Latest News
Medicare reimbursement rates low for local providers
Dozens of local health care providers saw Medicare reimbursement rates dip under 20 percent while some got half the amount they billed for, according to new data recently released by the federal government showing Medicare claims and payments. For the first…
Your 2013 tax bill probably rose; here’s why
Whether you filed your taxes months ago or just finished your return, millions of Americans saw their 2013 tax bills go up. The “fiscal cliff” deal that Congress hammered out at the beginning of 2013 seems like ancient history, but it’s…
Social Security to resume benefits statement mailings
Paper Social Security benefits statements, which used to be mailed out every year and then fell victim to budget cuts, are going to make a partial comeback. Starting this September, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will resume mailings at five-year intervals…
Social Security Benefits From Your Ex
“I don’t think it is right for longtime divorcées to receive the windfall of a widow’s benefit,” writes a reader. “Social Security could save some money there.” She’s referring to your right to tap into your ex-spouse’s survivor’s benefit if you…
Generational equity and the ‘Next America’
In the week since we published The Next America data essay, a few critics have portrayed our report as an effort to foment a “generational war” over Social Security and Medicare. Let me respond. While the essay (and companion book) is mainly about the sweeping demographic changes now…
Frequently asked questions about Medicare
Since 1966, residents 65 or older have been able to sign up for Medicare, the federal government’s health plan for seniors. But there are now private plans available, as well as a drug plan, giving people more options — but also…
Medicare payment data opens a whole new avenue for political attacks.
I can’t think of any other American industry that has undergone as many sweeping competitive and regulatory changes in such a short time as health care. But one change – the release of data on Medicare payments made to health…
Does the Social Security Trust Fund Really Exist?
In a memorable scene from the classic sitcom “Sanford and Son,” a legal predicament led Fred Sanford to consider hiring a man who was peddling cut-rate attorney services. When Sanford and the man met, the conversation that ensued went something…
Dr. Anil Kumar Files Paperwork for Congress Bid in Michigan
Dr. Anil Kumar, who told India-West last December that he would run for Congress in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District in suburban Detroit (I-W, Dec. 27), officially filed his paperwork and submitted the required signatures to run April 11. “I’m running…
Democrats Confront Vexing Politics Over the Health Care Law
When Franklin D. Roosevelt established Social Security, he created generations of loyal Democrats. When Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, he built on that legacy, particularly with older Americans. And when George W. Bush instituted a new prescription drug…