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Medicare Follies—The Annual Wellness Visit
Over the last few years, Medicare–the government insurance program for the elderly—has added a few benefits, one of them being a yearly doctor visit. This “Annual Wellness Visit” is a great source of confusion around the office. Patients come in…
Graves’ Disease and Social Security Disability
As the most common cause of hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease is a prevalent endocrine disorder that is often successfully managed by medications and other treatment methods. Some people with this autoimmune-driven disorder are unable to control their symptoms though, and some…
Top retirement expense: Your home
Home and home-related costs are the biggest expense for people 50 and older, accounting for 40% to 45% of their household budgets, says a report out today from the non-profit Employee Benefit Research Institute. In 2011, people ages 65 to 74 spent…
Government Insider Warned of HealthCare.gov Security Risks: ‘I Am Tired of the Cover-Ups’
Government insiders who flagged security issues prior to the launch of HealthCare.gov were right to be concerned. That’s according to a new audit by the Government Accountability Office, which concluded that security weaknesses are putting “the sensitive personal information” contained…
Wake Forest, WakeMed, Vidant form non-ownership alliance
Three health systems in North Carolina have formed a non-ownership alliance that will allow them to share back-office functions while still maintaining their independence. The deal is the latest in a string of similar transactions occurring across the country, allowing systems to meet…
Medicare says program saved more than $372 million
Medicare said Tuesday that a program that aims to deliver quality health care and spend less has delivered more than $372 million in total savings for the federal health-care program. The hospitals and doctors that participate in the accountable care organizations…
Anthem’s Vivity alliance with seven L.A. systems aims at Kaiser
News of an unusual joint venture between Anthem Blue Cross and seven Los Angeles health systems signaled new competition for Kaiser Permanente, the integrated health system with one of California’s largest insurers. It also underscores the eagerness across the industry to broker novel…
Generation Z Are Social Security Cynics Who Ignore Stock Market
Why are so many younger Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 — Generation “Z” to the demographic crowd — prone to save money, but not invest it? One reason could be that Gen Z is saving to buy their…
Four in Five Women Take Social Security Early
More than four in five women elect to take their Social Security early, which locks in a lower payment for life, but provides immediate income. Despite that many of those retirees say financial problems have taken the shine off what…
A Repair Plan for the Social Security Disability Insurance Program | Commentary
If our combined 40 years in Congress has taught us anything, it is that policymakers rarely deal with problems until the last possible minute. For the Social Security Disability Insurance program, that deadline is only two years away. In the last…