By David Lightman, McClatchyDC – Dec 1, 2016
WASHINGTON
Medicare needs to be revamped, House Speaker Paul Ryan emphasized Thursday, as he blasted Democrats for insisting Republicans are planning a war on seniors.
“I think what’s happening is you’re getting the latest wave of Democratic talking points to try and play Medi-scare politics,” the Wisconsin Republican said, “which is what they typically do every other Tuesday.”
By Kayleigh Kulp; CNBC ~ Nov 28, 2016
When one of Laurie Ziegler’s clients came to her with an IRS notice that they owed more than $10,000 in taxes, penalties and interest for a past tax return, the Wisconsin enrolled agent did a double take.
Not only did the couple’s former preparer, whom they’d already paid, put on the return that it was self-prepared, but “in reviewing the return, I found out that the preparer had made other mistakes.”
By Dan Caplinger, TMG; Wisconsin State journal ~ Nov 27, 2016
Unexpected healthcare costs can drive even financially comfortable families into bankruptcy. As a result, it’s essential for people to get the health insurance coverage they need to protect against that level of risk. However, many find health insurance extremely confusing, and they can make poor choices because of their lack of knowledge. Below, we’ll look at a few basic rules to follow in looking for the best health insurance coverage for you and your family.
By Christopher S. Rugaber; The Associated Press ~ Nov 26, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals would modestly cut income taxes for most middle-class Americans. But for nearly 8 million families – including a majority of single-parent households – the opposite would occur: They’d pay more.
By Jazz Shaw; Hot Air ~ Nov 23, 2016
The National Institute of Health (NIH) is a subsidiary organization of the Department of Health and Human Services. It has an annual budget in excess of $30B and is responsible for a variety of biomedical research projects.
By Elizabeth Dilts; Reuters ~ Nov 22, 2016
NEW YORK – A group of lawyers representing insurance and securities brokerages have made a curious argument for why a federal court should kill a rule aimed at protecting retirement savers: It restricts Wall Street’s First Amendment rights.
By Susan Morse; Healthcare Finance ~ Nov 22, 2016
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released its list of 97 measures under consideration for quality reporting for inpatient, outpatient, long-term care and other services and programs such as Medicare Shared Savings and the merit-based incentive payment system.
From Patrick O’Brien; Forbes ~ Nov 22, 2016
When I was named executor after my father’s death in 2004, one of the first logical steps seemed to be closing his Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Fortunately, my sister Michele told me about a way to continue to allow that money to grow tax-free for decades with something called an IRA-BDA (Beneficiary Distribution Account).
By Peter J. Pitts; Investor’s Business Daily ~ Nov 22, 2016
When Christie Tucker’s son Preston was diagnosed with diabetes, his insulin prescription cost just $40. Now, two years later, Christie is paying $650 for a six-week supply of the medicine.
Many people reflexively blame drug companies for Christie’s dilemma. But the firms producing Preston’s insulin aren’t making more money. Insulin list prices are going up, but net prices — the money drug firms actually receive — are falling sharply. The extra cash is instead landing in the pockets of pharmacy benefit managers.
By HealthDay News; United Press International ~ Nov 22, 2016
TUESDAY, Nov. 22, 2016 — Privately insured Americans spent nearly 5 percent more on healthcare last year than in 2014, largely because of escalating prices, new research shows.
The 4.6 percent increase was significantly more than that of previous years, and reflects higher costs for prescription drugs, ER visits and hospitalizations, according to the nonprofit Health Care Cost Institute.
