By Richard Eisenberg; MarketWatch ~ Jan 02, 2016
Prepare for complications with doctors, hospitals and insurers
This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org.
Your doctor and medical staff may get crankier. Your health insurance claims may be denied or delayed. You could be pressured to pay health care balances in full, rather than over time. Welcome to the new world of medical coding that took effect Oct. 1, 2015.
By The Editorial Board; The New York Times ~ Jan 02, 2016
This election season offers an opportunity to reframe the debate over Social Security. It is necessary, of course, to ensure the program’s long-term health beyond 2034, when the system is projected to come up short. But this can’t be done by broadly cutting benefits. In fact, there’s mounting evidence that Social Security, which has become ever more important in retirement, needs to be expanded.
From Robert W. Wood; Forbes ~ Jan 02, 2016
Resolutions should be manageable and concrete. Here are six that actually can have an impact on how likely the IRS is to bother you. Any one of them could calm your nerves and fatten your wallet in 2016:
1. I Will Pay Attention to Each Form 1099. It’s almost time for these little tax reports to show up in your mail, so get ready. Each one bears your Social Security Number and will be matched to your tax return. Pay attention to them—the IRS sure does.
By Larry Light; CBS News ~ Jan 01, 2016
The once-torrid growth rate of health care costs has slowed markedly, at least for now, and should maintain a more languid pace into the New Year and beyond. But why? The answer ranges far beyond the ebbing of general price escalation for other things, such as apartment rentals and new cars.
Of course, medical bill inflation still is rising faster than the broader consumer price index, which remains well south of a 2 percent annual pace. In November, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumers’ health care inflation was up 2.9 percent. That’s far down from the 5 percent expansion in 2007.
By Matthew Frankel; The Motley Fool ~ Jan 01, 2016
Social Security is a vital component of financial security in retirement for millions of Americans, but there are many reports of Social Security being on a path to bankruptcy. While it’s true that the system won’t be solvent forever if things don’t change, the reality is a little more complicated than many people realize. Here’s what you need to know about the current state of Social Security, and what could be done to fix it.
From Jennifer Elias; Forbes ~ Dec 31, 2015
With healthcare reform and more advanced data becoming available, mobile health apps will not only see growing number of users, but studies suggest they will, for the first time, become people’s preferred resource over physicians.
According to a study by ITOnline, two-thirds of Americans have already shown a favor for digital health management over physical. The study also shows 79 percent of Americans said they would be willing to use a wearable device to manage their health, where a 45 percent wanted tracking of symptoms while 43 percent wanted it to manage a personal health issue or condition.
By Jodi Helmer; MarketWatch ~ Dec 30, 2015
Here’s how to run the numbers to find out
This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org.
When Jane Bennett Clark, 64, thought about downsizing in advance of retirement, she imagined selling her four-bedroom house in Takoma Park, Md., and purchasing a smaller home or condo. The idea of renting never occurred to her.
By Ron Shinkman; Fierce Health Finance ~ Dec 30, 2015
Medicare enrollees at critical access hospitals often pay far more out of pocket than patients obtaining the same care at larger institutions, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal.
The differentials can often be dramatic, the newspaper reported. For example, a Medicare enrollee had to cough up an average co-pay of $840.22 for a colonoscopy performed at a critical access hospital in 2013.
By Chris Velazco; Engadget ~ Dec 30, 2015
AT&T’s long affair with the two-year contract continues to wind down, Engadget has learned. According to an internal document sent to employees this morning, new and existing customers will only be able to get new phones by paying the full price upfront or in installments over time. The move is set to take effect on January 8th, so you’d better act fast if you (for some reason) really want to lock yourself down for a few more years.
By Sarah Thomas; Light Reading ~ Dec 29, 2015
AT&T’s voice-over LTE (VoLTE) service now reaches 295 million Americans, 27 million of which are active subscribers, the carrier said on Tuesday.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) began rolling out the IMS-based 4G voice service on a market-by-market basis in May 2014 with four initial markets. It now covers more than 30 US states, save many of the mountain states like Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, as indicated in its coverage map. (See AT&T Confirms VoLTE Launch in 4 States and AT&T Promises More VoLTE Markets in 2015.)
