Retirement Watch Lighthouse Logo

Retirement Healthcare and Medicare

Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options

Found 315 Articles.
Get access to our full article archive by subscribing to Retirement Watch and Retirement Watch Spotlight Series.

Separating the Myths, Facts of Long-Term Care

March 1, 2015

Long-term care is a great American paradox. On the one hand, most people don’t want to talk about it. A recent survey found that 25% of adults would rather go to the dentist than discuss LTC. Fewer than 30% of adults have had a conversation about long-term care planning. Yet, paying for LTC and the […]

How Medicare Distorts Medical Care

February 19, 2015

The Wall Street Journal has been doing a series in which it digs into Medicare billing data to find interesting things about how medical providers react to the incentives in the payment system. The latest report (subscription might be required) found that patients who received care at long-term acute hospitals tend to be discharged exactly […]

Proposed Changes in Medicare

February 9, 2015

The President plans to change Medicare fairly dramatically over the next few years. Currently, about 20% of Medicare payments are made through one of the trial or experimental payments system. These system try something other then the traditional fee-for-service model under which there is an incentive for more treatment, tests, and other activity, none of […]

An Estate Planning Saga – Health Care Directives

January 30, 2015

Celebrities teach the best estate planning lessons. They make a lot of mistakes, and the people around them seem to have extreme reactions to everything. Plus, the details make their way into the media. A recent, tragic example is the last days of Casey Kasem. GQ documents the details. The lessons are that you should […]

SUBSCRIBE TO RETIREMENT WATCH SPOTLIGHT SERIES

In my new Retirement Watch Spotlight Series, I’ll share my newest breakthrough strategies for protecting your assets and growing your portfolio, including how to prepare for the next market downturn. Click here now to learn more. 

The Latest in Healthy Diets

January 20, 2015

The latest research doesn’t have anything to do with the types of food you eat. Instead, it focuses on when you eat. One study found you should only eat in a 12-hour period during the day and fast the other 12 hours. The other study recommended fasting for 16 hours one day a week and […]

Understanding Medicare's Star Ratings

January 7, 2015

Medicare now rates many providers with from one to five starts, with five being the highest rating. It rates Medicare Advantage Plans, Part D Prescription Drug plans, nursing homes, and more. The ratings mean more to you than indications of the quality of care. Five-star Medicare Advantage and Part D plans have expanded enrollment periods. […]

Filling the Biggest Hole in Your Retirement Health Care

January 1, 2015

The biggest gap in your retirement medical insurance probably is one you hardly think about and that gets little attention. Among the many needs not covered by Medicare is dental care. You also won’t find dental coverage in Medigap (Medicare supplement) policies. Unless problems with your teeth and mouth are related to an accident or […]

Medicare Enrollment Too Complicated

November 18, 2014

Many people elect to take Social Security retirement benefits before age 65. For them, the transition to Medicare is seamless. They are automatically signed up for Medicare Part B. But that’s not the case for everyone else, according to this report from the Medicare Rights Center. Problems signing up for Medicare are more than an […]

pixel

Log In

Forgot Password

Search