Retirement Healthcare and Medicare
Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
Found 300 Articles.
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What is Better Than Medicare
Alternatives to traditional Medicare are more popular – and with good reason. For the same and sometimes lower cost, more care is received by Medicare beneficiaries. Medicare Advantage is an umbrella name for alternatives to traditional Medicare. The alternatives include HMOs, PPOs, and special needs plans. But the fastest-growing alternative is PFFS – private fee […]
Part D Medicare Prescription Drug Plan: Changes and Updates
We are rolling into the second year of the Part D Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. Beneficiaries can switch plans during the enrollment period from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31. If new coverage is selected, it begins Jan. 1. With one year of experience behind them, insurers are changing their plans, and most of the changes […]
Medicare Premium Hikes Coming
Medicare beneficiaries with higher incomes face higher premiums in 2007 and thereafter. We have better estimates of those premiums now, and beneficiaries can factor these higher costs into their financial plans. The higher premiums, called surtaxes, are imposed on a sliding scale. They begin rising for single beneficiaries whose incomes exceed $80,000 and for married […]
Get Set for the New Medicare Surtax
Medicare beneficiaries are used to annual premium increases to go along with the rising cost of medical care. But in 2007 many will be surprised by the new means-tested premiums. Higher income beneficiaries will pay higher premiums. The amount of the increase in premiums will depend on the beneficiary’s income. The higher premium is called […]
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Medicare Drug Deadline Draws Near
The deadline for Medicare beneficiaries to sign up for the new prescription drug plan is drawing near. To avoid penalties, seniors who are in Medicare must sign up for a plan under Part D of Medicare by May 15, 2006. The penalty, if you sign up for a plan later, is an increase in the […]
Strategies to Pay for Long-Term Care
Are consumers doing the right thing by not purchasing long-term care insurance? Insurers long have been frustrated by the small number of people purchasing LTC insurance. Though more people enter the target age group for the policies, few buy. In 2004, 326,000 new policies worth $700 million were sold. That was a 25% decline from […]
Important Medicaid Update for Heirs
The new uncertainty over Medicaid eligibility is not the only reason Medicaid should not be the centerpiece of your long-term care plan. Another concern is that your heirs might receive an unpleasant surprise from the state. When Medicaid decides someone is eligible for it to pay for nursing home care, the individual is told that […]
Medicare Premiums to Increase
The deficit reduction law signed by the President in February also accelerated the higher Medicare Part B premiums that were scheduled to take effect over the next five years. You might recall from our August 2005 issue that premiums are scheduled to rise for Medicare Part B. Through 2006, each beneficiary pays the same premium, […]
