Medicare Open Enrollment – and New Benefits – Are on the Way
Medicare open enrollment is on the horizon. Now is the time to start thinking about any changes you may want to make to your Medicare coverage. Thanks to the Inflation…
Understanding Medicaid: What Does Medicaid Cover?
In the complex and frequently changing landscape of health care in the United States, Medicaid stands out as a vital program. Since 1965, it has provided essential coverage to millions…
Preventing Elder Abuse
Every year on June 15th, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is commemorated in United States and worldwide. In the U.S., an estimated 1 in 10 adults over the age…
Alzheimer’s Takes a Financial Toll Long Before Diagnosis, Study Finds
Long before people develop dementia, they often begin falling behind on mortgage payments, credit card bills and other financial obligations, new research shows. A team of economists and medical experts…
How to Hire a Caregiver for In-home Help
The following article appeared in the July 19 edition of the Clarion-Ledger newspaper. It provides good guidance and tips for engaging in-home caregivers for family members. Dear Savvy Senior, I…
Social Security to Drop Obsolete Jobs Used to Deny Disability Benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is no longer considering a number of outdated jobs as possible work opportunities to deny those applying for disability benefits. Social security disability benefits are…
Elder Financial Abuse by Family Caregivers
As life expectancy increases and the number of seniors worldwide is set to grow to more than 1.5 billion by the year 2050, watching out for older adults will be more…
Cooling Inflation May Lower 2025 Social Security COLA
Based on the federal government’s newly released inflation data for May, the 2025 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) could range anywhere from 2.57 percent to 3 percent, depending on the…
CMS Publishes Final Rule on Nurse Staffing Standards
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published final rules setting nurse staffing standards for nursing facilities, as promised by President Biden’s nursing home reform agenda. The final…
CMS Extends Medicaid Unwinding Waivers Until June 2025
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the Medicaid unwinding waivers that it previously extended in December 2023, according to an informational bulletin from the agency. The…