shAARP Talk: Observations from AARP

Bloomberg: Study Shows U.S. Health Care System Not Prepared For Boomers

"Changes in payment policies by Medicare, the federal health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, would also affect what services the elderly use and how often they do so, the authors said." Currently, Medicare "is experimenting with payment changes to encourage better treatment while holding down spending. The agency's fee-for-service model generally pays for each procedure rather than for overall treatment, which some health analysts say encourages waste." The fee-for-service "policies don't 'encourage the delivery of the best care for older patients or the development of an adequate workforce,' according to the report.

USA Today: New Book On Identity Theft Claims Bankers Are Real Culprits

Steve Weinberg reviews "Zero Day Threat," a non-fiction book on identity theft by USA Today reporters Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz. Weinberg writes, "Surprisingly, the real villains in Zero Day Threat are not the identity thieves themselves." Instead, "the villains are supposed pillars of communities: bankers, credit-bureau managers and computer makers who enable the burglars, and who could ameliorate the identify-theft crisis but, instead, look away in the name of larger corporate profit." The authors "have ferreted out scandal within the identity-theft realm that is bound to lead to reader outrage. Whether the revelations will lead to meaningful reform by Congress and federal regulatory agencies remains to be seen."

MarketWatch: Democrats Contemplate Second Economic Stimulus Package

"Consumers may be more interested in saving than spending, muting some of the immediate positive impact from tax rebates in the first economic stimulus package, lawmakers worry. So Democrats are considering a second economic stimulus plan that could extend unemployment insurance benefits." That package "could include elements such as extending jobless benefits and investing in construction and other public works projects," but "some observers don't expect major progress within coming weeks as lawmakers focus first on passing housing legislation to support that market." The White House "opposes current efforts on a second economic stimulus plan."