Category: Medicare

Treasury calls on Congress to raise debt limit, begins steps to delay default

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday began taking “extraordinary measures” to delay the U.S. government from defaulting on its obligations, as he called on House Speaker Paul Ryan to lift the debt ceiling “at its first opportunity.” Mnuchin, in a letter to Ryan , said Treasury was now suspending the sale of certain state and local securities, a practice the federal government normally performs to assist with tax policies.

4 Trump plans piecemeal budget release, obscurring broader fiscal picture

The Trump administration’s first budget proposal this month will not include any specific changes to the tax code or big programs like Medicare and Social Security, an administration official said, A focusing instead on boosting A defense spending and cutting other programs that are annually authorized by Congress. This budget proposal is expected to be released around March 16. Other budget proposals will come at a later date, the Office of Management and Budget spokesperson official said.

Trump Doubles Down on Controversial Pledge to Leave Social Security, Medicare Untouched

President Trump delivered his first speech Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, discussing his budget blueprint for the coming fiscal year which includes a $54 billion increase in defense spending, a large cut in funding for the Environmental Protection Agency– and “no changes” to Social Security and Medicare. As of January, 66 million Americans were receiving Social Security, Supplemental Security Income payments, or both, according to the program’s website.

Should You Get a Medigap Plan?

One decision people need to make when they reach age 65 is whether to enroll in a Medicare Supplemental Insurance — aka, a Medigap plan — to help cover the healthcare costs that Medicare doesn’t. Here’s what you need to know about how much you can expect Medicare to cover, and the various Medigap options available.

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Many people look forward to retirement in all of its budget-friendly glory. But in reality, retirement may not be the bargain you’d expect it to be.

Why Seniors Hate This Medicare Plan “Fix”

Medicare provides a critical healthcare safety net to tens of millions of American seniors, but the program’s costs are soaring as more baby boomers sign up and healthcare gets more complex, and that’s got Washington, D.C., lawmakers trying to come up with fixes to keep the program on solid financial footing. Unfortunately, these fixes could cause significant changes to Medicare that impact choice and cost sharing and, unsurprisingly, that’s drawn the ire of budget-conscious seniors, and organizations, including AARP, that advocate for them.

Medicare Participants: You Have 10 Days Left to Do This

Every year, Medicare participants have to make decisions about their coverage, and they typically have set time periods during which they can figure out what they’ll do for a given year. The regular Medicare open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and that gives Medicare participants the broadest set of choices to make changes in coverage.

What Is the FICA Tax, and Why Do I Have to Pay It?

If you’ve ever received a paycheck from your employer, you’ve probably felt a sense of accomplishment and disappointment all at once. The accomplishment comes in the form of the cash that’ll be flowing into your bank account, whereas the disappointment comes from the realization that you may owe quite a bit of tax on the wages you’ve earned.

Ready for Medicare? Not Until You Read This

Accordingto Fidelity Investments, a 65-year-old couple retiring this year will spend, on average, about $260,000 out of pocket on healthcare in retirement. One way to keep your healthcare costs in check is to be smart about Medicare and make savvy decisions.

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare Advantage coverage. U.S. District Judge John Bates says in an opinion filed Monday that he largely agrees with federal regulators who contended that such a combination would hurt competition.

What Does 2017 Hold for Medicare?

Medicare faces substantial uncertainty in 2017, as the incoming Trump administration has already promised to make major healthcare reforms. Although the president said during his campaign that he would not make cuts to Medicare, members of his cabinet and lawmakers in Congress might well see things differently.

Trumpcare, Not Obamacare, Could Be a Job Killer

In less than one week’s time Donald Trump is set to become the 45th president of the United States, which seemed mighty unlikely about a year and a half ago when campaigning began. While his agenda once in office is seemingly a mile long, at the top of the list appears to be the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which you probably know best as Obamacare.

Fresenius Medical Care Slumps After Patient-Aid Subpoena

Fresenius Medical Care AG fell the most in almost seven months after saying it had received a subpoena in the U.S. over premium-assistance programs that support dialysis patients on private insurance plans that can be more lucrative for providers. Fresenius said the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts is investigating its connections to the American Kidney Fund, which manages a patient-assistance program for the private plans.

Read This Before You Take Medicare Benefits

If you’re getting close to 65, chances are you’re going to enroll in Medicare. While it’s common knowledge that Medicare is the United States’ health insurance program for retirees, many people don’t fully understand certain things about Medicare, such as when to enroll, how much it costs, what all the “parts” of Medicare are, and more.

Sorry, Baby Boomers: You’re Never Going to Retire

The oldest members of the baby boom generation have turned 70, and thousands more are reaching standard retirement age every day. Yet even as baby boomers approach their golden years, they’re doing so with an unprecedented level of pessimism about their financial future.

1 Worsening Problem That Obamacare Simply Can’t Cure

Despite its many criticisms, the Affordable Care Act has arguably been the closest thing to universal healthcare that Americans have ever seen. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the uninsured rate in the U.S. fell from 16% in the quarter immediately preceding the implementation of the ACA, which is more affably known as Obamacare, to just 8.9% by mid-2016.

Medicare in 2017: 5 Numbers Everyone Should Know

When you decide to stop working, the odds are good that Medicare will be a critical part of your financial plan to cover your healthcare expenses. Medicare doesn’t cover all of your costs of staying healthy, but with most people becoming eligible for the program when they turn 65, joining the more than 56 million Americans who already get Medicare proves to be the best choice in most cases.

UnitedHealth Is on the Sidelines

Year to date, shares of UnitedHealth are up 39% after the stock rallied on the back of a Trump victory. After the election, the stock rallied sharply as investors piled into the stock anticipating the end of Obamacare and major tax reform.

Can You Pass This Medicare Quiz?

Social Security may seem to get all of the glory given that it puts money in seniors’ pockets on a monthly basis during retirement, but the importance of Medicare is growing. According to the Urban Institute, an average income male with $47,800 in earnings in 2015 dollars will receive more in estimated lifetime benefits from Medicare than Social Security if he turns 65 in the year 2055.

How Much Will Medicare Cost You in 2017?

Medicare covers more than 57 million Americans, providing the healthcare coverage they need. Every year, though, the cost of Medicare typically goes up, and the program passes through those increases to its participants in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, and other expenses.

Boost Your Retirement Income With These 10 Tips

With fewer and fewer of us able to enjoy traditional pension income, it’s more important than ever that we plan for our future financial security and set ourselves up to receive sufficient income when we’re no longer working. Here are 10 ways you can boost your retirement income.

Reverse Mortgage Line of Credit Could Fund Long-Term Care

There’s a 70% chance that people over 65 will need some kind of long-term care, including services such as home care, assisted living and skilled nursing, according to government statistics . There are lots of ways to pay for long-term care services, including Medicare, Medicaid, traditional health insurance, long-term care insurance , life insurance and annuities.

Women really are better doctors, study suggests

If male doctors were able to do as well as their female counterparts when treating elderly patients in the hospital, they could save 32,000 lives a year, according to a study of 1.5 million hospital visits. A month after patients were hospitalized, there was a small, but significant difference in the likelihood that they were still alive or had to be readmitted to the hospital depending on the gender of the doctor who cared for them, according to the study published in JAMA Internal Medicine .

Americans’ 5 Big Fears About Retirement

If you’re among the millions of American workers worrying that retirement may fail to live up to your expectations, you’re not alone.A new study by Transamerica shows that American workers are wrestling with fearsinvolving financial security and health in retirement. If you have similar worries to the respondents to this survey,here are some ways to overcome them.