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Audits Of Some Medicare Advantage Plans Reveal Pervasive Overcharging
(By Fred Schulte for NPR) More than three dozen just-released audits reveal how some private Medicare plans overcharged the government for the majority of elderly patients they treated, often by overstating the severity of certain medical conditions, such as diabetes…
Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
(By Franics Ying and Thu Nguyen and Lynne Shallcross for Kaiser Health News) Hospitals provide observation care for patients who are not well enough to go home but not sick enough to be admitted. The care may seem just like…
Spousal Benefits vs. Survivor Benefits – An Explanation
Paul Norr, a certified financial planner with Bucks County Financial Planning Group in Thousand Oaks, California, takes a detailed look at the rules associated with the spousal and survivor benefit provisions of Social Security. His post on www.onwallstreet.com delves in the…
Divorce and re-marry – Taking a look at a loophole
Robert Powell, editor of Retirement Weekly, examines the rules and provisions associated with Social Security benefits in a divorce and re-marry situation. It’s complex, but it may be a loophole some can take advantage of. Read the comments here… …
State-run Retirement Savings Plans – Assessing the implications
An editorial posted on the Las Vegas Review-Journal presents some opinions about the veracity of state-run savings plans for retirement financing. Read the article here… Notice: The link provided above connects readers to the full content of the posted article.…
Looking at Retirement Regrets
Kiplinger contributor Curvin E. Miller IV takes a look at several of the most common regrets expressed by retirees in this post on wealth.kiplinger.com. His analysis is provided as a learning tool for those looking ahead to their retirement years; in…
Millennials and Retirement Planning
A study conducted recently by market research and consumer information firm GfK for Wells Fargo’s Wealth and Investment Management Market Research Center produced a comprehensive overview of retirement planning attitudes and preparedness among the millennial generation (those born from the early-1980s to the…
Medicare’s Ban on PA and NPs May Soon be Lifted
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has published a proposed rule to amend the Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) banning physician assistants and nurse practitioners from caring for Medicare patients in their homes. Read article…
Protecting Your Social Security Number from Identity Theft
(Source – Social Security Matters) Every year, millions of Americans become victims of identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personally identifiable information and pretends to be you. They can use this information to open bank or credit…
Disability and Marriage–Some Complicating Rules
For those receiving disability payments from Social Security and contemplating marriage, it’s wise to get a thorough understanding of the rules governing payments to married couples. An article by writer Mike Ervin posted on www.progressive.org describes a situation encountered by one…