Q: I am looking for a family activity in early October. Do you have any suggestions?
A: I think I have just the event for your family outing. Cypress Place Senior Living and the Young and Brave Foundation will co-host Under the Big Top from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8.
This fundraiser will benefit the Young and Brave Foundation, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping youths beat cancer.
The event will feature a strolling circus clown making balloon animals for children, carnival games and dancing at the Dixieland band stage for the not so young, and everyone can stop by the magnificent magician’s area to be awed and amazed.
Children can meet and pet farm animals, and everyone can enter the raffle for fun and prizes and enjoy a delicious Philly cheesesteak sandwich lunch.
Cypress Place Senior Living is at 1200-1220 Cypress Point Lane in Ventura. A $10 donation is suggested for adults and a $5 donation is suggested for children 12 and younger. Game and raffle tickets will be sold separately. Free shuttle parking will be available at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 5654 Ralston St.
For more information or to RSVP, call 650-8000. To learn more about Cypress Point, visit www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com or to learn more about the Young and Brave Foundation, visit www.theyoungandbrave.com.
Q: I retired a few months ago, and I’m a new enrollee in Medicare. I’m planning a vacation to several European countries and need to know whether Medicare will pay the claim if I need medical services overseas?
A: This is an excellent question. Unfortunately, Medicare does not cover health care services outside the United States and its territories except in three very specific situations.
While you are in the United States, if an emergency occurs and either a Canadian or Mexican hospital is closer or more accessible than the nearest U.S. hospital equipped to provide the necessary emergency services, then Medicare would be responsible for the claim.
If an emergency occurs while you are traveling through Canada on the most direct route between Alaska and another state in the lower U.S. and a Canadian hospital is the closest and most easily accessible facility that can provide the necessary emergency medical care, then Medicare would provide coverage.
The third exception depends on the proximity of your home to the closest hospital. Regardless of whether an emergency exists or where an illness or injury occurs, if your home in the United States is closer or substantially more accessible to a Canadian or Mexican hospital than to the closest U.S. hospital equipped to handle the medical problem, then your Medicare coverage would be effective.
As part of your vacation planning, you should always check to determine whether your medical insurance will cover you while out of the country, whether on Medicare or not.
Most Medicare Medigap insurance plans provide some emergency coverage during foreign travel. If your policy doesn’t cover such travel or has large co-payments, you may want to consider the purchase of special trip health insurance for your protection.
Happenings
Medicare 2017 seminars:
From 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday at the Simi Valley Senior Center, 3900 Avenida Simi. Call 583-6363 for reservations.
From 2:30-2 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Goebel Adult Community Center, 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks, Call 381-2744 for reservations.
From 1:30-3 p.m. Oct. 14 at the Moorpark Active Adult Center, 799 Moorpark Ave. Call 517-6261 for reservations.
Neighbors Together: Camarillo community meeting on the new concept for aging in place will begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 13 in the City Council chambers, 601 Carmen Drive, Camarillo. The meeting is sponsored by Camarillo Council on Aging.
