By Jonnelle Marte; The Washington Post ~ Feb 11, 2016

By now you may have your W-2, 1099 forms and the other documents you’ll need to prepare your tax return. But the question remains: How are you going to file?

Despite efforts from tax software providers to make it easier for people to file on their own — including smartphone apps that make it possible to upload a W-2 form just by snapping a picture of it — most people still prefer to hire a pro. About 60 percent of taxpayers who filed electronically had their returns prepared by a professional last year, a number that has held fairly steady for several years, according to IRS data.

By Peter Sullivan; The Hill ~ Feb 10, 2016

Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Wednesday that her department is considering issuing guidelines on an executive action known as “march-in rights” as a way to fight high drug prices.

At a Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Burwell was asked about a letter from more than 50 House Democrats last month urging HHS to issue guidelines on the administrative action.

By Juliegrace Brufke; The Daily Caller ~ Feb 10, 2016

Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chairman David Vitter is questioning why Congress is able to get its health care through the Small Business Health Options Plan (SHOP) – which requires a business to have 50 or less employees – when the tax forms provided list Congress as a large employer.

In a letter written to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen Wednesday, the Louisiana Republican said it appears Congress is “misrepresenting itself to either DC Health Link or the IRS” and questioned whether the contradiction violates the Internal Revenue Code.

By Matthew Perrone; The Associated Press ~ Feb 10, 2016

WASHINGTON (AP) — Recovering from a medical procedure is always a challenge, but getting hit with unexpected insurance fees can add financial hardship to the process.

As health insurance plans become increasingly complicated, more patients are facing unexpected fees when they step outside their plan’s coverage network. In many cases, patients don’t realize they’ve received out-of-network care until they’re slapped with a bill for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

By Jason Hall; The Motley Fool ~ Feb 06, 2016

The Medicare program turned 50 in 2015 and currently provides healthcare benefits for more than 50 million Americans. And while Medicare is how millions of retirees pay for healthcare, it’s a complicated system with multiple parts, and it doesn’t pay for everything.

We asked three of our contributors to discuss something about Medicare that everyone needs to know, and here’s what they had to say.

From Fidelity Viewpoints Team; Forbes ~ Feb 05, 2016

A busy year on the tax front in 2015 has set the stage for new things to keep an eye out for when you file your taxes this year.

Congress enacted a major tax law late in the year that affected dozens of tax breaks. Plus, tax identity theft continues to be a major concern for taxpayers—as well as for the IRS—and a higher penalty kicked in for families without minimum health coverage.

From Ashlea Ebeling; Forbes ~ Feb 04, 2016

A bill introduced today would make health savings accounts and healthcare flexible spending accounts more consumer-friendly. It’s about time. If you have a high deductible health insurance plan—and are eligible for a health savings account—you’ve felt the pain of paying out-of-pocket to get up to that big deductible, and then paying co-insurance up to an even higher out-of-pocket max. (It seems like my family always manages to come in just below our annual $5,200 out-of-pocket max where insurance kicks in at 100%–ACL surgery for a tennis player, an E.R. visit for tripping over a microwave—you never know).

By Dan Caplinger; The Motley Fool ~ Feb 01, 2016

Medicare has been a cornerstone of retirement security for more than half a century, and tens of millions of Americans would face big challenges in paying for their healthcare without it. The presidential election campaign in 2016 promises to be full of heated debates both within and between the major political parties, and Medicare will be one area in which the candidates will have very different opinions. Let’s take a closer look at the political ramifications of Medicare and what impact the election in 2016 will have on the program’s future.

From Nancy Anderson; Forbes ~ Jan 30, 2016

The arrival of tax documents in your mailbox (or inbox) signals an important event: You can let go of old paperwork that you no longer need!

If you have read Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” you might have the urge to get rid of every tax document possible so you can free your mind and declutter your life.

By Todd Ebert; The Hill ~ Jan 28, 2016

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a hearing today examining the Generic Drug User Fee Act (GDUFA), with expert testimony from Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Among the issues considered will be whether GDUFA has served its intended purpose of ensuring that patients have timely access to affordable generic drugs or whether there are additional steps Congress and FDA should take to streamline the drug review process and increase competition in the market.