Do Healthcare Costs Grow Faster Under Medicare Than Under Private Insurance? Q: Which type of insurance has been better at controlling healthcare costs? Medicare or Medicare Advantage? How does this affect my healt ...
Author Archives: georgette
Best Ways to Save: March/April 2020
Should We Be Looking for a Live-In Nurse, or Nursing Home Care? Q: A family member who lives alone told me that she had stage IV colon cancer. Recently, she had to go to the emergency room and was hospitalized for s ...
Legislative Update: March/April 2020
Have You Ever Received a Surprise Medical Bill? By Shannon Benton, Executive Director It happens all too often. Out - of - the - blue you get a gut-wrenchingly high medical bill for services that you thought were ...
Benefit Bulletin: March/April 2020
What to do When You Can’t Afford Medicare Premiums By Rick Delaney, Chairman of the Board Medicare Part B premiums jumped $9.10 per month in 2020 — one of the biggest increases in recent years. While the Social Se ...
Should Social Security Benefits be Adjusted Using a Locality-based Payment Rate?
Mary Johnson, editor Should Social Security benefits be adjusted annually using a locality – based payment rate? Some of you, particularly those of you who are retired federal employees know far more about locality - ...
Part D Out-of-Pocket Costs Take Record Jump
Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage hit a new milestone this year. The highly — loathed “doughnut hole” or “coverage gap” closed this year. But that doesn’t mean prescriptions will be free. The co-insurance in ...
Medicare Now Covers Testing For Coronavirus
The coronavirus is a more severe flu strain than the seasonal flu which means more people require greater medical care. For most people this flu is survivable but without the extra medical care that someone might normal ...
Q & A: February 2020
I Thought My Co-pay Would Be $47. Why Did I Have To Pay $453.45? Q: I’m enrolled in a Part D drug plan. I thought I would get my brand name drug Eliquis, for a $47 copay, but I was charged $485.45. Why was that? ...
Best Ways to Save: February 2020
How Much of Your Retirement Income is Taxable? Taxes on retirement income take many retirees by surprise, and recent tax changes that took effect in 2018 made planning even harder for some people. While still working ...
Ask the Advisor: February 2020
Are My Medical Expenses High Enough to Deduct From My Income Taxes? Q: I was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 which required surgery and considerable follow-up treatment. I also required extensive dental work during ...
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