Litchfield Insurance Associates August 2023 Gazette-Lite Newsletter

The last full month of summer is August.  We think of corn fields, outdoor cooking, and fresh fruits and vegetables.  
and pre-season football!

Let's get to the news!

What is Food Noise?
 

There is no clinical definition for food noise, but the experts and patients interviewed for this article generally agreed it was shorthand for constant rumination about food.  Some researchers associate the concept with "hedonic hunger" an intense preoccupation with eating food for the purpose of pleasure, and noted that it could also be a component of binge eating disorder, which is common but often misunderstood.

Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association stated: "Obesity medicine specialists have tried to better understand why a person may ruminate about food for some time, it just seems to be that some people are a little more wired this way." 

Dr. Janice Jin Hwang, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine was noted to say “Obsessive rumination about food is most likely a result of genetic factors as well as environmental exposure and learned habits."

As interest has intensified around Ozempic and other injectable diabetes medications like Mounjaro, which works in a similar way, that term is gaining traction.  Videos related to the subject "food noise explained" have been viewed 1.8 billion times on TikTok.  Some of the people who have managed to get their hands on these medications — despite shortages and list prices that can near or surpass a thousand dollars — have shared stories on social media about their experiences.

How does medication suppress food noise?

The active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy is semaglutide, a compound that affects the areas in the brain that regulates appetite, Dr. Gabbay said: "It also prompts the stomach to empty more slowly, making people taking the medication feel fuller faster and for longer. That satiation itself could blunt food noise."

There’s another theoretical framework for why Ozempic might quash food noise: Semaglutide activates receptors for a hormone called GLP-1.  Studies in animals have shown those receptors are found in cells in regions of the brain that are particularly important for motivation and reward, pointing to one potential way semaglutide could influence cravings and desires.  "It’s possible, although not proven, that the same happens in humans," 
Dr. Hwang said, "which could explain why people taking the medication sometimes report that the food (and, in some cases, alcohol) they used to crave no longer gives them joy."

Researchers are continuing to investigate how semaglutide works, how it may influence aspects of the brain like food noise and the potential it has for other uses, such as treating addiction.

Ms. Klemmer said she worried about the potential long-term side effects of a medication she might be on for the rest of her life. But she thinks the trade-off — the end of food noise — is worth it.   She stated: “It’s worth every bad side effect that I would have to go through to have what I feel now... not caring about food.”

ANNUAL ENROLLMENT IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER
Here are 5 things to look out for in your Annual Notice of Change this September

If you are in a Medicare plan, your plan is required to send you, each September, an "Annual Notice of Change" (ANOC).  The annual notice includes changes in coverage, deductibles, and costs that will be effective in January 2024.

When reviewing your ANOC, you’ll want to keep an eye out for five important areas: 

1. Deductible changes
2. Premium changes
3. Copay and/or coinsurance changes
4. Formulary changes
5. Provider and/or pharmacy network changes

1. Deductible changes 

A deductible is the amount you must pay for health care or prescriptions before the insurance begins to pay. 

Medicare Advantage and Part D drug plans have deductibles, with exact costs varying by plan. It's typical to see a slight increase each year, but if there's a big jump, call us to discuss if there are options to review with you.

2. Premium changes 

Premiums are the monthly fee that Medicare beneficiaries pay for their Part B Medicare benefit. If you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you typically do not have a premium with this plan, but this is not always the case.

Sometimes an Advantage plan will be terminate and the insurance company will port you over to an entirely different plan. In these circumstances, you may see a premium increase. 

3. Copay and/or coinsurance changes  

Your copay, or copayment, is an amount you may be required to pay as your share of the cost for a medical service or supply. You may have copays for doctor visits, hospital outpatient visits or prescription drug costs. 

Copayment can be a set dollar amount, but they can also be a percentage, referred to as coinsurance. For example, you might pay a $25 copay for a doctor’s visit or 33% coinsurance for a specific prescription drug tier. 

Each year, copayments and coinsurance percentages for services and prescriptions can change.

It’s important to review each section of your ANOC to see if any specific copayment information has changed for any specific area of care.

4. Formulary changes 

A formulary is your plan’s list of covered prescription drugs. Each plan has its own formulary, and plans also place drugs into tiers of coverage. Lower tiers have lower costs to you, while higher tiers have higher costs.

When you receive your ANOC, be sure to check your plan’s formulary to ensure all of your prescriptions are still covered. You should also confirm what tier they may be changing to in the upcoming year.

This can get confusing, but we are here to help. We run drug plan comparisons for our customers every year, and if you need help, we are here to be your Medicare allies. 

5. Physician and/or pharmacy changes 

There’s nothing worse than going to refill your prescriptions in January just to find out that your insurance no longer has good prices with that pharmacy. 

Your provider networks might experience changes, and it’s important to be aware of these network changes. 

What to do after you review your ANOC? 

After you have carefully reviewed your ANOC, you may have discovered some information that makes your current plan less appealing for the future. Luckily, if you’re no longer satisfied with your coverage, you have options.  

The reason the ANOC is sent out in September each year is to give you enough time to review it before the Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) for Medicare begins. AEP goes from October 15th to December 7th each year and is your opportunity to make changes to your current coverage. Any changes you make during AEP will go into effect on January 1st.  

During the Annual Enrollment Period, you can:

• Drop an Advantage Plan and return to Original Medicare 
• Elect to change from one Advantage plan to a different one 
• Change from Original Medicare to an Advantage plan 
• Elect to change from one Part D prescription drug plan to another 
• Cancel your current Part D plan 
• Pick up a Part D plan if you currently do not have one 

The bottom line 

The ANOC gives you crucial insight into the future of your current insurance coverage. It lets you know about any major changes you can expect in the upcoming year. 
 

Carefully reading the ANOC is essential for understanding the future
of your Medicare coverage.