the Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services Archives

Do you really need to take a statin?

Greetings and may this blog find you in great health with your Medicare insurance coverage working properly.

Remember, if there’s a big problem with your coverage, please book a time on my calendar. If it’s a quick question, email Gray@TheBig65.com and we’ll do our best to get it sorted, promise ☎️.

Well, it’s a wet, windy day here in Colorado. Plato was in desperate need of a grooming session. Q said he was bringing in too much debris every time he went outside so off to the groomer he went.

I prefer him with long hair, but life’s all about compromises, right?

I’m not a big fan of going to the doctor (or the groomer), but I am a total believer in preventive medicine, stopping small problems from becoming big ones. Clip the hair before it becomes knotted, visit your primary before uncontrolled cholesterol sends you to the Emergency Room.

Today, let’s dig in on cholesterol and statins.

According to this article, roughly one in four Americans over the age of 40 are prescribed a statin to reduce cardiovascular disease.

Many patients hesitate to take statins due to potential side effects like muscle pain or diabetes risk, leading them to seek over-the-counter supplements like plant stanols/sterols, red yeast rice, niacin, fiber, and fish oils containing omega-3 fatty acids (see Jason’s freshly caught fish above).

Now you can live a healthy life, like my little brother Haas, and go out into the Shenandoah Valley and hunt your own Morel mushroom (just remember the leading cause of death to mushroom hunters is poisonous mushrooms). Morel mushrooms do have compounds that may reduce the oxidation of cholesterol. Sadly, mushrooms alone may not be enough.

Research indicates that while some supplements may slightly reduce cholesterol, they’re not as effective as statins and lack evidence in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.

A study in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that statins reduce LDL cholesterol by 38% on average, whereas the most effective supplement, red yeast rice, only reduced LDL by about 7%.

Of course, I still have a cognitive bias about raw honey. Some studies say it may slightly improve blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Regardless, be sure to have a heart to heart with your Primary Care provider.

You may remember that last week we split the hives and sent the Queens north to start new hives (this is done so that the existing hive doesn’t grow too big and swarm to a new location.) Once the Queen is removed, the hive gets busy creating Queen cells to produce a new Queen

I’m happy to report the hives are looking good and we should have new Queens shortly, We hope to have even more honey to share with clients this September, keep your fingers crossed! No prescription required.

I had to laugh at this picture of our Air Force son Nicholas from years gone by when he was still a twerpasaur. We’d been on a road trip somewhere in the Midwest when he picked up this moustache at some novelty store. He thought it was the coolest thing.

Fast forward eighteen years and Nicholas texts us this picture of himself working on the flightline at 3:00 AM on a US base in Britain, with the same dang moustache. No matter what you do, the young uns grow up and do what they gotta do.

Remember all of our soldiers in your prayers. They are working hard to protect our freedom.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

If you know someone who might like to receive The Big 65 newsletter, forward this link.

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 10 organizations that offer 50 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

Here’s an idea that may be helpful

May this note find you in good spirits with your Medicare coverage working properly this Super Bowl 🏈 Weekend.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some really good commercials 😂📺! Perhaps even a good game, you never know.

Hopefully your coverage is working well. Have you received all your cards?

If not, reach out to Gray or book a time on my calendar if it’s complicated. We’ll get it fixed.

When watching pro sports, I’m always amazed & inspired by the elite level of fitness these men and women achieve, but…

For most of us regular humans, it’s not realistic or particularly helpful to wish for the same abilities.

Instead, our health care practitioners point to the importance of simple tried and true methods for maintaining health and longevity. I’ll summarize this article and share their most important suggestions.

Keep Moving: Regular exercise, like walking, boosts heart health, muscle strength, and balance. Aim for at least 20 minutes a day.

One of the loveliest forms of exercise we saw in the squares of Buenos Aires was Tango, people breaking into dance as part of their community rituals.

Regrettably, Q and I have NO rhythm, but we sure enjoyed watching and walking the streets to explore and getting in our steps.

Build and cherish relationships: Spend time with friends and family to beat loneliness and boost your mood. Good connections not only keep you healthier but also make life happier as you grow older.

We connected with this young fellow next to us in the bar in the old neighborhood of San Telmo, Buenos Aires. He is a Brazilian student who first trained as a lawyer but is now in Medical School Argentina. It was so interesting to hear his story as we practiced our Spanish and he practiced his English.

Stay Positive: Cultivating optimism is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and longer life. Positive thinking fosters healthier habits and resilience.

How do we stay positive? That’s the real question. For each of us, it’s going to be different.

My big brother Rob has been in a wheelchair since 2018 and he helps me put life in perspective by sharing how he sees the world:

“The quadriplegic wishes he had the mobility of me, the paraplegic. I wish for the mobility of the guy with crutches. The guy with crutches wants to be like the guy who can walk. The guy who walks wants to be like the super athlete. On it goes. I choose to give thanks for what I still have, for what I am still capable of doing.” Amen brother Rob!

Manage Health Conditions: Follow medical advice to manage conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes. It helps prevent serious complications.

I had been moaning to Quantz about a sore hip for months but had done nothing. Q twisted my arm, in a loving way, so I set a telemedicine appointment with Dr. Bruno Spinassi, an orthopedic surgeon, here in Buenos Aires. Two medications and some physical therapy later, yours truly is a new man.

Don’t wait for something minor to turn into something major.

Here’s a great suggestion from Barb in Texas:

“Many cities have mobile urgent cares that come to your home and are covered by Medicare. We utilized one in December and it saved us hours in the ER, or going to the local Urgent Care, which isn’t always faster. They require a 4 hour arrival window and were here in 1 hour.”

Be certain to check with insurance provider before you engage this service.

This sculpture now needs serious care. Until January, it was the marvel of Buenos Aires, a metal flower that opened and closed during the day. High winds in January destroyed it.

Get Good Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours each night. Quality sleep is vital for overall health and lowers the risk of memory problems. Don’t sleep with your phone and put it away a few hours before you go to bed.

Adequate sleep not only enhances overall well-being but also reduces the risk of dementia and other cognitive impairments.

Eat Healthily: Embrace a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats like those found in the Mediterranean diet. This dietary approach lowers the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and dementia.

Everything in moderation, including gelato🍨.

Quit Smoking, Limit Drinking: Quitting smoking reduces the risk of deadly diseases. Limit alcohol to one drink daily for women, two for men, to avoid health problems.

Did I say moderation? I thought we ordered a small 🍺! By following these simple tips, you can boost your chances of living a longer, healthier life.

Most important, keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

How will you be remembered?

May this blog post find you in great health with your Medicare coverage working properly.

Question: How will you be remembered?

Are you taking time to enjoy the holidays with family and friends? You better! Yours truly is so happy to be over the busy season but still giving thanks for your staying connected to the Big 65.

Book a time on my calendar if you need help or reach out to my admin Gray at gray@thebig65.com.

FYI, Medicare Part B Premiums increase to $174.90 on 1/1/24. The Part B Deductible will increase to $240. Happy New Year 🎉, kind of.

This ornament has been hanging on Kyler Christmas trees for the past 170 years.

It began life in Breslau Germany, then traveled to Iowa, West Virginia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Connecticut, New Jersey, Virginia, California, Georgia and now Colorado. I wish I could meet all the family members it has seen over the years and hear the stories – can you imagine?

It was on our tree when we were children but only recently did I translate it, thanks to AI. Rest assured our AI Overlords will NOT take over the world before Xmas because they couldn’t even couldn’t spell “Grandparents” and it changed “1853” to “1837” 😠! Nevertheless, look at the message my ancestors sent forward.

I don’t even know the names of these great great great grandparents, but the next time I dig through my late parent’s papers, I’ll try to find out. They wanted to be remembered.

One pleasure of Christmas is remembering where the ornaments came from and piecing together the story of our lives, the origin story we hope to pass on.

Thirty-five years of marriage, kids, animals, careers, adventures, and friends. It all comes flooding back as we hang each ornament and go through the boxes. Hopefully you too are writing some of it down for your children. They’ll be glad to have it when we are gone.

We’ve been having warm days here Colorado and it’s a joy to watch the bees feasting on sugar water, filling their larder before the deep freeze returns. I’m hoping both hives will make it through the winter.

Just for the fun of it, we infused one bottle with pomegranate seeds and cayenne. We’ll pour it over brie on Xmas day. How will you be celebrating the holidays?

Congrats to understated Adrienne for completing a 5K and placing third in her age division (and for winning the funniest costume award 🏆).

Most of all I’m very proud of her for battling through knee injuries that kept her from running for years, but Adrienne “ain’t” a quitter. That’s a lesson for all of us to remember.

The Japanese use the word “gaman,” to endure, like the stone.

Jean has done some traveling this year, but what I admire most are her Christmas Cacti. She has the green thumb I wish we had.

Meanwhile, Claire is leaving town and heading west to see the grandvarmints, life’s great joy (at least till they get to high school, right?) You can tell from her smile that she is feeling excited.

My wife Q has been enjoying her volunteer work for the Sheriff’s Department. This week she got to help out with the toy drive, helping the officers bring joy back to the community they serve with honor. During the event, shopper’s at the local Walmart saw what they were doing and, unbidden, donated another FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS to helping those in need.

Of course we are in the middle of culture war with idiots on all sides calling each other names, but NEVER doubt the generosity and the love that ALL Americans have for each other. Despite the noise, when push comes to shove, “there is no them, there is only us.” Treat everyone with kindness and you’ll be amazed.

Lynne and Paul travel everywhere with Henri, the Bichon Frise. This picture was sent from Harry’s Bar in Venice. Our dog Plato is totally jealous 🐶🐩 😒!

Every time I ride my bike past this rock cairn in the hills behind our home, I add a stone, sometimes big, sometimes little, but I’m sure to do it every time. Our lives are sum of our actions and sometimes it takes decades to see the results. Do your best to place the stones in good places.

And of course, just as I finish the newsletter, I’m blessed with a Facetime call from my big brother Robert, sharing his beautiful grandchild, life’s great joy! Who knows, perhaps one day that two hundred year old ornament will adorn her Christmas tree, her grandparents asking to be remembered.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life and look for ways to help others!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family …

May this blog find you in great health with your Medicare coverage working properly.

Plato and I are batching it this holiday weekend while Q is in the Low Country with her siblings and her dad. Does this look like party time in America? We are smoking turkeys and living large!

Are you still ignoring the Call Center propaganda? The big corporations are happy to switch you, but when it comes to customer service, good luck in the Philippines when they mess things up!

Always deal with an individual, never a corporate vacuum. Use the same person year after year, even if it’s me 😊.

If you need to make a change, Book a time here or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com and he’ll squeeze you on to my calendar. If you are happy, mute the commercial.

I took a few calls this morning to make sure I’m staying caught up. I love hearing what people are preparing. Sean always deep fries his birds and they look amazing.

Plato and I tried a different tack this year, spatchcocking the bird, then cutting it in half. We then injected it, covered it in spices, vacuum sealed it, and then sous vided, cooking it in a water bath at 140F for five hours. We then threw it in ice water and smoked it. It turned into a bigger job than I expected, but it was fun to try something new.

We’ll see what the neighbors say when I bring it over. Keep your fingers crossed, but it won’t be for lack of effort.

I love this poem because it captures the essence of aging (and cooking turkeys), don’t go quietly.

When things do not go our way, it’s too easy to give up, to blame others, to feel sorry for ourselves, to find an excuse instead of moving forward. This brings us to the topic of loneliness and the steps we can take to minimize it.

According to this article, the simple act of saying hello to strangers can have a huge impact on wellness and happiness.

I said hello to Tony while walking on the Bluffs and we ended up having an incredible conversation. I never would have known the obstacles he has overcome and continues to battle if I hadn’t reached out to make the connection. This dude has incredible fortitude.

Saying hello to clients daily and reconnecting year after year is the most meaningful part of my job. This morning, I learned the story of Clara Belle, Mary Beth’s adorable dog.

“I rescued her off the highway where I saw her running along. I turned the car around and opened up my car door and she jumped right in. I put ads on Facebook and Next Door but never received any responses. She had no chip and hadn’t been spayed. After a trip to the vet and the groomer she has become such a delightful friend. God definitely does work in mysterious ways!”

Never underestimate the power of a kind word or kind act. Small acts can change the world.

Of course big acts like Boris the Mastiff, dressed as a beanie baby, warm hearts equally.

I’m guessing Annette and Mark had lots of hellos from strangers when they took this 200 pound bundle of love out to trick or treat.

Here’s the bottom line:

Many of you know our house is empty of guests and exchange students for the first time since we married.

This week, my Buckeye buddy David reached out and told me of a youngun who needed a place to live… with his dog. I must be getting old because my first reaction was “OMG, that’s all we need is two dogs in the house.” I was becoming curmudgeonly.

I told David I’d get back to him in a week or so after I spoke with Q.

I called Quantz and she immediately reframed the situation, “so we’ll set expectations and we’ll make it work, besides, it’s not like Plato doesn’t destroy things from time to time, it’s only stuff.”

My reflex had been to say no, not yes. Thank goodness I married up. Instead of waiting a week, I called the Max Thanksgiving morning and told him he was welcome in our home.

Of course it’ll require adaption, of course it won’t be perfect, of course Plato will be jealous, of course it was the best thing we could have done.

Say hello to strangers, they won’t be strangers for long and you won’t be lonely.

Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here
Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

As a novice to navigating the Medicare system, I cannot recommend the services of Karl enough. His knowledge has saved my wife and I a lot of money, both on the Medicare supplement insurance and the drug coverage. Costs you nothing to listen and has saved up thousands of dollars over time.
– Robert B

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in thirty states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin

This might keep you out of the ER!

May this blog post find you in great health with your Medicare Insurance working properly .

The fourth of July is behind us now and we are cruising into full summer. We had a great time eating with neighbors and watching the little ones play hard.

This might keep you out of the ER ….!

Plato had a little too much fun on the fourth, he grabbed the grease drip off the BBQ and went rogue …

It took an hour of scrubbing to get all the grease off his face. Live and learn, right?

Plato didn’t get sick, thank goodness, but his escapade did remind me of an article I wanted to share: “5 Things I’d Never Do As Urgent Care Doctor This Summer,” from Zocdoc.com.

The article lists five absolute must NOTS to avoid in the summer:

1. Don’t dive headfirst without knowing the water depth.

2. Don’t ride without a helmet.

3. Don’t walk in the woods without long pants tucked in and tick protection.

4. Don’t play with firecrackers.

5. Don’t eat food that’s been sitting out too long in the sun or that has been undercooked.

For our rock-climbing daughter, Sus, I’d also add, “don’t tell your dad when you’re climbing.”

She’s an engineer and super methodical but I still prefer to remember the words from Hogan’s Heroes:

The bottom line, there’s enough risk in our lives already, being aware of these simple things to avoid will increase your chances of staying out of the ER.

Quantz had her high school reunion last weekend up in Loveland, and everybody seemed to have a great time, the weather was lovely.

Isn’t it funny how important we thought the small stuff was back in the day?

Now we’re just happy when our backs don’t hurt and our kids are doing okay .

Thanks to Adrienne for sending this picture of Winston, he’s all grown up and looks great, like a mini Plato (but probably better trained )

That’s it for this week; Keep squeezing the juice out of life!

Medicare questions or problems?

Book a time on my calendar or email Gray, Gray@theBig65.com.

If family or friends need help… referrals are the lifeblood of my business.

Let us know what’s going on and please send pictures :).

Karl Bruns-Kyler
(877) 850-0211
Book a time on my calendar here

Happy with my Service? Click Here to Leave a Review.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. This is a proprietary website and is not associated, endorsed or authorized by the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services or the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This site contains decision-support content and information about Medicare, services related to Medicare and services for people with Medicare. If you would like to find more information about the Medicare program please visit the Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare located at http://www.medicare.gov

Karl Bruns-Kyler is a Medicare insurance broker and independent Medicare agent licensed to help Medicare recipients in twenty-three states around the country, including:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Wisconsin

The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services does not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all your options.

How To Age In Place

Hi this is Karl with The Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services and I hope you’re having a great week.

If you live long enough you’re going to get older.

And if you get older, it’s important to have a plan put together to be able to age in place.

Are you living in a house where you can live out the rest of your life safely?

Almost everyone hopes to live out their life as independently in their own home.

Very few take the actions necessary in advance to achieve this goal.

As a result, many people lose the ability to live at home when a preventable accident occurs.

Take proactive steps so you can take so that you can live in your home as long as possible.

Install shower bars proactively.

Put in slip resistant services.

Here is a link with ideas on how to make sure your house is set up for you to age in place.

And if you have questions about Medicare insurance, book a time on my calendar here.

How To Age Well

“Getting old ain’t for sissies,” that’s what my neighbor used to say.

The good news is there are many small things we can do daily to slow down the aging process.

Keep moving. Seven thousand steps or about 30 minutes of daily exercise seems to essential to staying healthy and aging well. A little bit of exercise daily goes a long way, we don’t need to go crazy working out.

Engage with others. Saying hello to others we encounter during daily errands or reconnecting with friends and family can provide a huge boost to our mental health and help us to enjoy life and to live longer.

Use your brain. Read books, listen to podcasts, do puzzles, try out a new recipe for jalapeno cornbread. Changing your routine and doing new things will improve your cognitive functioning and it could slow down the aging process.

Here’s an article with ideas on how to slow down the aging process.

And if you have questions about Medicare Insurance Coverage, book a time on my calendar here.

Attention Medicare Consumers!

As a Medicare Insurance Consumer, beware of big promises from Captain Kirk, Joe Namath, Joe Montana, JJ and all the others.

Big corporate call centers often promise the moon but once you sign up, you’ll rarely if ever talk to the same person again, you’ll be handed off to the dreaded “customer retention center.”

As the joke goes, when a customer calls in to these places to find out why things aren’t working:

Before you were a prospect, now you are customer!

With the Big 65 Medicare Insurance, you have a single point of contact, Karl Bruns-Kyler.

As broker working with all the different Medicare Insurance Plans, we don’t switch clients unless there is a reason.

And if you have a problem with the carrier and they won’t fix it, I’m here help, and we will make things right.

So if you want an agent who will be with you for life, book a time on my calendar here.

Do I Need To Review My Medicare Insurance Coverage?

I hope you are having a great week as the weather starts to turn cooler :).

The Medicare Annual Election Period begins in October.

In September, your current carrier should be sending you a copy of the Annual Notice of Changes.

Here, you will be able to read how your plan will be changing for 2022.

If you are not happy with the changes, or you are just unsure if your Medicare Insurance plan is still appropriate for you…

Book a time on my calendar here

Here is a link to the Medicare & You 2022 Handbook

Can you see the Medicare Stars?

Hello, this is Karl Bruns-Kyler with the Big 65 Medicare Insurance Services and I hope you’re having a great week.

My wife Quantz and I are currently in Vienna and it is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

Today I want to talk about the importance of medical ratings for providers.

Whether you are receiving home health care, or you have a family member in a long-term care facility, or you would simply like to know the ratings of the hospital where you are going to receive an outpatient procedure, you have options.

I am attaching a link to the Medicare.gov website where you can find the ratings for hospitals, home healthcare providers, long-term care facilities and medical service providers.

If the ratings for a provider is lower than 3 or 3.5 stars, you may want to consider other providers.

Ratings can change monthly so do your homework. Here is the link:

Find and Compare Nursing Homes, Hospitals and Other Providers Near You

The Annual Election Period begins in October.

If your medication’s have changed, if your doctors have changed, or if you’re hearing a lot about new plans and you’re just curious, book a time on my calendar pull out and I’ll be happy to review your options.

Book a time on my calendar here and we’ll talk soon.