by Greg Dill-  Medicare’s regional administrator for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Pacific Territories.

If you have Medicare, there’s a good chance you have two or more chronic conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, or dementia.

Two-thirds of the 57 million Americans with Medicare have two or more chronic illnesses. Having multiple chronic conditions increases the risk of death and functional limitations, decreases quality of life, and leads to higher health care spending.

Managing chronic diseases can be difficult, to say the least. You often face multiple visits to one or more doctors; you must take multiple drugs at different times on different days; you have to make extra trips for tests. It can all be a bit overwhelming.

At Medicare, we recognize the challenges you have in managing your conditions, working with your health care providers, and trying to stay healthy. Two years ago, we added a new benefit called Chronic Care Management, or CCM. This program provides additional payments to doctors and other providers to help you live with chronic disease.

For example, through the CCM benefit your primary-care doctor will help you keep track of your medical history, medications, and all the different health care providers you see. You’ll receive a comprehensive care plan that outlines your treatments and goals. Additionally, you’ll have 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week access to health care professionals for urgent needs from the comfort of your home.

To be eligible for CCM services, you must be enrolled in Medicare or in both Medicare and Medicaid. And you must have two or more chronic diseases that are expected to last at least 12 months and place you at significant risk of death, acute exacerbation/decompensation, or functional decline.

Other examples of chronic conditions include, but are not limited to, asthma, atrial fibrillation, autism spectrum disorder, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, heart failure, hepatitis, hypertension (high blood pressure), infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, ischemic heart disease, osteoporosis, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and stroke.

Specific CCM services may include:

• At least 20 minutes a month of chronic care management services;
• Personalized assistance from a dedicated health care professional who will work with you to create your care plan;
• Coordination of care between your pharmacy, specialists, testing centers, hospitals, and more;
• Phone check-ins between visits to keep you on track;
• 24/7 emergency access to a health care professional;
• Expert assistance with setting and meeting your health goals.

How much do CCM services cost? You’ll be responsible for the usual Medicare Part B cost-sharing and may have a deductible or coinsurance/co-pay. However, many people with Medicare have Medigap supplemental insurance that may cover CCM cost-sharing.

Chronic Care Management means having a continuous relationship with a dedicated health care professional who knows you and your history, gives personal attention, and helps you make the best choices for your health. CCM gives you and your loved ones the assistance you need to manage your chronic conditions so you can spend more time doing the things you enjoy.

Ask your doctor about Chronic Care Management and get the connected care you need.

For more information, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit: go.cms.gov/ccm.

You are 62 years or older and you own a home. Or your parents are 62 or older and own their own home. You hear about reverse mortgages from a news article or an advertisement or a website. Or maybe from a friend or relative. Or you might contact a reverse mortgage lender on the phone or on the internet. You hear that you can borrow against the equity in your home while you still live in it. You hear that this is a loan you do not have to pay back until you leave the home permanently. Your interest is sparked.

This might be just the right financial solution for a current or a future need. You can use a reverse mortgage to pay off your existing mortgage and lower your monthly expenses. You can use it to pay for health care. Or it might just provide you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you have cash available.

Senior citizens considering a reverse mortgage and those who already have them now have new tools from the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association to help them better understand these unique loans.

The free guides, posted to NRMLA’s consumer education website, reversemortgage.org, explain the benefits and responsibilities of this type of home equity loan used by more than a million homeowners to age in place, according to NRMLA.

“Part of our mission as an association is to educate consumers about the pros and cons of a reverse mortgage by being transparent about how the loan works,” said NRMLA President and CEO, Peter Bell.

“The new consumer guides are another way to provide reverse mortgage borrowers with information about loan terms, guidance for working with the lender after the loan is closed, and the process for repaying the loan when it comes due.”

“We consulted professionals from all areas of the industry to ensure the information we are sharing is clear, comprehensive, and responsive to the most common questions posed by borrowers and their families. We hope to see a broad adoption of the guides by policy makers, consumer advocates, and other professionals whose clients can benefit from learning more about reverse mortgage loans,” said Bell.