Retirement Healthcare and Medicare
Retirement expert Bob Carlson’s research and knowledge on how to get the most out of healthcare options
Found 324 Articles.
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Understanding Medicare
There shouldn’t be anything new here to readers of Retirement Watch and my books, but this article is a good review of the basics of Medicare and how to choose your coverage. Deciding on a type of plan is critical. Take the example of someone who wants more freedom to select health care providers because […]
Act Now to Avoid Higher Medicare Premiums in Two Years
The Medicare premium surtax jumped higher for many retirees in 2018, making planning for this Stealth Tax more important now and in the future. The Medicare premium surtax, or surcharge, is officially known by the acronym IRMAA (Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount). It was created by the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, and was first imposed […]
AARP’s Take On The Medicare Trustees’ Report
The recent annual report of the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare made a lot of headlines, and AARP didn’t like all of them. The organization responded with a different take than some of the media coverage. AARP argues that the programs will be able to pay most promised benefits indefinitely and could pay all […]
The Struggles Of Social Security And Medicare
The latest annual report from the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare is out, and it generated a lot of negative headlines. The big news from the report is that this year the income of the program will exceed the benefits it pays out, so it will have to dip into its reserves or trust […]
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How to Save Money on High Prescription Drug Costs in Retirement
As you might expect, medical care will be one of your highest expenses during retirement. And prescription drugs will be among your highest medical expenses. Now consider this… A 65-year-old couple today that has median prescription drug expenses for the rest of their lives will need $165,000 of savings to have a 50% chance of covering their health expenses in […]
Rising Cost Of Retiree Health Care
Fidelity Investments is out with its latest annual estimate of retirement medical expenses. The latest study estimates the cost over the next 30 years for a married couple currently aged 65 at $280,000. That includes a wide range of out-of-pocket expenses, but doesn’t include long-term care and some other expenses. As this article points out, […]
The Family Caregiver Planning Guide
Many estate plans fail, and often not because of any flaws in the documents or the plans. Estate plan failures frequently occur in the implementation and execution. Especially important are actions taken by others, often your children. They’re likely to be the ones putting key parts of the plan into action, not you. To ensure […]
How to Incorporate Medical Care Decisions into Your Estate Plan
My last report covered all the medical care documents you’ll need, such as your HIPAA Authorization, health care power of attorney (HPOA), living wills and advance directives. Today we lay out some working guidelines for making important medical care decisions. Do not resuscitate/hospitalize It’s common for older patients, especially frail ones in nursing homes, to […]
