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Should you take a buyout?
President Donald Trump’s administration has offered buyouts to federal employees to reduce the government workforce. The deadline is Feb. 6 for more than 2 million workers to accept the offer. Even if you are not one of the federal employees…
What is micro-retirement?
An estimated 13 percent of baby boomers plan to re-enter the job market in The Great Retiree Return, while Gen Z workers are entering into the phase of “micro-retirement.” So, what is micro-retirement, and how does it differ from traditional…
Medicare Advantage insurers and prior authorization determinations in 2023
Medicare Advantage members, 99 percent, are required to obtain prior authorization for higher-cost services, such as inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility stays, and chemotherapy. Insurers will use prior authorization and provider networks to manage utilization and lower costs. The…
Navigating the SSDI program
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides monthly payments to people with a disability that stops or limits their ability to work for at least a year. In addition to meeting the Social Security Administration’s definition of disability, individuals must have…
Is Social Security Impacted by the Federal Grants Pause?
Within days of taking office, President Trump ordered a pause on all grants and loans already approved by the government. What does this mean to Social Security and Medicare? According to the memo, the pause does not include “assistance provided…
Unmet dental needs of Medicare Advantage members
According to a recently published study in the JAMA Health Forum, Medicare Advantage dental plans may create barriers to dental care access for seniors despite the plans’ intended purpose of expanding coverage. Medicare Advantage Members with dental benefits reported higher…
There aren’t any quick fixes to Social Security insolvency
When combining the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI) and the Disability Insurance Trust Fund (DI), Social Security will be able to pay 100 percent of total scheduled benefits until 2035, according to the Social Security Trustee Report for…
Are Social Security benefits taxed?
Do you have to pay income taxes on your Social Security benefit? About 40 percent of people who get Social Security must pay federal income taxes on their benefits. However, this usually happens if you have other substantial income in…
This 2025 Medicare Change could reduce out-of-pocket expenses
Medicare changes every year, and 2025 was no exception. Although those changes usually involve higher premiums and deductibles for recipients, these two changes may reduce some seniors’ out-of-pocket expenses. How will seniors benefit from these changes? Kailey Hagen explains the…
Will you qualify for back payments under the Social Security Fairness Act?
The Social Security Fairness Act signed into law on January 5th, ended the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of over 3.2 million people who receive a pension…