By John D. Doak, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner
Currently, more than 678,000 Oklahomans are enrolled in Medicare. Are all of those beneficiaries getting the proper coverage at the most affordable price based on their respective budgets? Unfortunately, the answer is likely no but there is a solution available during the Medicare Open Enrollment period.
The Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. During this time, beneficiaries can review their current medical and prescription drug coverage, as well as explore new options available to them that could provide better coverage at a reduced cost.
Did you know that last year there were 20 different prescription drug plans available to Medicare beneficiaries ranging in price from $17 to $166 a month? Most people would likely pick the cheaper option to save money. However, sometimes the cheaper option isn’t always the best option. For example, what if a beneficiary were to enroll in the cheaper plan option only to find out that a particular medication he or she was prescribed isn’t covered under the cheaper plan? In that scenario, it would mean that the cheaper plan wouldn’t cover any of the costs for that drug, which would result in the beneficiary having to pay the full price for that medication. Ultimately, the beneficiary in that situation could actually wind up spending twice as much or more for his or her drug costs that year.
Here are some other considerations for Medicare beneficiaries to think about each year:
* Did your physician prescribe a new medication for you in the last year?
* If so, will your current prescription drug plan cover that new medication or is there another drug plan available that will cover it and could help save you money?
* Have you noticed that the monthly premium or co-pay amount for your current drug plan, which does cover all of your prescribed medications, has increased significantly?
With so many different Medicare plans available, each with different monthly costs, co-pays and drug lists, how do you make the best decision for yourself?
That’s where the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) at the Oklahoma Insurance Department comes in. MAP is a grant-funded program that offers free, unbiased counseling to Medicare beneficiaries concerning their different options for Medicare coverage. MAP counselors are available to meet with seniors in-person or on the phone to answer questions about original Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare prescription drug plans. Within that, MAP counselors can help Oklahoma seniors evaluate their current coverage and explore the options available to them for the coming year.
Last year, MAP counselors helped Oklahoma seniors save, on average, an estimated $2,100 per person. In addition, MAP can help Oklahoma seniors living on fixed incomes in applying for financial assistance to cover their medical and/or prescription drug costs.
There are trained counselors across Oklahoma available to assist and provide a more personal approach to Medicare coverage counseling. Please call 800-763-2828 to find a counselor near you.

The world is running out of antibiotics.
In a new report from the World Health Organization, research showed that too few new antibiotics are being developed to counter the growing threat of infections that are resistant to currently available antibiotics.
“Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest and fastest-growing health crises facing our planet,” said Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation immunologist Hal Scofield, M.D. The CDC estimates that 23,000 Americans die each year from infections that don’t respond to standard treatment with antibiotics. And this number is only going up.
Antibiotic resistance occurs when a bacteria, fungi, or parasite is no longer curable by medicines previously able to treat them. For example, if you give a patient antibiotics and it kills 99.9 percent of the bugs that are causing the disease, the 0.01 percent that survive can become superbugs that are resistant to the medication.
“This happens routinely, and we know it’s going to continue until protocols are established in medicine to minimize it,” said OMRF President Stephen Prescott, M.D., a physician and medical researcher. “Unfortunately there are a lot of forces working in the other direction.”
The primary cause for the surge in superbugs is excessive use of antibiotics. According to the CDC, healthcare providers write 47 million unneeded antibiotic prescriptions each year in the U.S. alone. “It’s routine for antibiotics to be prescribed for conditions that they can’t treat, things like sore throats, colds and other viral infections,” said Prescott.
Scofield emphasized that patients also bear some responsibility. “People often demand antibiotics from their healthcare providers in situations where they won’t help,” he said. “And for a variety of reasons—including the desire to please patients and to receive high customer-satisfaction ratings—the providers often reluctantly accept.”
Finding ways to administer antibiotics only when needed is important, said Prescott. But so is proper usage by patients once the drugs are prescribed. “This means never skipping doses or stopping treatment early, even if you feel better,” Prescott said.
He added that the use of antibiotics in animals like chickens, cattle and pigs may also be a culprit. “The drugs speed the animals’ growth and how much meat they have on them, but they are also very likely contributing in a significant way to the rapid rise of superbugs,” he said.
The new WHO report states that 51 antibiotics and 11 natural medical products are in development, but the fear is that it won’t be nearly enough, because many won’t make it all the way through trials to enter the market. The WHO also warns that many are only short-term solutions, as well, because most are just modifications of existing treatments.
“People in Oklahoma need to realize this isn’t a rare thing that only happens in third-world countries. It’s occurring all over,” Prescott said. “It’s a real problem and it’s not one that will be easily solved. There are big, wholesale structural changes that need to happen.”

On Tuesday, November 7, 2017, Oklahoma City’s Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble will present its second concert of the 2017-18 season, “Masterworks for Three,” featuring chamber works by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century composers, all of whom wrote extensively in the genre. The Ensemble will present trios by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Brahms. The Mendelssohn trio is one of his most popular chamber works and is recognized as one of his greatest. The sweetly-melancholic Brahms trio commemorates the death of his mother earlier that year and was the last chamber work he would write for the next eight years. All three compositions on the program of this Jeannette Sias Memorial Concert are masterworks by three of classical music’s greatest masters. The works on the program are: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Trio in G Major, K. 564 (for violin, cello and piano) Felix Mendelssohn, Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, op. 49 (for violin cello and piano) Johannes Brahms, Horn Trio in E-flat Major, op. 40 (for horn, violin and piano).
Brightmusic musicians performing are: Gregory Lee (violin), Meredith Blecha-Wells (cello), Kate Pritchett (horn) and Amy I-Lin Cheng (piano)
The performance will take place at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 7 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 127 NW 7th Street (at Robinson). Individual concert admission is $20 per ticket. Children, students and active-duty military personnel are admitted free with ID. More information about this concert is available on Brightmusic’s website at http://www.brightmusic.org.

Renovation work to Mercy’s emergency department waiting area will begin Monday, Oct. 23.
During renovation, the existing emergency department patient drop-off entrance will be closed and the waiting area space will be reduced. Patients and family members are encouraged to use the co-worker entrance just a few feet east of the existing emergency department entrance.
Mercy will provide complimentary valet parking for emergency department patients in front of the existing co-worker entrance and additional directional signage will be installed to assist with wayfinding. Emergency department staff as well as security will help patients and families locate entrances and registration.
“Patients who come to our emergency department often have a heightened sense of anxiety and fear,” said John Lampert, Mercy vice president of operations. “In order to help create a sense of comfort, we are installing new flooring, paint and furniture, plus elements of nature and expressions of Mercy’s faith throughout the space.”
Renovations are expected to be complete in early December.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

The Grand Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star presented the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation with a check totaling $10,175 at its annual conference on Sunday.
The donation will fund OMRF research on cancer and other diseases, such as lupus, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. With this donation, the Grand Chapter of the Eastern Star has now donated a total of $331,058 to OMRF research since 2002, when it selected OMRF as its charitable beneficiary.
The donation was presented at the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple in Guthrie.
Eastern Star members support OMRF through individual donations made at chapter meetings statewide, including marches and various donations made in memory of loved ones. Overall, 47 additional chapters have also made individual gifts to the foundation.
OMRF Vice President of Development Penny Voss described the Oklahoma Grand Chapter of the Eastern Star as the definition of philanthropy.
“The long-time support from the members of the Oklahoma Grand Chapter of the Eastern Star has a huge impact on OMRF,” she said. “Each year their gifts go directly to our scientists to help in their quest for new treatments and cures for diseases that affect all of us. We are truly grateful to every member for their belief in our mission to help people live longer and healthier lives.”
The Order of the Eastern Star is the largest fraternal organization in the world to which both men and women may belong. It counts approximately one million members across the globe and is dedicated to furthering charity, education, fraternity and science.
It has approximately 8,000 members and more than 90 chapters in Oklahoma, including groups in Bartlesville, Blanchard, Broken Arrow, Clinton, Enid, Guthrie, Hennessey, Lawton, McAlester, Muskogee and Woodward.

story and photo by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

For years, Kay Dudley and Alice Musser worked across the aisle from each other in the Oklahoma Legislature representing South Oklahoma City.
Musser was a Democrat, Dudley a dyed-in-the wool Republican.
They lived on opposite sides of Pennsylvania Avenue on the city’s south side.
Neither had children in the same grade school. Their churches were different, too.
But both shared a sense of civic duty.
Neither ever imagined one day they would be living under the same roof at The Veraden in Edmond.
“We didn’t know each other, not when we went into the Legislature,” Dudley said. “She was on the East side of Pennsylvania Avenue. I was on the west side.”
TIME TO SERVE
Dudley, a Republican caucus secretary, was elected to the Senate in 1986. She was a member of the Senate’s Education, Human Resources, Finance and Transportation committees, as well as the joint Senate and House Task Force on Child Support and the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse.
She was married to Dr. Tom Dudley, an oral surgeon who practiced in south Oklahoma City for more than 26 years. They had three children.
Musser served on the House Criminal Justice Committee, Retirement Laws Committee and Economic Development Committee.
She sponsored legislation establishing the Energy Conservation Assistance Fund providing grants for lower income, elderly and handicapped homeowners to weatherize their homes and save on energy costs.
She and husband, Carl, had six children.
Musser represented House District 91, which was made up of a part of Dudley’s Senate District 44.
“It was an open seat and I had run once before,’’ Musser said of her election in 1988. “I decided it was a job I needed to do.”
OLD BOYS CLUB
Both ladies admitted bumping their heads on the proverbial glass ceiling as they entered a profession historically dominated by their male counterparts.
Neither was ever asked to get someone a cup of coffee but they were always keenly aware they were the elephant in the room.
“I really didn’t think about it that way although I knew,” Musser said.
“I don’t think we got the same amount of respect as the men,” Dudley echoed.
There were definitely challenges.
“I loved being there,” Dudley said. “But regularly I kept thinking ‘I’m really not accomplishing much.’ And it’s a good ol’ boy system – whoever has been there the longest thinks they’re smarter than everybody else and they try to influence the newbies.
“There were some that I had total respect for and there were others I had no respect for. You just learn who to believe and what to believe.”
Each followed their heart and spent way more time than they had ever imagined trying to serve the needs of Oklahomans.
It was exhausting but both said their time serving at Oklahoma’s highest level of government went quickly.
“I thought I could change the world and I didn’t,” laughed Dudley.
“Well, I thought I had time to learn and then do something and I had two years,” Musser added.
Nowadays you’re likely to find them talking across the dining room table at The Veraden.
But the topic rarely turns to politics.
Neither have the energy for today’s versions.
“There wasn’t that wall that there is today,” Musser said comparing politics 30 years ago to today. “I can remember going to things in the evening and it was everybody, it wasn’t just one party or just the house or the senate.”
They’ve found that sense of community at The Veraden.
Life at The Veraden revolves around modest luxury, personal freedom, and optimal health. Comfortable surroundings, social activities, delicious meals, accommodating associates, and a prime location come together on this unique campus to form a fresh and vivacious lifestyle.
That was the draw for both Dudley and Musser – even though neither knew the other was considering moving in.
Dudley was one of the first residents. Musser came a few months later.
The Veraden modernizes and redefines the retirement experience. The independent living apartments offer chef-prepared dining, daily activities planned around residents’ interests, scheduled transportation to and from shopping and appointments, and a variety of social outings.
The pet-friendly community also offers laundry and housekeeping services plus apartment maintenance, allowing you to have the freedom to pursue the lifestyle you enjoy.
After politics, life moves at a more comfortable pace for the two ladies.
Young, female political hopefuls have sought them out over the years for guidance.
Each are ready to share their story even though it might come from a slightly different perspective.
“Well, you can’t agree with the Republicans very often,” Dudley teased her fellow former legislator.
“Sometimes, I don’t agree with the Democrats either,” Musser laughed.

story and photos by Bobby Anderson, Staff Writer

Dennis Johnson spent the first half of his professional life working with his hands, building things that would stand the test of time.
“It’s hard to go up and down Interstate 95 and not cross a bridge I didn’t have a hand on,” Johnson says proudly.
But a shoulder injury would bring Johnson to a crossroads.
His days working with steel were over and he had to take a hard look at what his financial options were.
At a relatively young age Johnson was forced to deal with his 401k, the loss of his primary income as well as the only profession he had ever known.
It was overwhelming. And he knew it had to be the same for others.
So instead of self pity Johnson poured himself into the only thing he ever knew: figuring out a way to build something for others.
“I’ve been 1,200 feet in the air and pushed a hundred tons of iron around and I know what a hard day’s work is,” said Johnson, who absorbed everything he could get his hands on to become a self-taught financial advisor. “I’m a blue collar guy. I’ve always told my clients I know how hard it is to make a buck. I know how hard it is to swing a beater for eight hours just to get one pin in.”
Just like swinging that hammer, Johnson approached his new career with a laser focus. Registered designations, licenses and accolades followed.
The third-generation iron worker from Baltimore built a multimillion-dollar portfolio in Arizona before selling it all and moving to Oklahoma in 2014 with the intention to retire with his love Cathy Belzer.
Retirement did not suit Johnson at all. With plenty of time to do whatever he wanted he realized he missed taking care of people.
Johnson is a veritable Swiss Army knife when it comes to financial services work. His registered investment advisor license dates back more than 20 years. Along the way he’s picked up life and health insurance licenses and registered advisor status.
“I used them when a client needed them,” ” said Johnson, now an advisor at Tree Line Capital in Edmond. “I never made a big deal about pushing any of it.”
A friend, Robert Ford at Tree Line Capital, convinced him to join his burgeoning firm.
“Why don’t you come over here with me,’’ Johnson remembers hearing his friend say. “We’ll build something.”
Those were the magic words.
“I just want to help,” Johnson said. “Everybody needs a second opinion. That’s the guy I want to be. I’m really enjoying it. I’m having fun again and enjoying the business again.”
Johnson’s not the kind of guy you’ll find behind a desk all day wearing a suit and tie. You’re more apt to find him playing a round of golf or sitting down with buddies talking football.
There’s an ease about Johnson that goes with his blue-collar roots and his genuine desire to help people.
So it’s no surprise people gravitate toward him.
Today’s financial services industry is filled with fresh-faced, college graduates begging to take a crack at people’s portfolios.
Johnson has had individual clients longer than most of those new advisors have been alive.
Some clients Johnson will never let go, or more precisely, they won’t let him go.
“I have a client who is 93 years old and it feels so good because she tells everybody ‘If it wasn’t for (Dennis) I never would have made it,’” Johnson said. “We started with a relatively small amount of money and she’s lived and lived well for 25 years now and she’s still going.
“I have so many clients like that.”
Johnson relishes the fact that his clients see hard work pay off.
“In the beginning you don’t see that,” Johnson said. “The first five six or 10 years you’re building clients. But after they’re with you and you know them and you see (everything) … it’s so satisfying to have their children come up. When every month that checks shows up in their mailbox and you know you’re the guy that put it together that’s a great feeling.”
He even helped his partner get her insurance license after 30 years working in health care.
Belzer and Johnson are gearing up for their busy season.
Enrollment for Medicare Advantage begins this month.
Medicare Advantage enrollment has increased in virtually all states over the past year. Almost one in three people on Medicare (31% or 17.6 million beneficiaries) is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2016.
Plans like these are just one piece of the puzzle that Johnson and Belzer work on for people every day.
“I’ve always had to have a plan and I’ve always had to be organized,” he says.
“You need somebody who is a team, who wants to listen to you and find out about your family and your kids.“
And, most importantly, you need someone who knows how to build something that will stand the test of time.