Medicare Means Testing? Medicare currently provides health coverage to over 50-million subscribers. Enrollment is projected to reach 64 million in 2020 and 81 million in 2030. Couple this with a projection of only 2.5 workers to every retiree by 2030, and this federal entitlement will likely dwarf all other spending programs. To increase funding, The [...]
One of the most subtle yet dynamic variables that contributes to rising medical expenses is health care inflation, which is projected to grow between 5% and 6% annually for the foreseeable future – more than twice the historic rate for Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs). The compounding effect of this differential over the [...]
The Next Retirement Planning Challenge At a time when many Americans are failing to save enough to achieve long-term financial security, retirement plans have little margin for error when it comes to unanticipated costs. Even though industry surveys reveal future retirees cite paying for health care as a primary retirement concern, this expense is not [...]
What is Long Term Care? Long-term care (LTC) refers to assistance with daily living activities – including bathing, eating, and dressing – for a prolonged period of time (usually over 90 days). LTC can range from support with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), such as taking medication and shopping, to 24-hour nursing home care. [...]
A few weeks ago, my neighbor, Dan, invited me to a Texas Hold‘em fundraiser at his temple. Normally, gambling isn’t my thing; in fact, the only card game I play now is Uno with my daughter, Taylor. “I’m not sure,” I said. “I’m not much of a gambler.” “Come on. It’s for charity,” he coaxed, “and [...]
While Ron’s View is generally written to appeal to financial professionals, this Update is focused on consumers and their protection. For this week’s Update, All names have been changed. I recently had lunch with a friend who informed me that he had lost $100,000 in a local investment scam. I found this shocking because Larry is [...]
For its February 4th feature article, The Real Cost of Healthcare in Retirement Barron’s spoke to a number of experts about retirement health care and asked HealthView Services to provide customized data to illustrate the challenges facing future retirees. In the introduction to the article, Senior Editor, Reshma Kapedia, came up with a great way to frame the [...]
President Trump has taken the first step in dismantling the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) by signing an Executive Order that gives federal agencies the authority to grant waivers, offer exemptions, and delay provisions if they lower costs. The one-page document is somewhat vague and has failed to outline a specific action, so it [...]
(This Update was written by one of my colleagues, whose parents’ home was destroyed by a fire last week.) At 3:15 in the morning last Thursday, I received a call that anyone who has elderly parents never want to get. “CHRIS! This is your parents’ tenant, Laura. Your parents are fine, but THE HOUSE IS [...]
First of all, I would like to wish all of the Update readers a very happy and prosperous new year. Speaking of prosperity, in terms of market performance – as the Dow closes in on 20,000 – some of you may feel optimistic about the future; others not so much. Regardless of where we are [...]
