This blog is months late. However, it will translate into the upcoming Idol season along with many other top shows.

This blog is about assessing inaction. Watching TV is historically thought of as a passive event. It doesn’t have to be. Last week I enjoyed my new treadmill during the first big game, and worked my upper body with weights during the second game.

Who says you have to just “sit there?” Get a small medicine ball, some hand weights and you do not even have to leave your easy chair! When the game gets intense, so might your workout. What a stress reliever!

Even without weights, you can do stretches. leg lifts, lunges, wall-sits, the plank, push-ups, sit-ups and many other exercises. Now that football is almost over, weekends can be filled with skiing; downhill or cross-country. Your TV time exercises will pay off when you hit the slopes. Just do it!

Monetize the website? — Really?

To date we have provided information on only what we believe in, and will continue to do so! We have been sent products to review and if our review is not favorable, we do not post anything about it, and return the product. We do not make any money or benefit at all from the reviews we provide.

We do this because we are boomers and believe there is valuable information on the web specific to boomers.  We want Bette’s voice to grow and reach boomers everywhere. We want her voice to represent boomers at large and provide feedback on valuable resources and keep boomers abreast of sustainable innovations as they happen.

As Bette continues to exercise her wise, edgy voice, we will support our efforts with some retail items and recommendations you can access through Amazon. We do benefit monetarily (minimally) when you order anything on Amazon if you get there through our site.

We have chosen some fun logo items to sell through Cafe Press. When you order, your logo item will be processed there and shipped directly to you. We like the eco-commerce this represents.

So, get your Bette on and choose an item now! Enjoy…and thanks for any shopping you do with us!

Bette’s Boutique and Bette Recommends

Bette and Team

A large chunk of baby boomers was eligible for Medicare last year and many boomer parents and grandparents are already receiving Medicare benefits.

Unless you love wading through insurance ins and outs, the paperwork can drive you crazy. There was confusion about people wanting to make last minute changes to their drug coverage who missed Medicare’s 2012 Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) in 2011. According to a survey of Medicare recipients conducted by PlanPrescriber, Inc., one-in-five Medicare recipients were unaware of the new enrollment dates.

For those procrastinators, it can be difficult, but not impossible, to change Part C or D coverage outside of AEP which was designated to allow people to review and change their coverage, if necessary. These plans often change prices and benefits from year to year. Don’t panic, but prepare to do some hard work.

Ross Blair, President/CEO of PlanPrescriber, Inc., (which provides senior-friendly Internet comparison tools and resources for Medicare) created the following short list of tips to help maximize your drug and health benefits in 2012. And, if you desperately need to change plans, there are some strategies for doing that here as well.

1. Look for Other Drugs. If you missed AEP and you can¹t change your coverage, try to optimize the drugs you¹re taking to fit your current plan. Among the ten largest drug plans in the country, no single plan covers more than 79 percent of all available prescription drugs in 2012. The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) requires every Medicare plan with prescription drug coverage to include at least two drugs in each category and class. Talk to your doctor to find what other drugs exist to treat your illness and discuss the possibility of switching.
2. Ask about Medicare Supplement (MediGap) open enrollment periods. If your MediGap plan isn¹t working for you any longer, and you can¹t enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan outside of AEP, you may be able to change your MediGap plan during select MediGap open enrollment periods. Some states and insurance companies have created open enrollment periods for MediGap plans as well. Investigate the MediGap open enrollment rules in your state by contacting a licensed agent.
3. Ask an expert about Special Needs Plans (SNPs). Special Needs Plans (SNPs) are available for people who are low-income, disabled and under the age of 65. There are also fifteen types of SNPs designed specifically for folks with chronic health problems. And, if you qualify for a SNP you can enroll at any time, provided one is available in your area.
4. Investigate 5 Star Medicare Advantage plans. New this year, you don¹t have to wait for AEP to enroll in a 5-Star Medicare Advantage plan. The 2010 Health Care Reform law created a new ratings system for Medicare Advantage plans that begins this year. Plans with the highest rating of 5 stars can enroll people at any time, even after AEP is over. To find one near, use a Medicare plan search engine, like PlanPrescriber.com or Medicare.gov.
5. Investigate Medicare Annual Disenrollment Period (MADP) which started January 1. Medicare¹s ADP lets you disenroll (cancel) from a Medicare Advantage plan if it fails to meet your needs and add drug coverage at the same time. ADP ends on February 14, 2012 so don’t miss this deadline. Before you disenroll, do some homework to be sure you¹ll still have the coverage you need in 2012.
6. Investigate Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs). Medicare also provides SEPs for people who need to change their coverage outside of AEP. A person may qualify for an SEP if they move permanently outside of their plan¹s service area; become eligible for a low-income subsidy due to a loss of income; receive incomplete information about what qualifies as creditable prescription drug coverage or lose that coverage through no action of their own; if they become eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (“dual eligible”) but lose their dual eligibility status; if they live in, are moving into, or are moving out of certain types of skilled nursing facilities; if they receive a retroactive Medicare entitlement determination; or if they qualify for other special enrollment periods that may be authorized by the Federal Government.

If you missed the Annual Enrollment Period, don¹t feel trapped in a plan that doesn¹t meet your needs. Baby boomers know the key is to be proactive, reach out to experts who can help figure out what those opportunities are, and how to take advantage of them.

One of the best resources for staying on top of healthcare news is the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Kaiser Health News (KHN). Please feel free to share our resources with your own loved ones to help them age gracefully and safely in place. You can comment here, or connect and converse with us on Facebook.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an iconic figure for baby boomers. In 1964, the last birth year of boomers, Dr. King was the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He won this award for the incredible work he had done by age 35, to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means.

Dr. King followed the nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, and by the time he moved his focus in 1967/68 to ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War, he had quite a following of impressionable baby boomers.

In August of last year, the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial opened in Washington, D.C. A recent press release from the foundation states that, “Since its opening, over 2 million visitors from around the globe have been able to witness firsthand the message of hope, justice, democracy and love that resonates from the crescent-shaped walls.”

Josh Levs of CNN provides a great overview along with a virtual tour of the monument, complete with a Google Earth perspective.

This is a good year to be inspired by Dr. King’s  passion for change. His voice was always one of hope and encouragement to do the right thing. The $4.99 Kindle version of The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. that is filled with his speeches and writing may be the perfect way to keep his inspiration handy.