Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 31, 2018

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 31, 2018 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW MEDICARE CARDS

SENIOR HAPPENINGS


Dear Savvy Senior,

What can you tell me about the new Medicare cards? 
I’ve heard there are a lot of scams associated with 
these new cards and I want to make sure I protect 
myself.

Leery Senior

Dear Leery,

The government will soon be sending out brand 
new Medicare cards to 59 million Medicare 
beneficiaries. Here’s what you should know about 
your new card along with some tips to help you 
guard against potential scams.

New Medicare Cards

Starting this month (April 2018), Medicare will be 
removing Social Security numbers from their new 
Medicare cards, and begin mailing them out to 
everyone who gets Medicare benefits. The reason 
for this change is to help protect your identity 
and reduce medical and financial fraud. The new 
cards will have a randomly generated 11-character 
Medicare Number. This will happen automatically. 
You don’t need to do anything or pay anyone to get 
your new card.

 Medicare will mail your card, at no cost, to the 
address you have on file with the Social Security 
Administration. If you need to update your official 
mailing address, visit your online Social Security 
account at SSA.gov/myaccount, or call 800-772-
1213. When you get your new card, your Medicare 
coverage and benefits will stay the same.

 If you have a relative or friend who lives in 
another state and gets their card before you, don’t 
fret. The cards will be mailed in waves, to various 
parts of the country over a 12-month period 
starting in April 2018, and ending next April 
2019. Medicare beneficiaries in Alaska, California, 
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, 
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia 
will be the first to receive the mailings, between 
April and June.

 The last wave of states will be Kentucky, 
Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio 
and Tennessee, along with Puerto Rico and the 
Virgin Islands.

 When you get your new Medicare card, don’t 
throw your old one in the trash. Instead, put it 
through a shredder or cut it up with a pair of 
scissors and make sure the part showing your Social 
Security number is destroyed.

 If you have a separate Medicare Advantage card, 
keep it because you’ll still need it for treatment.

Watch Out For Scams

 As the new Medicare cards start being mailed, be 
on the lookout for Medicare scams. Here are some 
tips:

 Don’t pay for your new card. It’s yours for free. If 
anyone calls and says you need to pay for it, that’s a 
scam.

 Don’t give personal information to get your card. 
If someone calls claiming to be from Medicare, 
asking for your Social Security number or bank 
information, that’s a scam. Hang up. Medicare will 
never ask you to give personal information to get 
your new number and card.

 Guard your card. When you get your new 
card, safeguard it like you would any other health 
insurance or credit card. While removing the Social 
Security number cuts down on many types of 
identity theft, you’ll still want to protect your new 
card because identity thieves could use it to get 
medical services.

 For more information about changes to your 
Medicare card go to Go.medicare.gov/newcard. 
And if you suspect fraud, report it to the FTC 
(FTCcomplaintassistant.gov), AARP’s fraud help 
line, 877-908-3360, or your local Senior Medicare 
Patrol program. Go to SMPresource.org for contact 
information. 

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …March Birthdays*

Clare Marquardt, Karen Blachly, Carla Duplex, Ella Guttman, Viky Tchatlian, Mary 
Cooper, Sun Liu, Helen Wallis, Joan Crow, Nancy Fox, Martha Cassara, Rita Johnson, 
Mercedes Campos, Dorothy Webster,Terri Elder, Carol Cerrina, Amy Putnam, Sally 
Contreras 

* To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 
YEAR of birth not required

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the Hart 
Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 

Hawaiian & Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10a.m. to 
11a.m. Join instructor Barbara Dempsey as she leads you in the art of Hula.

Bingo Time: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00p.m. Cards are only $0.25 each! 
Everyone is welcome to join. Activity may be canceled if less than five people.

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesdays of the month from 11a.m. to 12p.m. No appt. is necessary.

Brain Games - *New Activity*: Join us on Thursday November 16th, at 10:30a.m. to 11:30a.m for 

Scattergories. A creative thinking game by naming objects within a set of categories. Everyone is 
welcome, and no experience is needed. What a great way to strengthen your brain and make new friends. 
Activities are facilitated by Senior Volunteers.

Free Legal Consultation: Wednesday, November 15th from 10:30a.m. to Noon. Attorney Lem Makupson is 
available for legal consultation. Specializing in Family Law, Wills, Trusts, Estates, and Injury. Appointments 
are required by calling 626-355-7394.

Senior Club: Meets every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown Bag Lunch at 11:30a.m.

Chair Yoga: Mondays & Wednesdays from 11:00a.m. to 11:45a.m. with Paul Hagen. Classes 

include yoga and balance exercises. All ability levels are encouraged and welcomed!* A voluntary 
donation of $5.00 per week is suggested but not required.

Birthday Celebrations: Every 2nd Thursday monthly at the Hart Park House, share some free birthday cake 
provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club.

Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00p.m. Come join this group of Seniors in their poker game. 
Other games are offered to all.

Free Strength Training Class: Fridays from 12:45p.m. to 1:30p.m. with Lisa Brandley. This energetic class 
utilizes light weights, low impact resistance and training conditioning. Class equipment is provided.


Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, And Catering
EASTER MESSAGE

Tomorrow is Easter, the celebration of Jesus’ 
resurrection from the dead, the forgiveness of our 
sins, and the hope that we, too, will live again for 
eternity in new bodies if we put our faith in Jesus as 
our Lord and Savior.

 But we can’t have Easter without the cross. The 
Bible teaches that the cross is an offense to people 
who do not acknowledge their own sin and need 
for a savior. This is because people often measure 
their own righteousness relative to others, and this 
method almost always makes them look better 
by comparison. But it’s not about whether or 
not I think I’m a better person than a murderer, 
embezzler, or drug addict. The only comparison 
that matters is how I measure up to a holy God, 
and by that standard I fall miserably short.

 People don’t like to talk about sin or Hell. Many 
sins are glossed over or rationalized. But sin is a 
serious problem because it separates us from God. 
We are all sinners by nature. This may not seem fair, 
but it’s the human condition into which we were 
born. God knew before He created us that we would 
sin and need a savior. The Bible teaches that sin can 
only be atoned by the death of an innocent. That is 
why God had the Israelites practice animal sacrifice 
as part of their worship of Him. This is hard for us, 
in modern, Western culture to understand, but the 
Israelites saw the connection between their sin and 
the great amount of blood that had to be shed so 
frequently in order to make them right with God. 
For centuries, the only way people could approach 
God was after they had slaughtered animals, and 
even then, only one person, the high priest, could 
approach the most holy place of the temple only 
once a year, on the Day of Atonement. There was 
a great chasm separating the people from God, the 
unholy from the holy. 

 But even these animal sacrifices could not truly 
remove sin, they pointed toward Jesus’ death as the 
perfect lamb of God. When Jesus died, the great veil 
in the temple in Jerusalem was torn in two from 
top to bottom. This was the heavy curtain that 
closed off the most holy place where the high priest 
ministered before God once a year on behalf of the 
people. By tearing it apart, God was proclaiming 
that the way to Him had been made through Jesus’ 
sacrifice of Himself in our place. The gap between 
God and people had been bridged, and now anyone 
can approach God on the basis of His Son Jesus.

 The cross wasn’t God’s Plan B after Adam and 
Eve fouled it up for the rest of us. It was God’s plan 
all along. That is truly amazing! Even before time 
began, God was willing to send His own Son to die 
to save us. That is love.

 But what is He saving us from? It can’t be physical 
death, because we all die. Jesus saves us from Hell. 
Hell is a real place, which is why Jesus spoke more 
about it than about Heaven. God is not willing that 
any should go there, which is why He sent Jesus to 
take the penalty of our sin. The most important 
decision any of us will make is what we do with 
Jesus. There is no middle ground. It is not enough 
to say that Jesus was a great teacher, because Jesus 
claimed to be God, so if He’s not God then He was 
either lying or delusional. Life is short and none of 
us know when we may die. I encourage you today 
to take hold of the only lifeline God has provided in 
the person of His Son Jesus.

 If you choose to accept Jesus as your Savior you 
can pray this prayer and He will come into your 
heart and give you peace with God --today and 
forever!

 “Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I 
ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my 
sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins 
and invite You to come into my heart and life. I 
want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. 
In Your Name. Amen.”


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