May 2023 Newsletter
Friends,
Q: What’s the leading cause of dry skin?
A: Towels!
Last month, Clara G. won the free lunch because she was the 26th person to open my newsletter. I wished more people could win. So this month the first 50 people who email me back with their coffee preference of Dunkin’ or Starbucks will receive a $10 gift card in the mail to your address I have on file of your preferred place and win a free coffee on me.
Thanks again for reading my newsletter!
Kind Regards,
Michael Antonini
What’s New
1) The FDA approved another round of coronavirus booster shots.
Another round of updated COVID-19 booster shots for older and medically vulnerable Americans was authorized recently by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Click here for more details.
2) Customer service at the Social Security Administration may get worse before it gets better.
The Social Security Administration announced that wait times on calls to the national number may INCREASE to 35 MINUTES, and the waiting period for disability claims may even jump to 15 MONTHS. Just last December, we fought hard to expand the Social Security Administration’s budget to help solve this issue — and Congress listened, by boosting the administration’s funding by $785 MILLION dollars. So it’s outrageous that seniors and people with disabilities may STILL have to deal with terrible customer service in 2023. We flooded the inboxes of our lawmakers! That’s why we won’t accept this announcement. Tell Congress: Step in with oversight of the Social Security Administration’s customer service to make sure improvements are followed through.
Ask an Expert: Tiffany Millacci
Tiffany Millacci, Ph.D.
Friends, I have become a big fan of gratitude and am working on developing gratitude as a character trait. Here is a summary from Tiffany Millacci who studies gratitude:
"What exactly is gratitude, and how can we experience more of it daily? Gratitude is the act of recognizing and acknowledging the good things that happen, resulting in a state of appreciation (Sansone & Sansone, 2010). Often when we consider what we are grateful for, overt and profound life experiences, circumstances, and events come to mind. We may feel grateful for our upbringing, family, job, good health, and the opportunity to gain an education. While recognizing and being grateful for these experiences is important, our gratitude practice must also venture below the surface.
Below the surface, we find the simple, everyday pleasures that often go unnoticed. This may be a great book we read, laughter with a friend, or even the joy of eating ice cream in the sunshine. Whatever these simple pleasures may be, consciously expressing our gratitude for them can help us grow our daily gratitude practice beyond the surface level.”
Here is a link to a more detailed article from Tiffany.
Important Dates
May 1: Redeterminations for those on Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Program are now resuming. For the past 3 years during the pandemic, people received a passive renewal. Starting now you will actually need to do a redetermination. I can help you if you want and some of the insurance companies send out letters to help you as well.
May 14: Mother's Day
May 29: Memorial Day
Happy Birthday to all celebrating birthdays in May!
All the Best,
Michael
