health care reform

Looking beyond Medicare lifetime taxes and benefits

Posted on 06/13/2013 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

health care | Public Policy InstituteYou may have seen the reports (2012 update and Alternative Assumptions) by Eugene Steuerle and Caleb Quakenbush from the Urban Institute showing lifetime taxes paid and benefits received from Social Security and Medicare. The authors estimate that an average male who earns the average wage during his working years and turns 65 in 2020 will pay $77,000 in Medicare taxes and receive $232,000 in Medicare benefits. These numbers vary by gender, marital status, age, and year in which the person …

Seniors Get Hung Up in Health Care Scams

Posted on 04/22/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthThis Kaiser Health News story was produced in collaboration with NPR. By Jenny Gold, Kaiser Health News Staff Writer One recent morning, 86-year-old Evelyne Lois Such was sitting at her kitchen table in Denver when the phone rang.  She didn’t recognize the phone number or the deep voice on the other end of the line. “He asked if I was a senior, and I said yes, and he said we are sending out all new Medicare cards and I want …

4 Ways Obama’s Budget Would Change Medicare

Posted on 04/15/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsAdapted from an article by Mary Agnes Carey, Senior Correspondent, Kaiser Health News President Barack Obama’s fiscal 2014 budget includes a variety of what he says are “manageable” changes for Medicare’s 54 million beneficiaries as well as for the hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers that serve them. That assessment has drawn concern from some patient and provider groups that, although recognizing the need to address the nation’s rising health care costs, say seniors shouldn’t bear the brunt …

She Runs the Biggest Federal Agency — and Now May Land the Job

Posted on 04/8/2013 by | Washington Watch | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal Health | PoliticsPresident Obama first nominated Marilyn Tavenner to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) almost 2-1/2 years ago. She’s been running the agency, the federal government’s largest, as acting administrator for more than a year. CMS has a $820 billion budget, oversees health insurance for 100 million Americans and is charged with implementing the health care law. Related: Sequester Fallout: Where Will Medicare Patients Get Chemo? On April 9, the Senate Finance Committee will hold her confirmation hearing. …

Home Health Aides — More Than Just Babysitters

Posted on 04/5/2013 by | Caregiving | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Work | Your LifeThe subject of raising the minimum wage has been a theme in the news for the last several weeks. You might be surprised to learn that many home health aides will see no benefit from any possible bump to the current $7.25 an hour rate — I know I was, when I read an article from CNN Money posted on one of my new favorite blogs, The Voice of Aging Boomers. It turns out that many home health aides are grouped …

Study: Health Providers Often Rewarded for Volume Over Value

Posted on 03/26/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Russ Mitchell for Kaiser Health News. This story was produced in collaboration with USA Today For decades, reformers have sought to change how doctors and hospitals are paid to reward quality and efficiency — efforts that accelerated as a result of the health care overhaul. But surprisingly little progress has been made to date, a consortium of large employers reported today. Only 10.9 percent of health care spending last year by employer-sponsored plans was based on “value,” as opposed to …

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