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 [...]
As a Health Policy Commissioner, I had the opportunity to participate in a two-day public hearing organized by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission(HPC) in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General and the Center for Health Information and Analysis. Attendees included the Governor of the State of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, the Attorney General, representatives from [...]
I am certainly not a scholar on the topic of “virtue,” which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “morally good behavior.” I’ve never read Aristotle’s treatise on what it means to live a good life or The Nichomachean Ethics, his best known work on ethics. But that won’t stop me from applying ancient philosophy to our 21st century world—because [...]
I’ve managed to conquer yet another mini-milestone in the form of a birthday. Looking back, I remember my father hitting various points in life as he aged, and I can state without any doubt whatsoever that I view those happenings much differently today than in years past. Yesterday, my ten-year-old daughter quizzically shouted, “Wow Dad, [...]
Introduction to Social Security: Part II (Policy) Understanding FRA is important, but it is also necessary to understand how additional policies could potentially impact benefits. Working in Retirement For those who claim before FRA, Social Security’s Earnings Test will automatically reduce benefits to the extent your wages exceed the below (in 2017). Year Earnings [...]
Introduction to Social Security: Part I (Overview) Millions of Americans rely on Social Security as a source of income in retirement. Despite its importance, most only have a cursory understanding of the program – including how benefits are calculated, the best time to claim, and how much will be deducted from monthly disbursements to pay [...]
Understanding Basic Medicare: Parts A, B, D, and Supplemental Insurance Medicare enrollment and coverage can be confusing, and many Americans still mistakenly believe that Medicare will cover all or most of health care costs in retirement. The truth is original Medicare (Parts A and B) will only cover approximately 20 percent of total costs. In truth, [...]
