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30-day hospital readmission rates vary after inpatient rehab
Nearly 12% of Medicare patients who receive inpatient rehabilitation following discharge from acute-care hospitalization are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days after discharge from the rehabilitation facility, according to a study in the Feb. 12 issue of the Journal of the American…
Healthcare finance: Little has changed since mid-1960s
Out of curiosity, I decided to wander through the archived online edition of the Los Angeles Times on the day I was born. At the risk of dating myself, on the day I entered the world, you could rent a decent apartment for a…
Group tries to slow federal government’s move away from paper to the Web
As the Obama administration pushes to do more business over the Internet, finally seeking to close the technology gap with the private sector, the digital makeover is running into a dogged opponent called Consumers for Paper Options. The group is working…
Putting Social Security on Solid Footing
If you lend yourself money, should you charge interest on the loan? It would depend on how badly you need the interest income, wouldn’t it? If you were desperate for cash, you’d pay yourself a hefty interest rate. After all, you need the…
What Does Chocolate Have To Do With Social Security?
February is National Chocolate Lover’s Month. So please accept as our gift to you this variety sampler of Social Security’s sweetest online services. Forrest Gump’s momma always said life was like a box of chocolates. “You never know what you’re gonna…
New Bill Proposes New Ways to Pay Doctors for Medicare
The federal government has proposed a change for the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, the formula used in determining doctors’ yearly fee for Medicare. SGR was first introduced in 1997 but it was never really implemented. It aims to cut the…
Listing beneficiaries on retirement accounts can help heirs avoid large tax bills
Aunt Lilly was not known for her kindness or thoughtful nature. She had a tendency to knit, loudly, when she was sad, and given her propensity toward ennui, she knit quite a bit. Aunt Lilly had been kindly asked to…
Does human nature put your retirement at risk?
There’s a reason why so many people are anxious about their retirement — it’s called human nature. Let’s see how we might be helped by changes in the way researchers and retirement analysts are looking at how we make decisions.…
Social Security Benefits: When Waiting Doesn’t Pay
Social Security’s rules are complex, but often, they reward those who are able to defer taking their benefits beyond their full retirement age. But that isn’t true of all Social Security benefits. With some, there’s no advantage to be gained by waiting.…
DeMarrais: Your records aren’t all digital
I’m a pack rat, especially when it comes to financial records, even though I know there is no need to keep most of the tax returns, pay stubs and receipts for more than three to six years. So, while going through…