Why Eat Foods High in Protein? ⚕️ 🏥

The Medicare Lady

Celebrating 10 years as a Medicare Specialist, October 2018

Medicare Made Simple, LLC

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

Office: 315-676-4933

Fax: 866-476-1211

See Our Testimonials

Greetings!

In this Newsletter, I will be sharing news about new cancer therapy that uses the patient's own immune system to fight the disease.

In the Health Corner, I am sharing why we should eat foods high in protein.

Keep reading!

Theresa Cangemi CSA, CLTC

"The Medicare Lady"

Insurance Corner

CMS proposes Coverage with Evidence Development for Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell Therapy

Proposed decision would provide nationwide consistency in CMS’s coverage of the innovative new cancer therapy, to improve patient access and ensure appropriate evidence generation

Today the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed to cover FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy, which is a new form of cancer therapy that uses a patient’s own immune system to fight the disease, under “Coverage with Evidence Development” (CED). Currently, there is no national Medicare policy for covering CAR T-cell therapy, so local Medicare Administrative Contractors have discretion over whether to pay for it.

The proposed National Coverage Determination would require Medicare to cover the therapy nationwide when it is offered in a CMS-approved registry or clinical study, in which patients are monitored for at least two years post-treatment. Evidence from the registries and studies would help CMS identify the types of patients that benefit from CAR T-cell therapy, informing a future decision by the agency regarding the types of cases in which Medicare would cover the treatment with no registry or trial requirement.

“CAR T-cell therapy was the first FDA-approved gene therapy, marking the beginning of an entirely new approach to treating serious and even life-threatening diseases,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

“Today’s proposed coverage decision would improve access to this therapy while deepening CMS’s understanding of how patients in Medicare respond to it, so the agency can ensure that it is paying for CAR T-cell therapy for cases in which the benefits outweigh the risks.”

CMS proposes to leverage the FDA’s requirements for post-approval studies for CAR-T to the fullest extent possible in reviewing studies for CMS approval. The agency is issuing its proposal in response to a formal request, and today’s decision was informed by a meeting of the MEDCAC (Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee) on August 22nd, 2018. The MEDCAC provides CMS with an external review of medical literature, technology assessments, public testimony, and other data and information on the benefits, harms, and appropriateness of therapies under review. CMS has issued seven National Coverage Determinations for drugs and biologicals over the past seven years.

CMS is seeking comments on our proposed National Coverage Determination. All public comments may be submitted at https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/indexes/nca-open-for-public-comment-index.aspx. A final decision will be issued no later than 60 days after the conclusion of the 30-day public comment period.

To read the proposed decision, visit the CMS website here

Health Corner

Why Eat Foods High in Protein?

Protein makes up the building blocks of organs, muscles, skin, hormones and pretty much everything that matters in your body. Getting enough protein is important to build and maintain muscle mass and health. Protein is also important for weight loss.

Key Fact:

To lose weight your body must burn more calories (through exercise) than it takes in. Your body will burn carbohydrates first. When depleted, then the body will burn fats and proteins next. Therefore if the carbohydrates in the diet are limited, the body will start to burn fat stores. So, lay off the pasta, breads, cereals, and the packaged processed foods as your first “go to.” Limit these food items. Always try to eat proteins first ... AND ... water .. water … water !

Keep a Brita, a filtered water container, on your counter with lemon and limes in the water. Change out container (water and lemon/limes) every two days.

Here are some suggestions for foods high in protein:

Eggs
Almonds
Chicken breast
Slow cooking oats
Cottage cheese
Greek Yogurt
Broccoli
Tuna
Quinoa
Lentils
Pumpkin seeds

Ezekiel bread – this is organic sprouted whole grains and legumes. Found in freezer section.
Fish (all types)
Turkey breast
Shrimp
Brussel Sprouts – yum! – cut in half, sprinkle with Olive Oil and season, roast in oven. Try 350 degrees for about a half hour to 45 minutes. Experiment.

So, the warm weather is around the corner. “Dieting” is short term and can be disappointing. Learning to eat what fuels our bodies and keeps us “running fuel efficient” is a way of life!

What Burns First, Carbs or Protein?

Why Our Bodies Burn Carbs Before Fat?

* This article is for information purposes only. I don’t recommend, support, or diagnose any featured writer or article. I am not a doctor.

Contributing Thoughts/ Guest Corner

I am looking for writers or businesses who are interested in writing relevant articles and would like to contribute to this newsletter. The articles will be reviewed for relevancy and content and geared towards the Medicare eligible demographic.

There is a $50 fee to contribute to this newsletter which can be seen by over 1,500 Medicare eligibles, financial service, healthcare, and insurance professionals combined.