By Hazel Bradford; Pensions & Investments ~ Dec 22, 2016
The Social Security program will run out of money in calendar year 2029 and will not be able to pay full benefits after that, according to updated projections published Wednesday by the Congressional Budget Office.
By Susan Cornwell & Caroline Humer; Reuters ~ Dec 22, 2016
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK – Democrats are showing little interest in cooperating with the Republicans who control Congress on legislation to dismantle the Obamacare health insurance law but some are signaling a willingness to collaborate on action to curb rising drug prices.
From Sean McQuay; Forbes ~ Dec 21, 2016
Love or hate New Year’s resolutions, there probably are a few you could stand to make for your wallet’s sake. They can be short-term, easy fixes to save money throughout the year, while also potentially helping you achieve larger financial goals.
Here are my 10 suggestions to make sure you start off 2017 on the right financial footing:
By Jordan Rau; Kaiser Health News ~ Dec 20, 2016
At age 88, Elizabeth Fee looked pregnant, her belly swollen after days of intestinal ailments and nausea. A nurse heard a scream from Fee’s room in a nursing home, and found her retching “like a faucet” before she passed out.
The facility where she died in 2012 was affiliated with a respected San Francisco hospital, California Pacific Medical Center, and shared its name. Fee had just undergone hip surgery at the hospital, and her family, pleased with her care, said they chose the nursing home with the hospital’s encouragement.
From Rob Berger ; Forbes ~ Dec 19, 2016
One percent doesn’t seem like much. Many credit cards pay more than that in cash back rewards. If your boss gave you an excellence performance review and rewarded you with a one percent raise, you’d be understandably miffed. So paying an investment advisor an annual fee of 1% doesn’t seem so bad.
By Nick Clements; Forbes ~ Dec 19, 2016
This month, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates. However, rates remain at historic lows, making it difficult for many retirees to generate sufficient income. Even worse, 41 percent of Americans aged 55 to 64 have no retirement savings. Given the headwinds facing older Americans, it is not surprising that reverse mortgages have been growing in popularity. But buyers need to beware.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar; The Associated Press ~ Dec 19, 2016
WASHINGTON (AP) — You pay less for outpatient treatment than for a hospital admission, right? Not necessarily in the topsy-turvy world of Medicare billing, according to a government report.
People entitled to benefits under Medicare who had heart stents inserted as outpatients faced hospital bills that were $645 higher on average than those who had the same kind of procedure as inpatients, the Health and Human Services inspector general has found.
From Olivia DaDalt, NA; Forbes ~ Dec 18, 2016
Innovations in technology, medicine and public health have resulted in longer life spans for Americans. In 1950, the average American could only expect to live to age 68; the average has since jumped to 78. Longer life spans have led to a burgeoning older adult population, in sheer numbers as well as in percentage of the population. In this regard, we can count aging as a true success story.
From Bruce Japsen; Forbes ~ Dec 18, 2016
If Donald Trump’s health savings accounts do for Obamacare patients what they’ve done to workers at large employers, Americans can plan on paying more in out-of-pocket costs for their medical care.
There’s no question health savings accounts are popular among employers and increasingly among individual consumers and President-elect Trump wants HSAs to be part of his cure for what ails the Affordable Care Act .
By The Editorial Board; The New York Times ~ Dec 17, 2016
Donald Trump campaigned on a promise not to cut Social Security, which puts him at odds with the Republican Party’s historical antipathy to the program and the aims of today’s Republican leadership. So it should come as no surprise that congressional Republicans are already testing Mr. Trump’s hands-off pledge.