1. When the homeowner doesn’t need it. One of the most powerful aspects of the FHA HECM is the option of a “stand by” line of credit. For very little cost the reverse mortgage Line of Credit, with its built in growth factor, can create a line of Tax Free funds that in 8 to…
A Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of ACA plans in major metropolitan areas in 11 states where data are available, including the District of Columbia, finds that preliminary 2016 premiums for benchmark silver plans grew modestly, but increased more sharply this year than last year. The average increase for benchmark plans across the cities is 4.4…
Sallyann Johnson considers herself a pretty savvy health care consumer. When she fell and injured her hands and wrists, she didn’t head for an expensive emergency room, choosing an urgent care clinic near her Milwaukee home instead.
The federal government released on Thursday a new five-star rating system for home health agencies, hoping to bring clarity to a fast-growing but fragmented corner of the medical industry where it’s often difficult to distinguish good from bad.
About 40 million people in America care for a family member, neighbor or friend who has limitations in everyday activities. We call these people “family caregivers.” Most of them juggle work and family caregiving responsibilities, which can seriously affect their physical and emotional health. Together, this invisible workforce provides 37 billion hours of care, which…
By Kirk Larson Social Security Western Washington Public Affairs Specialist The Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds are projected to become depleted in 2034, one…
Brokerage accounts allow an individual investor to deposit funds and place investment orders through a licensed brokerage firm. Through a brokerage account, you can buy or sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc. Brokerage firms must abide by strict legal guidelines governing access to account information. The result is that sometimes heirs can’t even see account…
In recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cracked down on hospitals for services rendered in a “medically-unnecessary setting,” that is the hospitals were choosing to admit patients as inpatients rather than under observation. CMS responded by penalizing hospitals who admitted patients who should have been under observation first. Hospitals reacted by…
The Social Security advantage for married women is shrinking. Much of the focus of Social Security and retirement experts concentrates on describing ways to maximize Social Security benefits. The majority of those options realize benefits for a spouse, usually a woman, who didn’t work much if at all, outside the home and therefore saw little…
If you are over 62, you know you are eligible for a reverse mortgage because you can’t turn around without someone telling you that you are. There’s nothing wrong with reverse mortgages as long as you realize they are a tool. Just as a screwdriver isn’t the tool you need when you need to hammer…
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