Category: Financial and taxes in retirement
November 25, 2013 -- Over the past week we saw numerous reports reminding us of yet another way that our hard-earned retirements can run onto financial shoals. This time the culprit is one that most of us don't think that much about - medical expenses. We will explain more about the problem here, along with some ideas on how to prepare your retirement against bankrupting medical expenses.
Fidelity, the mutual fund company, estimates that a couple in average health will spend over $220,000 during their retirement for medical
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Published on November 25, 2013
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
September 23, 2013 -- Love it or hate it, Obamacare, otherwise known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, is going into effect. As a baby boomer you need to be prepared for an important first deadline that goes into place next week on October 1. That is the date that you can begin signing up for 2014 coverage at one of the health insurance marketplaces (exchanges) created by the Act. This article will outline 7 things you need to know about Obamacare, so you can be adequately covered and guarantee your rights under the new law. As you can see below, boomers too young for Medicare but not covered by their employer can probably save thousands of dollars on their medical insurance under the new law.
But first, we need to discuss your current health care insurance situation because, based on that status, the new
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Published on September 23, 2013
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
November 4, 2012 -- Note: This is Part 2 of our Medical Insurance for Retirement Series. See Further Reading at end for links to Part 1 through 5.
The result of last month's member survey about Medicare are in. We are pleased that you have ideas on a plan to fix Medicare, something that differentiates you from our elected leaders in Washington. When asked to rank your ideal fix from a list of 9 choices, limiting benefits to the most affluent was the number 1 choice, closely followed by 4 others (see detailed results below). Vouchers and lifetime benefit caps were the least popular choices in the survey. Elsewhere in the survey results, most of our responders have opted in to Medicare and its component parts. The sole exception is Part C (Medicare Advantage), where more folks are not in the program than are.
We are so grateful to the more than 550 people who took to the time to answer our 9 questions about Medicare. While we can't say that any of the findings are particularly surprising, the results do shed
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Published on November 4, 2012
Comments 69
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
The Obama and Romney campaigns are both keeping their plans for fixing Medicare a secret. So here is your chance to tell them how it should be done – if you were in charge how would you fix Medicare so this cherished benefit is there for the next generation? Take…
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Published on October 10, 2012
Comments 19
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Updated May 17, 2016 -- Note: Although the basics about Medicare are unchanged, the amount you pay in premiums and deductibles changes over time. This article is both Module 9 of our Retirement 101 Online Preparation Course and the first in a series on Medicare.
-- Believe it or not, there is some good news about your turning 65 - you are now old enough to be eligible for Medicare! Cheer up, the worst of your medical insurance worries are over, particularly if you retired early and are not covered by an employer plan. Most people in the Medicare system are grateful for the coverage and peace of mind it provides.
This 101 article, part 1 in a series, is meant to address the concerns we know many of you have about how to get started with Medicare. Using information from the very helpful Medicare.gov site and in particular its FAQ feature, we'll explain exactly what the program is and outline the many options it can provide, so you can both rest
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Published on October 8, 2012
Comments 118
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
June 19, 2012 -- One of our favorite things about baby boomers is that in our minds we think we are young people - even if our bodies might betray us from time to time. On the other hand you have probably noticed that some boomers come across as younger in their mental outlook and personalities than others. The younger seeming folks are a lot more interesting, more fun to be with, and happier. So we thought it would be worthwhile listing a few tips and suggestions that can help all of us keep our youthful aspect, and make us better companions. We welcome your suggestions as well.
1. Be positive. Is their anything more unattractive than someone who complains about everything and everybody around them? Sure there are
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Published on June 19, 2012
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
By Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
U.S. has the best care in the world?
As an adult, I have been in the hospital overnight on five occasions for various health issues; Four times in the USA in different facilities and states, and once now in Guatemala. In three of those four times in the U.S. I had either poor results or negative outcomes. That’s 75% of my personal experiences with U.S. hospital care which have been unfavorable.
These events have ranged from little or no follow up from attending doctors once a procedure was completed, leaving me confused, concerned and on my own to figure things out, to the incorrect construction of a cast covering a broken wrist following a
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Published on February 28, 2012
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Category: Health and Wellness Issues
By Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
The ever-present question
It is such a fatiguing topic and one that is filled with emotion and fear. As a nation we can hardly get past it and present solutions are sometimes as hard to handle as the problem itself.
I’m talking about the price of the administration of health care.
High cost and obstacles
We know a couple who pays $1,200 a month for a catastrophic, high deductible plan in the States and they have never had a claim. Another couple pays $2,000 a month just for the husband’s ability to be insured with his pre-existing heart condition. Some people are not able to be covered at all with US insurance companies due to a completely cleared up medical condition that
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Published on December 30, 2011
Comments 3
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
Nov. 14 -- Although a good 40% of baby boomers have considered long term health care insurance, the decision to buy it is rarely made. In a new survey by NBER Retirement Research Center and reported on by the Financial Literacy Project, several academics found that as in so many other decisions involving delayed gratification, we baby boomers have not decided to pay today for this protection tomorrow.
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Published on November 13, 2011
Comments 62
Category: Health and Wellness Issues
September 30, 2014 Note: This article from July 2011 has just been updated. A lot has happened in the health care market since then, particularly the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). And so this is now Part 3 in our Health Care Insurance series - see links to Parts 1 and 2 in Further Reading below
Congratulations on your retirement. Now, what the heck are you going to do about health insurance?
Millions of baby boomers are finding themselves retired before the "normal" retirement age of 65. Whether your retirement is the fulfillment of a dream or an unwanted outcome, it usually comes with a huge question - what to do about health insurance? This article will help you understand your options, particularly if you find yourself retired before Medicare takes care of most of your health care insurance issues.
If you retire at age 65 or later you will most likely have no major health care insurance issues to worry about. That's because Medicare enrollment will cover most of your health insurance needs. You could still face major out-of-pocket costs for non-reimbursed expenses, so supplemental insurance might be a good idea. But if you have not yet reached the magic age of 65, what are your health care options?
The Health Insurance Options
- Healthcare insurance provided by your previous employer. Traditionally this was the ideal situation, particularly if your employer paid all of most of the premiums after
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Published on July 11, 2011
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