Latest News
Report: Medicare agency not doing enough to stop duplicate audits
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must do a better job of ensuring its auditors aren’t conducting duplicate reviews of payments to healthcare providers, according to the Government Accountability Office. While the CMS has improved its oversight of contractors,…
Medicare home health reforms protect quality care
The Medicare home health benefit enables millions of vulnerable senior and disabled individuals to access high-quality, clinically-advanced care at home — at a cost far below the alternative option of expensive hospitalizations and facility-based care that keeps the patient away…
Limits on Dependents’ Disability Benefits
Family members who were financially dependent on a disabled worker who is eligible to receive Social Security disability benefits are often eligible to receive family benefits. These Social Security benefits are called dependents’ or auxiliary benefits and are available to…
An unexpected death brings Social Security questions
Regular readers know I often urge married couples to select a Social Security claiming strategy that will result in the largest possible survivor benefit. That is usually accomplished by having the higher-earning spouse delay collecting retirement benefits as long as…
Anti-Fraud Bill Presses CMS to Nix Social Security Numbers on Medicare Cards
Medicare identification cards would no longer display beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers under a new bill outlined recently by the chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, released the draft text of a measure that compiles a wide range of…
Is a Social Security number required to buy a new car?
Erica recently purchased a new car, and she intended to pay the full amount up front with a personal check. Nevertheless, she said the dealer insisted that she provide her Social Security number. Erica objected, saying it wasn’t necessary because she…
Millennials buy stocks for head start on retirement saving
Chad Gentry would rather bet on his own ability to save for the next 40 years than on the Social Security Administration’s solvency, so enrollment in his employer’s 401(k) plan was a no-brainer. “I wanted to take advantage of that to…
FL Vet Disability Backlog at 22000
Florida has the highest number of backlogged veteran disability claims in the country, according to the Miami Herald. About 59.7 percent of veteran disability claims in Florida are backlogged, meaning they have been pending for more than 125 days. That’s more than…
House Ways and Means Committee Marks Up ABLE Act
On July 31, The House Ways and Means Committee marked up the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (H.R. 647). The ABLE Act seeks to create tax-favored savings accounts for people with disabilities that would not count toward the…
6 ways to prepare for retirement
While retirement living can appeal to the nine-to-fiver with dreams of relaxing, traveling or buying a beach house, saving for retirement often breeds fear. But if you follow these six simple rules for retirement savings, you can focus on the dream…