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Are You Really Ready for Retirement?
Suddenly pulling the plug on a decades long working career can be disconcerting at best, and traumatic at worst! So, are you really ready for that? Going from a 40 to 50 hour work week, to suddenly having nothing but…
CMS expanding its efforts to audit MA plans
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is expanding its efforts to audit Medicare Advantage (MA) plans risk adjustment payments through the Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) program. A risk adjustment factor (RAF) is calculated for each…
Retiring abroad has its challenges
Social media is full of advice for retirees wanting to live abroad. Their videos highlight the lower cost of living in places like Costa Rica, Malaysia, and Portugal. Yes, other countries have lower living costs, but that does not mean…
Funding public services
We have all heard the cry “Tax the rich” when it comes to public funding of services. The U.S. tax system is very progressive; the more you earn, the higher your tax rate. The “top” 1 percent of earners paid…
The next batch of drugs under negotiations
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a draft guidance on May 12th for the third round of Medicare drug negotiations. The government has until the end of November to announce the agreed-upon Medicare prices, with the lower…
The Valid Benefits Act, H.R. 3659
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) reintroduced the legislative bill Valid Benefits Act, H. R. 3659, that would direct Federal departments and agencies to verify eligibility for Federal benefits for individuals 105 years of age or older. The Department of Government Efficiency…
SSDI approval under Social Security
To be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you must have worked in jobs covered by Social Security and have a medical condition that meets Social Security’s strict definition of disability. The application process can be long and…
Another 2026 COLA prediction
With the start of the summer season, many financial experts are reviewing the inflation data to make an early prediction on the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2026. But, the only months that factor into the COLA calculation are those in…
Only the complex cases remain
The Social Security Administration has completed 87 percent of adjustments and retroactive payments to beneficiaries who were affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset before the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. The remaining beneficiaries with…
How prioritizing Social Security Fairness Act claims affects other claims
According to Social Security employees at several processing centers, because officials at Social Security have prioritized the remaining 900,000 complicated cases resulting from the Social Security Fairness Act, those claims are now at the top of their work list, causing…