Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
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Premiums for Medicare supplement insurance are climbing again. Insurers report premium increases of 10% and more. For some policies, the premiums will increase over 40%. The sharpness of the increase depends on your state and the type of policy you have. The highest premium increases are for Medigap policies covering prescription drugs. Of the 10 […]
Financing potential long-term care expenses can be complicated and expensive. Nationally, a month in a nursing home ranges from $3,000 to $6,000, and is rising faster than general inflation. That’s why many people do no planning. Another reason is that half of nursing home stays are for 90 days or less, and Medicare pays for […]
A document that is an essential element of every estate plan is one that gives directions for health care when you are unable to make decisions. Many people say they want to die with dignity and without running up a lot of costs for futile health care, sometimes called “heroic efforts.” But your wishes in […]
Many of you have seen those seminars or publications on shifting assets to qualify for Medicaid’s nursing home coverage. I know, because you send me questions about them. Here is a guide to those strategies and the angles you need to consider before pursuing them. Medicare, the program to assist seniors with health care, covers […]
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.
These days you hear a lot of politicians talking about “saving Medicare” and offering seniors additional health care benefits, such as free prescription medicine. But take a look at what the politicians are doing instead of what they are saying. Then you’ll see that many of these same politicians are reducing seniors’ health care options […]
You’ve decided to buy a long-term health care insurance policy. Now you need the right policy to cover your needs at a reasonable cost. The wrong policy won’t cover everything you want or will cost too much. Here’s how to shop for a long-term care policy. First, decide how much care to finance. Many stays […]
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 […]
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 […]
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