Latest News
Turmoil in Medicare Advantage hits NC seniors hard
North Carolina senior citizens who choose private Medicare policies are seeing an unusual level of turmoil this year, with more than 57,000 notified their plans won’t be offered in 2015 and others seeing rates more than triple. The upheaval involves…
How Social Security raise impacts retirees
Social Security recipients will get a 1.7% cost-of-living adjustment starting in January, according to the Social Security Administration. For the average retired person receiving Social Security, monthly payments will rise $22 to $1,328 from $1,306. The average couple’s benefits will rise…
Will My Doctor Be At My Social Security Disability Appeals Hearing?
It is highly unlikely that your treating physician will attend your Social Security disability hearing. Unless your doctor is a personal friend you can convince to attend your hearing, your doctor in almost all cases will not be there First,…
Medicare policy changes rattle those who depend on communication devices
For the better part of a year, people who have speech impairment or loss feared that a sudden, and painfully literal, reinterpretation of Medicare policy would diminish their abilities to communicate. Their advocates and the makers of communications devices also…
Disability system for veterans strays far from its official purpose
Illinois Representative Tammy Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost both legs in IRAQ, at a Washington oversight hearing, noted: “You, who never picked up a weapon in defense of this great nation, very cynically took advantage of the system,” she…
How to build wealth in small investments
The reaction of a lot of retirees to the recent news that their Social Security checks will rise next year by an average of $20 per month amounted to “Thanks for nothing.” The question is whether they can turn that…
Disability is less a barrier to the arts than attitude is
CATA, based in Great Barrington, Mass., is one of a growing number of organizations across the country that enable people with disabilities to participate in the enrichment and cultural conversations that the arts offer. Almost 25 years after the passage…
Open enrollment for Medicare ends Dec. 7; AAA7 available for assistance
Are you a Medicare beneficiary? Are you aware that open enrollment for some Medicare benefits ends Dec. 7? Open enrollment is the time of the year when changes can be made in the plans and providers you’ve chosen for your…
Confusing ‘comfort animal’ laws lead to 3-year landlord-tennant battle
Diana Alton’s living room table is stacked high with Santa Claus figurines and other Christmas decorations, but until about three years ago the holidays were no cause for her to celebrate. That’s when her doctor told her to get a…
AOA scores important wins in 2015 Medicare fee schedule
Medicare’s 2015 physician fee schedule includes critical changes the AOA has fought for—provisions that will have a long-lasting impact on optometry and the delivery of medical eye care to Medicare patients. “These are significant wins for the AOA, our members…