“Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition 2017 Edition,” by Eileen Norcross and Olivia Gonzales, Mercatus Center   “The fiscal health of America’s states affects all its citizens. Indicators of fiscal health come in a variety of forms—from a state’s ability to attract businesses and how much it taxes to what services it provides and how well it keeps its promises to public-sector employees. To get a sense of a particular state’s fiscal outlook requires consulting a state’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR), which, at hundreds of pages, is unwieldy for even the most dedicated analyst. But in the Mercatus Center
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UnitedHealth Group Predicts 50% Of Seniors Will Choose Medicare Advantage,” by Bruce Japsen, Forbes   “Medicare Advantage plans could quickly become the choice of one in two seniors as millions flock to privately administered health benefits for the government’s health insurance for elderly Americans, the nation’s largest health insurer is predicting.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): MA continues to grow. UnitedHealth Group Predicts 50% Of Seniors Will Choose Medicare Advantage #goldencareagent #medicare
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“The US is losing ground when it comes to retirement security,” by Jessica Dickler, CNBC “All your retirement dreams can come true, just maybe not in the U.S. Among the leading nations for retirement security, the United States didn’t even crack the top 15, according to the 2017 Global Retirement Index by Natixis Global Asset Management “As much as 88 percent of Americans agree that the nation faces a retirement crisis, according to one survey by the Washington, D.C.-based National Institute on Retirement Security pension research group.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): With
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“Social Security trust fund will be depleted in 17 years, according to trustees report,” by Philip Moeller, PBS NewsHour “The annual trustee reports on Social Security and Medicare were released earlier today and showed little change from last year. With both programs facing longer-term deficits, these annual report cards have become a doomsday clock for senior benefits. The top line of today’s reports is that the estimated insolvency date of Social Security’s big trust fund is 2034 — unchanged from last year. The other big fund is Medicare’s hospital trust fund. Last year, it was projected to run out of
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“Long-Term Care Insurance Association Reports 39 Percent Increase In Consumer Inquiries,” AALTCI “The number of consumers requesting information and costs for long-term care insurance increased nearly 39 percent for the first six months of 2017 compared to the prior year reports the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. ‘This is a significant increase and an indication of enormous growing interest among consumers in the importance of long term care planning,’ states Jesse Slome, director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI). The increase represents the number of consumers who completed a request for long-term care insurance costs on
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“Don’t ignore this serious retirement threat,” by Steve Vernon, CBS MoneyWatch “Many older Americans have their heads in the sand regarding the potential threat posed by long-term care. They think somebody else will pay for it, but that’s usually not the case. Unfortunately, Medicare, Medicaid and medical insurance policies don’t cover most long-term care costs, and most people end up paying for care out of their own resources. In addition, many people underestimate how much long-term care really costs. How real is this threat? You can read the statistics, but if you want to truly understand how serious the problem
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“Stressful experiences can age brain ‘by years’, Alzheimer’s experts hear,” The Guardian “Stressful life experiences can age the brain by several years, new research suggests. Experts led by a team from Wisconsin University’s school of medicine and public health in the US found that even one major stressful event early in life may have an impact on later brain health. Stressful life experiences included things such as losing a job, the death of a child, divorce or growing up with a parent who abused alcohol or drugs. The results showed that a larger number of stressful events was linked to
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“How Much Should the Average American Save for Retirement?,” by Maurie Backman, The Motley Fool “The idea of retiring would be much less stressful for most of us if we could somehow pin down the right amount to save. After all, it’s hard to say what our living costs might look like five, 10, or 30 years down the line. Not only that, but because we all have varying goals and needs in retirement, it’s pretty much impossible to come up with a single number that will work well for all seniors across the board.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A.
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“What You Need to Know about the Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports,” by Peter G. Peterson Foundation “Are Social Security and Medicare Going ‘Bankrupt’? No, but both programs are on an unsustainable path. The Trustees warn that predictable demographic trends will cause a significant imbalance between funding coming in, and spending going out in the form of benefits.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): By any rational standard, Social Security and Medicare are bankrupt already. They run deficits every year forcing the federal budget to make up the difference and their future unfunded
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“Medicare’s hospital trust fund will run out of money in 2029,” by Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post “The trust fund that pays Medicare’s hospital expenses will run out of money in 2029, a year later than the most recent projection, according to a federal report. The Social Security program will remain solvent until 2034, a projection unchanged from last year. The annual report from the Social Security and Medicare board of trustees provides a snapshot of the long-term solvency of the federal government’s two biggest entitlement programs.” LTC Comment (from Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform): Oh,
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