By Terence P. Jeffrey; CNS News ~ May 07, 2018

(CNSNews.com) – In the first quarter of 2018, the number of Social Security beneficiaries topped 62,000,000 for the first time, according to data released by the Social Security Administration.

In fact, people receiving Social Security benefits in the United States now outnumber the population of Italy.

Social Security ended the fourth quarter of 2017 with 61,903,360 beneficiaries. By the end of the first quarter of this year, that had risen to 62,233,678—an increase of 330,318 in three months.

From Beau Henderson; Forbes ~ May 07, 2018

My eyes were opened to the predicament many Americans face when filing for Social Security one afternoon when I had lunch with a mentor who happened to be a successful businessman. When he reached full retirement age at 66, he filed for his benefits because the local SSA office told him, “Even though you’re still working, you might as well claim your benefit because there’s no longer a cap on what you can earn.”

From Karen Pearl; The Hill ~ May 07, 2018

Imagine you’re living with type 2 diabetes. You’ve been trying to manage the condition for years with a typical medication. What if instead of metformin — a drug that works to lower sugar in the blood, — our doctor could simply prescribe meals tailored to your unique diagnosis that help control your blood sugar?

By Phil Galewitz; Kaiser Health News ~ May 07, 2018

Restaurants, convenience stores, vending machines and pizza delivery services are among the businesses that will have to provide calories counts to consumers. Many restaurant chains, including McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and Panera Bread, have listed calorie information for years.

From Howard Gleckman; Forbes ~ May 04, 2018

It is easy—and dangerous—to create stereotypes of older adults. Just when you think you have a picture in your head of what a senior is, you realize how very different they are. To borrow a phrase: You’ve seen one older adult and, you’ve seen one older adult.

From Robert Laura; Forbes ~ Apr 30, 2018

Consumer prices and wages are on the rise and that means one thing: Inflation. It’s not only a hot topic and showing up in more news reports, but it’s also catching people off guard and has the potential to create some real pain for those near or already in retirement. Here’s how:

By Sarah Jane Tribble; Kaiser Health News ~ Apr 27, 2018

President Donald Trump has railed against the high price of prescription drugs and famously bemoaned how pharmaceutical companies are “getting away with murder.” Yet, many Americans aren’t seeing a change in what they pay out-of-pocket.

Trump promised a speech on prescription drug prices, and it’s expected anytime.

By Jay Hancock & Elizabeth Lucas; Fortune ~ Apr 26, 2018

This article was produced in partnership with Kaiser Health News.

The outlook was grim for Novo Nordisk at the end of 2016. As pressure mounted over the pharmaceutical giant’s rising insulin prices, investors drove its stock down by a third, fearing that policymakers would cap price tags and hurt profits.

By Carol Wilson; Light Reading ~ Apr 26, 2018

Like Verizon, AT&T saw declining business revenue in the first quarter, as increased wireless sales to businesses and improved strategic service revenues failed to offset the decline in legacy services. However, its chief financial officer pointed to an improving trend in business revenues, with slower declines, and said the move to a software-defined network is beginning to pay off.

By Alan Breznick; Light Reading ~ Apr 26, 2018

AT&T executives think they’ve got this next-gen video business all figured out.

Although the company’s OTT video service, DirecTV Now, barely makes a profit now because subscribers pay relatively low prices for its skinny-bundle TV packages, don’t sign up for long-term contracts and can churn out quickly, AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) officials believe they can boost margins by adding such premium product features and enhancements as cloud DVR, more pay-per-view options, more video streams, an improved VOD service and advanced advertising.