Retirement Healthcare and Medicare
Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
Found 304 Articles.
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Smart Ways To Finance Long-Term Care
What is one of the major financial misconceptions among Americans? Many people incorrectly believe the government will pay for nursing home care or other long-term health care. The fact is federal and state governments pay very little of the cost of home health care, assisted living, independent living, and nursing homes. (See last month’s issue […]
Long-Term Care Options for Seniors
None of us likes to think about it. But the fact is that in any older married couple, the odds are pretty high that at least one of the spouses will spend some time in long-term health care. More than likely, it won’t be the traditional years’-long stay in a nursing home. The stay likely […]
Tips on Shopping for the best Medicare Supplement
Your health care options are steadily shrinking. Federal rules deterred many health care providers from offering the new Medicare options described in my September 1998 issue. And other rulings caused many HMOs to either stop participating in Medicare or to substantially increase the fees charged. For many of you, the only option now is the […]
How To Get Ready For The Medicare Overhaul
Medicare recipients are in for a big shock this fall. The 1997 Balanced Budget Act enacted some major changes in Medicare that begin taking effect in 1999. You’ll be expected to make more choices. Yet a recent AARP survey found that only about 11% of Medicare participants know enough to make an informed choice. Perhaps […]
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How should retirees handle the health care limbo
The number of retirees in “health care limbo” is rising, and could rise quite a bit over the next few years. Health care limbo is that period when a retiree is not covered by an employer or other private health plan and is too young to apply for Medicare. People get in health care limbo […]
How to Keep Control During a Major Illness
I have a friend who still is jealous of Malcolm Forbes. The owner and publisher of the magazine bearing his name died in his sleep of a heart attack, apparently never feeling any pain or knowing he was dying. Most people prefer that kind of death with dignity and say they definitely don’t want a […]
Why You Should Avoid Tax Favored Long Term Care Insurance Policies
Sometimes a tax break costs more than it is worth. That just might be the case with the breaks for long-term care insurance that were enacted in 1996. All the questions still aren’t answered, but so far it looks like you might be better off taking a pass on these tax benefits. Congress meant well […]
Solving The Snowbird Health Care Dilemma
There’s a bit of trouble in paradise for some northern snowbirds who migrate to warm weather states for the winter. That trouble is health care. It is especially bad if you belong to a health maintenance organization, but also affects those covered by one of many private insurance and medigap plans. HMOs tend to be […]
