Latest News
Are We Missing a Chance to Keep Health Costs Low?
During the past six months, spending on healthcare in the United States has accelerated substantially, new data on gross domestic product suggest. Naturally, that’s led to some breathless commentary suggesting the era of low health-cost growth we’ve been enjoying for…
Social Security Is Important to American Indians and Alaska Natives
Social Security is neutral with respect to race or ethnicity – individuals with identical earnings histories are treated the same in terms of benefits. This Fact Sheet is provided by the Social Security Administration to highlight how American Indians and…
Scrapping the Social Security payroll tax cap
Late month, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) announced plans to introduce a bill to increase the annual cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security. He proposed to pay for it by raising the Social Security payroll tax rate of the wealthiest Americans —…
5 ways divorce could affect your Social Security benefits
If you’re getting divorced or remarried, “for better or for worse” and “for richer or for poorer” can have real meaning for Social Security benefits. Most retirees are uninformed about how Social Security benefits are calculated, and often overlook how…
Many Still Unaware That Medicare Coverage Is Now Available for Many Chronic Conditions
If you are a Medicare beneficiary receiving skilled care for a chronic condition, you no longer have to show improvement in order to have the care covered, but your provider (such as a doctor, home care agency, or nursing home)…
7 tips to make retirement savings last
Even if you were smart (or lucky) enough to have a comfortable retirement nest egg, you may still worry that it may not last you through what may be 30 years of retirement. As many retirees and pre-retirees saw in…
Post-Election Changes to the Medicare Prescription Drug Program?
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, has penned an op-ed in The Hill urging the incoming head of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promise no post-Election changes to the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. Read…
Does Mom Have Enough Money?
According to the National Council on Aging, more than 13 million older adults are considered economically insecure, living on less than $22,000 a year. Over 30% of older adults rely on Social Security for 90% of their income. In addition,…
Social Security to Resume Mailing Paper Statements
The Social Security Administration is finalizing plans to resume mailing paper Social Security statements to some workers in September 2014. Statements will be sent to workers every five years in the year they attain ages 25, 30, 35, 40, 45,…
Optimistic Jobs Numbers Obscure Swelling Social Security Disability Insurance Rolls
Lost in the cheering over from President Obama’s hype section over last Friday’s jobs report was a major factor: the millions of unemployed on the federal disability rolls. If we added them, plus those who have given up looking for work, then…