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Generation X Needs to Retire on the Purple Social Security Plan
I don’t know many people who would turn down a guaranteed source of income when they are retired. Social Security was supposed to be something everyone could count on when they are too old to work. As a member of Generation…
Prof immerses class in disability during excursion
On Monday morning, a small class of Ohio University students took to the streets of Athens on a journey to explore the recently completed Schoonover Center. Led by their professor, J.W. Smith, the students found the short trip from Lasher…
Can-you-retire-on-$1000?
A new report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute has revealed some frightening figures about the average Americans’ retirement preparedness. Perhaps the most striking finding in the 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey is that 36% of workers surveyed have less than $1,000 in retirement savings. And, those 36% are among…
Vets to receive disability claims faster
There is relief for veterans looking receive disability claims sooner. Acting Commissioner of Social Security announced the launch of a new disability process to expedite claims filed by veterans with a Department of Affairs disability compensation rating of 100% Permanent &…
Important to Give Advance Warning About Coming Changes to Social Security
The United States faces “fundamental fiscal challenges” stemming from the growth in spending for Social Security and major health care programs,” CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf told a gathering in Washington on Tuesday. The rising cost of those programs leaves Americans…
Retirement Risks: It All Starts With Longevity
With retirement, one sometimes sees the terms accumulation and decumlation. The accumulation phase is the pre-retirement period when we work and save for retirement. Upon retiring, decumulation begins. We need to determine the best way to spend down our assets and…
How to Maximize Social Security Survivor Benefits
Most people – maybe even most accountants – think of Social Security as just a government retirement plan. But perhaps just as important are the survivor benefits, the payments made to survivors following the death of the insured beneficiary. These payments can…
54 Statistics on Hospital Medicare Margins
In 2012, the average Medicare margin for a U.S. hospital stayed steady at -5.4 percent, according to the latest data analyzed by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. MedPAC released its March 2014 report to Congress late last week, which included several recommendations…
Iowa first to get TV ad decrying cuts to Medicare
A new front is developing in the political fight over Obamacare, and Iowa may be on the front lines. An advertisement hits TV screens today telling central Iowa residents that the federal health care law contained Medicare cuts to home health…
Full Medicare Coverage Needed for CT Lung Cancer Screening
National Medicare coverage of low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening for patients at high risk for lung cancer needs to be implemented, quickly, say several medical organizations, including the American College of Radiology (ACR). Medical and patient groups are requesting that The…