Blog
Observation status bill approved by Senate
The U. S. Senate unanimously approved a bill last week (July 27, 2015) that would require hospitals across the country to tell Medicare patients when they receive observation care but aren’t actually admitted to the facility – a difference that most patients miss...
ABLE Act is Law in 2015! What You Need to Know
What is an ABLE account? The ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act will ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing and transportation. The...
Married Couples Should Update Their Will to Avoid Medicaid Misery
Many married couples have no Will. If they have decided to leave everything to their spouse, then split their assets equally among their surviving children after they both die, they don’t necessarily need one. This path of inheritance is the normal distribution...
National Healthcare Decisions Day – Thursday, April 16, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015 marks the 8th Annual National Healthcare Decisions Day. This is a national initiative to encourage adults of all ages to discuss their healthcare decisions and complete advance directives. All across the country, healthcare professionals,...
Caregiver Stress – Maintaining Your Sanity
An estimated 10,000 baby boomers reach age 65 every day. With this aging avalanche, family members are pressed into a caregiver role. This can be challenging, exhausting and isolating. The stress caregivers feel can make them to eventually become burned out – a...
St. Louis Man Accused of Neglecting His Elderly Mother
Elder abuse has made the news once again in St. Louis metro area. On January 28, 2015, Betsey Bruce of Fox 2 News did a report about a local man who was accused of neglecting his mother, who was living in squalid conditions. In this instance, the elderly woman herself...
It’s Tax Time!
Just a reminder to consult your tax professional. The IRS allows a taxpayer to deduct certain qualified medical expenses that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income for the year. Your AGI, or adjusted gross income, is your taxable income less any appropriate...
Proposed Changes in the Rules Governing the Veterans’ Aid and Attendance Benefit
Many of you are familiar with the special monthly pension available to wartime veterans or their surviving spouses. Aid and Attendance is a needs-based benefit that can provide a monthly income of up to $2,120 for a married veteran who meets certain medical, service...
Did You Forget to Make New Year’s Resolutions? We Can Help
Have your worked on your New Year’s resolutions? You probably wanted to make some that you could actually count on satisfying, that would be really beneficial and that would make you sound like a mature, responsible adult. If you haven’t made them, we can help. Time...
Medicare Premiums and Deductibles for 2015
Medicare is the national health insurance program to which all Social Security recipients who are either over 65 years of age or permanently disabled are eligible. This also includes individuals receiving railroad retirement benefits and individuals suffering from end...
