When Hurricane Irma knocked out power to a Broward County nursing facility in September 2017, fourteen seniors ultimately lost their lives as a result of sweltering conditions. Prompted by that tragedy, Florida now requires nursing homes and assisted living facilities…
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Take note: Medigap Plans C and F will close to new enrollment beginning January 1, 2020. If you have subscribed to one of these plans before that date, you will be grandfathered in, and can retain your coverage for the…
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Effective January 1, 2018, the Internal Revenue Service raises the total amount that may be contributed to an ABLE account to $15,000 (was $14,000). The ABLE account (“Achieving a Better Life Experience”) allows an individual with disabilities to save in…
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Medicare premiums may be paid by credit or debit card, check, or via Medicare’s Easy Pay system. But there is another way to pay that some beneficiaries may find even more convenient: Through your bank’s online bill payment system. To use…
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The Internal Revenue Service has made it easier for surviving spouses to claim a late portability election. Portability gives surviving spouses the right to “port over” the deceased spouse’s unused federal estate tax exemption (DSUE) to themselves – even if…
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Key parts of the Department of Labor’s “Fiduciary Rule” will go into effect on June 9, 2017. President Trump’s executive order requiring the department to re-evaluate the rule delayed the rollout, originally scheduled for April 10. Also known as the…
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CPI-W and CPI-E. What a difference one letter makes! Currently, the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) determines whether Social Security recipients receive a cost of living adjustment, and the amount. However, there is ongoing debate…
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have issued new and far-reaching federal regulations for long-term care facilities that receive federal Medicare or Medicaid funds (which is almost all of them). The new rules will be phased in, with the…
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The Fairness in Medicaid Special Needs Trusts Act was signed into law by President Obama on December 13, 2016. Until passage of the legislation, disabled adults who wished to set up a special need trust for their own benefit had…
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Non-profit organizations are busy sending solicitations, knowing that many people will make year-end donations to reap tax benefits. However, as amply demonstrated in the press, not all charities are created equal. Some are scams, and there are differences in how…
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