From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Mar 19, 2017
Cities With The Longest Wait Time To See A Doctor….
Patients are waiting an average of 24 days to schedule an appointment with a doctor , according to a study of commonly used specialty physicians in 15 major U.S. cities.
From Frank Armstrong III; Forbes ~ Mar 16, 2017
If there was ever an industry that cried out for more regulation rather than less, it’s the investment advice industry. But, a new administration that never met a regulation it liked, and whose world view considers them all equally evil set out to deregulate the universe.
So, after years of false starts and delays, the Department of Labor regulation to apply fiduciary standards to IRAs has been put on another hold for 60 days.
By Jeff Reeves; MarketWatch ~ Mar 14, 2017
Cash-strapped pension funds could leave millions of Americans high and dry in the very near future
Washington has a knack for ignoring long-term financial shortfalls and painting overly rosy scenarios about the future to make their numbers work in the here and now.
Case in point: Donald Trump’s unrealistic projection that the U.S. economy will grow at 3% this year, when the latest GDP forecasts have actually been reduced to 1.8% by a number of economists.
By Pauline Bartolone; Kaiser Health News ~ Mar 10, 2017
One of California’s largest insurers has proposed a change in the benefits of commercial plans next year that would require consumers to pay more for drugs at pharmacies outside an established network.
Blue Shield of California wants to create “a tiered pharmacy network” in its 2018 small- and large-group plans, according to preliminary proposals the company submitted to the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), a state health insurance regulator.
From William J. Arnone & Benjamin W. Veghte; The Hill ~ Mar 09, 2017
Looks like two of our nation’s social insurance programs dodged a bullet in the initial budget released by President Trump last week. (At least for now).
On the heels of the budget release, a recent Politico “Morning Consult” poll found that nearly half of Americans think Social Security and Medicare will require major changes.
By Rachel Smith; KTXS ~ Mar 09, 2017
Official warns of scam targeting Social Security recipients
ABILENE, Texas – Acting Inspector General for the Social Security Administration Gale Stallworth Stone issued a warning about a nationwide telephone scam targeting Social Security recipients.
By Joseph Steinberg; Inc. ~ Mar 08, 2017
A scam that seems to reappear periodically is back and helping criminals steal people’s money. Protecting yourself is simple–if you know how the scam works.
So, here is what you need to know to protect yourself from the three variants of the scam:
What is the scam?
By T. Becket Adams ; The Washington Examiner ~ Mar 06, 2017
Republican lawmakers unveiled the text of a bill Monday evening to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, capping off weeks of speculation about whether they’d actually put forth replacing legislation.
“Obamacare is rapidly collapsing. Skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles, and dwindling choices are not what the people were promised seven years ago. It’s time to turn a page and rescue our health care system from this disastrous law.
By Mary Ellen McIntire; Morning Consult ~ Mar 06, 2017
Drugmakers have pointed to pharmacy benefit managers as a force behind rising drug prices in the U.S., but Americans don’t appear to have a gloomier view of one industry group over the other, according to Morning Consult Brands Intelligence data.
U.S. adults don’t have significantly higher favorability rates for certain pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as opposed to pharmacies, suppliers and pharmacy benefit managers, according to surveys of more than 22,000 American adults from October to March.
By Dan Caplinger, TMF; USA TODAY ~ Mar 05, 2017
1:00 p.m. ET March 5, 2017
Two strategies that the wealthy use maximize the tax savings from IRAs.
IRAs let you invest for retirement in a tax-favored way, and like many tax breaks, IRAs are great vehicles for the wealthy to shelter their income from taxes. In particular, rich taxpayers can use two strategies that will help them build up their IRA balances during their lifetimes and then ensure that anything that goes to the IRS does so as slowly as possible.