Improving Lives Today!
By Becky Remington
Greetings from the South Central Region. Last week, I attended a patient education program in Bentonville Arkansas, and as always, I feel like I have the most wonderful job in the world. One of the perks of my job is meeting amazing, warm, and caring people. Some of these people have MS, some of them are family members and spouses, and some of them come to the programs with their best friend, who just happens to have MS. And many times, as was the case this time, complete strangers sit together, start talking, share a meal together, talk some more, and exchange phone numbers or email addresses before the end of the presentation.
Last week’s talk was on Managing Stress and Anxiety. The speaker, a psychologist from Dallas TX, was excellent, giving a lot of practical advice and tips to those that attended. I have no doubt some of his stress relieving exercises will find their way in to people’s lives and make a difference in helping to keep some MS symptoms at bay. But I also know that those who made new friends left with something even more valuable.
Becky Remington is MSAA’s South-Central Regional Director
Tomorrow, October 15th, is the first day of Medicare Open Enrollment for plan year 2014. The plan that you select now will impact your medical coverage and costs for an entire year. Don’t forget to tune in to our live Webinar tomorrow evening from 8-9PM EST for important information on Medicare Open Enrollment and specific tips for people living with MS.
To register for the Webinar, go to the following link: support.mymsaa.org/aca1
If you cannot attend the live program, don’t worry, you will be able to watch the archive and download the presentation slides from our MSi page after the live program: https://mymsaa.org/manage-your-ms/videos/.
This year, be prepared. Learn from Medicare experts who can try to help you understand what questions to ask and how to select your best options.
MSAA is very proud to present our 2013 Art Showcase – celebrating the work of artists affected by MS.
We have received many wonderful submissions from across the country and are delighted to share their work and their stories with you. Please visit our online gallery to view all of the MSAA Art Showcase submissions.
October 2013 Artist of the Month:
Tammy Jennings – Monterey, California
Ocean Wave
Oahu
“My name is Tammy Jennings and I lived in picturesque Monterey, California. I am a 53-year-old, single woman, and I have been living with Multiple Sclerosis since 1996; I was 37. I worked full-time until December 2006 when I had to “retire” as the unpleasant “side-effects” of my MS became too much to handle in a work environment. As a result, I had a lot of free time. So I spent the first few years visiting relatives that I hadn’t been able to see when I was working. My cousin, Joyce Quaglino, was one of those relatives. She can take all the credit for introducing me to the wonderful world of painting. I believe EVERYONE can paint, mainly because it is almost mistake proof. Some of the worst “mistakes” turn out to be the most beautiful paintings! The inspiration for the paintings submitted was the ocean. And Hawaii being one of my favorite places in the world, I took a picture of a sea turtle (Honu in Hawaiian) and painted it when I got home. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed painting them.
Both paintings are Acrylic & Oil. First I complete the main painting in acrylic, then go back and touch it up with oil to make it “pop” (as my cousin says).”
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA for short) passed in Congress as a landmark piece of legislation with the intent of securing more accessible healthcare for all Americans. At MSAA, we often receive calls with clients curious and/or concerned about what these changes to the healthcare landscape may entail for them. The Affordable Care Act has enacted numerous changes to both private and public health care coverage (this includes Medicare and Medicaid).
On the private insurance side, here is a short list of just a few reforms that will be enacted starting October 1st:
1. Pre-existing condition exclusions have been eliminated, and insurers can no longer deny applicants based on their MS disease status.
2. Insurers must justify any monthly premium increase of 10% or more before it can take effect.
3. No consumer will be subject to yearly or lifetime benefit caps, which was a major issue for those with MS.
4. If you need to purchase a private plan insurance, it will now be offered through an Enrollment Marketplace in each state.
For Medicare and Medicaid:
1. The percentage for what you pay inside the Medicare Donut Hole will be decreasing every year until it is closed in 2020 and the out of pocket expense will be 25% of the plan’s medication cost.
2. Medicare beneficiaries will receive free wellness exams every year to ensure adequate preventative care.
3. As for Medicaid, for those states that elected to participate, the eligibility criteria will expand to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level or $32,499 for a household of four, for example.
These are just a few of the major reforms that will be taking place under the provisions of the ACA. MSAA has enacted a new initiative to expand education on this topic, including webinars that will focus individually on the changes to Medicare and private insurance.
The first webinar, “Understanding Medicare in the New Era” will take place on October 15th at 8 pm and will be presented by Katherine Fitzpatrick of the Medicare Rights Center and MSAA Client Services Manager, Margaret Weisser and registration is currently open. Registration information for the second webinar on the new State Marketplaces and Private Insurance is forthcoming.
You can register for the Medicare Webinar at: support.mymsaa.org/aca1
We look forward to “seeing” you there!
Let’s face it, life is hectic. It can be messy and chaotic, and that could be just your morning. We live in a world that thrives on fast-paced routines and schedules, so people rarely have time to manage their day to day, let alone trying to manage a chronic illness like MS. Medication and symptom management play a significant role in the course of this disease, so it can be challenging to find time in the day to fit these tasks in along with life’s expectations in general. How does one try to find time to rest, or jot down questions to ask the doctor at the next visit, or to document a new symptom that has come on? There seems to be a limited amount of hours in the day to complete all of these demanding limitless activities.
Here are some tips on how to manage these tasks along with the day to day:
What are some ways you manage the day to day?
As the calendar reminds us to say goodbye to the summer season and hello to the beginning of fall, it’s a good time to start thinking about what the change of season means to you. Some people see the season change as something to embrace; to take advantage of being outdoors to enjoy the cooler temperatures, or to prepare for upcoming fall festivities and holidays that approach just as quickly as the seasons change. Do you enjoy the cool, leaf laden fall atmosphere? What about the shift from longer days to longer nights?
Children heading back to school and stores stocking up on holiday decorations are just some of the hallmarks that depict the fall season. The sound of leaves crunching under feet; the orange, red and yellow colors that paint the streets and the sight of birds making their way south for the upcoming winter months are some of the scenes that represent this fall solstice. What do you like most about the fall?
By Lauren Hooper
Greetings from your Northeast Regional Director! As summer begins to wind down and fall approaches, MSAA has a few educational programs lined up in the Northeast Region, and I hope you’ll consider joining us if there are any coming up in your area.
On Tuesday, August 27th, I traveled to Morristown, NJ for a program on symptom management in MS that focused on helping patients to identify the overall range of MS symptoms (especially symptoms with treatment options available) and how to best address them with their professional care team. Dr. Mary Ann Picone from Holy Name MS Center was the guest speaker, and she made sure to answer every attendee’s question during the Q&A session. It was such an interactive program, and as everyone was leaving, a few people stopped to tell me how nice it was to be able to talk to a physician outside of the clinical setting. Everyone seemed relieved to have had all of their questions addressed, and I was thrilled that they benefited so much from the program.
In September, my travels will take me to Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maryland. On September 14th, I’ll travel to Bangor, ME for a patient program on “Tackling the Everyday Challenges: Recent Breakthroughs in MS Symptom Management & What’s to Come” (support.mymsaa.org/Bangor). On September 21st, I’ll be in Braintree, MA for a program designed for parents and children to help build a better understanding of MS, called “Bridging the Communication Gap between Parents with MS and their Children” (support.mymsaa.org/DBBraintreeMA). On September 25th, I will head to Burlington, VT for a patient program on “Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis” (support.mymsaa.org/Burlington). And I’ll wrap up September in Baltimore, MD on September 28th with a patient program focusing on the African American experience with MS entitled “A Closer Look at the African American Community and Multiple Sclerosis” (support.mymsaa.org/Baltimore).
Later this fall, I am also planning on holding programs in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, and I hope to get back to New York before the end of the year as well. If you don’t see a program in your area, please keep checking our Calendar of Events (support.mymsaa.org/calendar) regularly, as we are constantly adding new programs. I hope to see you at a program soon!
* Lauren Hooper is the Northeast Regional Director at MSAA.
MSAA now offers an interactive one-on-one chat feature giving you new ways to ask questions and gather infomation. Click here to learn more about how to chat with MSAA .
Hope to chat with you soon!