By Sharon Begley & Lewis Krauskopf, RNS; Christian Science Monitor ~ Sep 22, 2013
NEW YORK – U.S. State officials behind the launch of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform on Oct. 1 say they could weather a federal government shutdown, though the scenario would add new pressure to the political attacks and technical issues that have weighed on the program’s introduction.
By Amy Schatz & Louise Radnofsky; The Wall Street Journal ~ Sep 22, 2013
There is just one federal health law, but the way Americans experience the debut of its main provisions on Oct. 1 will vary widely depending on where they live.
Every state, whether it supports the law or not, will have a health-insurance exchange where people will shop for coverage—the health overhaul’s centerpiece.
By Brett Arends; The Wall Street Journal ~ Sep 22, 2013
It’s been five years since Wall Street crashed and the financial crisis broke across the country.
Many people lost their homes, their savings or their jobs. Financial plans were shredded. College funds and retirement accounts were drained.
By Ben Steverman; Bloomberg ~ Sep 19, 2013
Less income, longer lives. That’s one way of summing up the retirement conundrum facing the U.S.
A new survey from HSBC sheds light on how Americans are dealing with this retirement stress. The news — here’s a shocker — is not all bad.
By Elizabeth O’Brien; MarketWatch ~ Sep 18, 2013
Families researching long-term care options for their loved ones face a confusing
patchwork of government and private agencies and providers, and the need for a
more navigable system will only intensify as boomers move into old age. So
concluded the congressional Commission on Long-Term Care in a final report
today. The bipartisan commission, created as part of the fiscal
By Jesse J. Holland & Kelli Kennedy, AP; Anderson Independent-Mail News ~ Sep 18, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) — Warning to seniors on Medicare: If someone asks for your personal information for a state insurance exchange under the new health care law, he’s probably a crook. Those exchanges don’t apply to seniors.
No consumer, young or old, should give out medical information or pay up-front “enrollment” fees, the government says.
Those are just two of the scams that federal officials anticipate as state insurance exchanges ramp up under the Affordable Care Act, the official name of the law many call Obamacare.
On Oct. 1, millions of people without access to job-based health care will be able to enroll
By Timothy W. Martin; The Wall Street Journal ~ Sep 18, 2013
When the consumer marketplaces for insurance go live Oct. 1, don’t expect to see much of familiar names like Cigna Corp. or Aetna Inc.
Instead, the insurance companies that are likely to draw attention on the exchanges—which are expected to enroll an estimated 7 million Americans in the first year—are
lesser-known, and in many cases will be offering comparatively lower rates.
The biggest health insurers are eschewing many of the exchanges out of concern that many of the individuals who will purchase coverage need it because they have chronic
illnesses or other medical conditions that are expensive to treat.
By David Lawder; Reuters ~ Sep 17, 2013
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers are far from finished with the job of
deficit-cutting, the Congressional Budget Office warned on Tuesday, saying that
$2 trillion in additional savings is needed over the next 10 years just to stabilize long-term U.S. debt.
By Bill Bischoff; MarketWatch ~ Sep 17, 2013
With today’s relatively generous $5.25 million federal estate tax exemption, the whole topic of estate planning may have fallen completely off your radar. But there’s an
important estate planning action you should probably take as soon as you finish reading this.
If you haven’t yet turned in forms to designate beneficiaries for your bank, brokerage,
By Tom Kisken, SHNS; San Angelo Standard Times ~ Sep 14, 2013
VENTURA, Calif. – Dr. Jack Padour was burning out.
The Ventura, Calif., internal medicine doctor faced falling reimbursement rates and rising overhead. The only way to maintain his earnings was to see more patients.
“I knew I was being compromised by seeing patients every eight to 10 minutes just to keep the doors open,” he said.
Two years ago, Padour changed his practice to a model attracting doctors and debate across the nation.