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SSA can fast-track disability decisions for people with severe conditions
Rare Disease Day is an annual international campaign held on the last day of February to advocate for people living with one of approximately 6,000 rare diseases. The goal of Rare Disease Day is to improve access to diagnosis, treatment,…
A Medicaid Per Capita Cap
There are several options under consideration in Congress to significantly reduce Medicaid spending to help pay for tax cuts, with the recently passed House budget resolution targeting cuts to Medicaid of up to $880 billion or more over a decade.…
Who is least likely to implement retirement income solutions
New research found employers’ lackluster stance on the available retirement tools for their employees. Instead, they are analyzing their investment lineups and considering updating plan features as they are worried about workers’ retirement readiness. Amanda Umpierrez reports why employers are…
A wave of new Social Security benefit claims
With the signing of the Social Security Fairness Act into law on January 5, 2025, the Social Security Administration has, “To date, we have processed approximately 30,000 of these new initial claims and, depending on their age and other factors…
How much does the government spend on health care?
Spending on health programs accounts for a substantial share of federal spending; those programs are targets to achieve overall spending goals in current reconciliation discussions by the current administration. With Medicaid being the main focus of federal spending cuts, the…
Check in on your retirement goals
How often do you check on your retirement savings progress? According to a recent NerdWallet survey, only 23 percent of Americans had, in the prior 12 months, evaluated their progress toward retirement savings goals. Erin El Issa outlines how to…
Workers may not be financially prepared for the future
BlackRock, Inc., a multinational investment company, recently released statistics about how Americans plan for retirement. The statistics show that 33 percent of Americans have no retirement savings, and 69 percent have less than $150,000 saved. Caitlin Cahalan reports that American…
You have to March 31st to change your Medicare Advantage plan
Are you enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan you’re not sure is right for you? You can make changes to your health and prescription drug coverage during the Medicare Advantage open enrollment period, which started January 1 and runs through…
Not yet old enough for full Social Security
The full retirement age for Social Security was 65 for many years. In 1983, Congress passed a law to gradually raise the age because people are living longer and are generally healthier in older age. Since starting in 2011, we…
Social Security announces changes
Under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), changes are being made at federal government agencies. The purpose of DOGE is to modernize federal technology and software to maximize government efficiency. One agency that has been “organizational realignment” is…