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Medicaid Adds Another Million Enrollees In May
While enrollment in private health insurance through online marketplaces may be closed until Nov. 15, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program added almost a million new patients in May, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Between…
State has dragged feet on disability reforms, court monitor says
Nearly three years after a landmark court settlement required Minnesota to revamp its services for thousands of residents with disabilities, federal authorities have found that the state’s effort has been beset by bureaucratic inertia and missed deadlines. County social workers…
Watch out for these 3 retirement traps
You max out your 401k, have equity in your home, and keep an eye on your portfolio—so why do you still feel uneasy about the future? Maybe because you’ve fallen into one of these three common retirement traps, says Gregory Salsbury,…
Retirement Income: The Average American Is in Deep Trouble (but There’s Hope)
I hate reading news from the National Institute for Retirement Security; it’s really depressing. Each report details how unprepared U.S. citizens are for their retirement. The latest report indicates the average American has $30,345 in a defined retirement account. “Woefully…
Events celebrate disability act anniversary
A poetry slam and performance art will showcase disability culture in a celebration of the 24th anniversary of the of the Americans with Disabilities Act. “A lot of people think of us as broken able-bodied people,” said Bruce Darling, president and…
Medicare bilked in dubious lab billings
Medicare remains a rich target for unscrupulous medical providers, according to evidence in a report released this week by the inspector general of the Department of Health & Human Services. The report focused on lab billing under Medicare Part B and found…
Social Security: 6 States That Heavily Tax Benefits
As a retiree, there are few things as frustrating as the fact that your Social Security benefits are potentially subject to federal income taxes. Weren’t previously paid taxes what financed them in the first place? To make matters worse, a handful…
New parking meters to cut down on disability placard fraud
BALTIMORE —The first phase of Project Space, an initiative that means there’s no more free parking for vehicles displaying disabled placards, kicked off in Baltimore’s central business district on Thursday. Baltimore’s mayor is set to announce Wednesday a new initiative aimed…
Budget deficit will drop to $583 billion
The White House said Friday that the federal government’s budget deficit will drop to $583 billion this year, the lowest level of President Barack Obama’s tenure. Last year’s deficit was $680 billion. The latest update from the White House budge…
The wrong folks get billions in tax dollars
A government watchdog agency said an estimated $106 billion in payments were made in error last year: meaning they were the wrong amount, went to the wrong person or lacked sufficient documentation. These payments include tax refunds, unemployment benefits, Social Security benefits, and…