Mississippi state legislators discussed a potential Medicaid eligibility expansion during the 2024 session, introducing bills in both the state Senate and House, though they were ultimately unable to come to final agreement. By expanding Medicaid, Mississippi would join the forty states and the…
Elder financial exploitation, the most common form of elder abuse, broadly refers to the illegal use of an older person’s money, property, or other financial resource for personal benefit, profit, or gain. The perpetrator can be a known, trusted person such as a caregiver, or they may be a stranger…
Given projections concerning the financial health of Social Security, the program is poised to receive attention from policymakers in the near future. Extensive survey and polling research demonstrates that a strong majority of Americans believe Social Security is an important program they view…
Despite evidence that Medicare Advantage’s (MA) supplemental benefits are a key driver of strong enrollment in Medicare’s private plan option, information about consumer use of those benefits remains limited. Supplemental benefits are a defining feature of MA, yet data are lacking on how many…
How can leaders support women to be as resourceful and resilient as ever? International Women’s Day on March 8 and National Financial Literacy Month in April is the moment to understand the role of financial literacy in advancing women’s financial status. What can efforts to build women’s financial…
In 2023, for the first time ever, vaccines for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) became available, offering protection against an infection that causes tens of thousands of hospitalizations and deaths among older adults every year. Two RSV vaccines were approved by the Food & Drug…
Medicare is the federal health insurance program that covers over 66 million older adults and people with disabilities, and accounts for over a fifth of the nation’s health care spending. Since about half of all people with Medicare are now in private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, better…
This blog is part of a series focusing on changes to Medicare’s private plan option (known as Medicare Advantage) aimed at strengthening the program to better serve the more than 32 million individuals enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan today. A previous blog in this series focused on new…
For the 5.6 million adults ages 50 to 64 who are uninsured, this Open Enrollment Period offers an important opportunity to get coverage for 2024. For the over 5 million older adults already enrolled in individual coverage, it’s a good time to compare plan benefits, providers, and prices to find the best plan for them.
Given the ever-rising cost of health care in the United States, many consumers are turning to medical credit cards, which may offer a convenient payment method, but those same cards also expose them to high-cost debt and financial risk.