Retirement Healthcare
Related Retirement Healthcare Topics
Long-Term Care/Long-Term Care Insurance
Medicare/Medigap Insurance
Retirement Medical Expenses
Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
Found 87 Articles.
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Prescription Drug Plans Ready to Roll
It is getting close to the time when Medicare beneficiaries must decide whether or not to sign up for a prescription drug plan. Promotions are being rolled out. The enrollment period begins Nov. 1, 2005, and closes on May 15, 2006. The government has announced some good news about the program. (See the September 2005 […]
The 2 Long-Term Care Insurance Mistakes Most Retirees Make
Only about 10% of seniors over age 65 have long-term care insurance. It is easy to understand why. The product is complicated, and costly mistakes are easy to make when buying it. There are two mistakes people make most often when purchasing long-term care insurance. More people would buy the insurance if they knew how […]
The Latest in Long-Term Care Insurance
Turmoil still roils the long-term care insurance industry. Many consumers probably will continue to see steep premium increases as in recent years, and there will be changes in coverage under new policies. But there also is good news, and buyers can take steps to make long-term care insurance more affordable without giving up coverage they […]
Get Ready for Medicare’s Drug Option
Medicare members are about to be bombarded with information and sales pitches. You have a decision to make that could have a significant effect on your finances and health. You need to start preparing now. The Medicare prescription drug benefit that was enacted in 2003 takes effect in 2006. November 2005 begins the sign-up period […]
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More Medicare Changes
Prescription drug coverage is not the only change coming to Medicare. This year Medicare began offering new preventive benefits. New members receive a free “welcome to Medicare” physical. Also covered now are screening tests for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The annual deductible for Part B also is rising to $105 and will be indexed for […]
How to Make Health Care Directives Work
Most advanced health care directives are not followed by doctors and loved ones. Studies consistently show that is the case, for a host of reasons. In last month’s visit we discussed why you need more than a living will in your estate plan to cover health care decisions. This month, let’s look at the steps […]
Why A Living Will Isn’t Enough
The case of Terri Schiavo captured most of the nation’s attention and spurred greater interest in living wills and related estate planning tools. For years at Retirement Watch we’ve insisted that health care documents are an essential part of an estate plan. We’ve even stated that these documents should be prepared while decisions about other […]
Your Home and Long-Term Care In One Package
More and more retirees are looking to solve their housing and long-term health care needs in one move. They are moving into facilities called continuing-care retirement communities, or CCRCs. These also are known as living-care communities. A CCRC has several types of living and health-care facilities in one community. Usually there is an independent living […]