Retirement Healthcare and Medicare
Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
Found 295 Articles.
Get access to 306 articles by subscribing to Retirement Watch and Retirement Watch Spotlight Series.
Retirement Savings Tip: Stop Spending Too Much on Prescription Drugs!
In last week’s issue of Retirement Watch Weekly, I presented What You Need to Know About the Prescription Coverage Gap. We’ll continue on that track this week, with the best ways to save money on your prescription drugs. Prescription drugs are a major spending item for many retirees, and the cost of prescription drugs is […]
What You Need to Know About the Prescription Coverage Gap
It’s something Medicare beneficiaries often have trouble understanding. I’m talking about the prescription drug coverage gap, also known as the “doughnut hole” or “donut hole.” The coverage gap was part of the original Part D prescription drug program, but it has been changed several times since its inception in the 2000s. There were additional changes […]
How Much Does Long-Term Care Insurance Cost?
Long-term care is a system of personal services and medical care provided to someone who is cognitively impaired or can’t perform two or more of the six activities of daily living (ADLs). The ADLs are dressing, bathing, eating, walking, toileting, and transferring (such as moving from a bed to a chair without help). Despite the […]
Is Long-Term Care Insurance Worth It?
As an individual ages, a decision must be made about whether or not to buy long-term care insurance (LTCI). Long-term care is the provision of personal services and medical care to someone who is cognitively impaired or can’t perform two or more of the six activities of daily living (ADLs). The ADLs are dressing, bathing, […]
SUBSCRIBE TO RETIREMENT WATCH
What you don’t know about retirement can hurt you. In fact, just a few wrong decisions in your investments, taxes, or estate planning could completely derail your retirement plans. Worse yet, the rules of the game keep changing, making it harder to keep up. For these reasons, I’ve assembled all the key points – everything you need to know — into one comprehensive report. Click here today for free access.
Does Medicare Cover Long-Term Care?
Medicare is the primary medical insurance for most Americans ages 65 and over. But does Medicare cover the expensive costs of long-term care? The possibility of needing long-term care, and having to pay for that care, is one of the great fears of older Americans. Understanding exactly which long-term care costs Medicare will cover, and […]
The Retirement Watch Family Caregiver Planning Guide
Family caregiver planning has some simple rules… And some not-so-simple rules. For starters, any caregiver agreements involving family members should be in writing. That is, unless the person providing the care is being altruistic (being a friend), and expects nothing in return now or in the future. Often when one family member provides care for […]
Act Now To Avoid Higher Medicare Premiums
You could pay almost four times the regular Medicare premium in two years if you don’t take action soon. Back in 2003, Congress began means-testing Medicare by putting in place the Medicare premium surtax or surcharge. It’s known formally as IR-MAA, Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount. IRMAA is one of the Stealth Taxes I warn retirees […]
10 Medicare Questions Every Retiree and Pre-Retiree Should Know How to Answer
Currently, the greatest fear of most retirement-age Americans is how to pay their retirement medical expenses. This is not surprising. We are bombarded with estimates that people need to save $300,000 just to pay their medical fees after they retire. It also isn’t hard to find stories of retirees filing for bankruptcy primarily because of […]
