Congress has passed and President Obama has signed into law the deal extending the Bush tax cuts that he struck with Congressional Republicans. The legislation restores the estate tax for two years at a 35 percent rate, with estates up to $5 million exempt from paying any tax ($10 million…
The basic premium for Medicare Part B will be $115.40 a month in 2011, up from $110.50 in 2010 (a 4.4 % increase). But because there will be no cost of living benefit increase for Social Security recipients for 2011, most beneficiaries will be exempted from paying this increase and…
Two federal courts in the past two months have ruled that Medicare’s coverage of skilled care does not require a beneficiary to show improvement. Instead, both courts said that Medicare can pay for skilled care if it is needed simply to preserve a patient’s current functioning or prevent further decline.…
During the annual open enrollment period for Medicare which runs from November 15 to December 31, you may switch Medicare drug or health care plans. This year it is particularly important because of changes brought on by the new health care law. As the health care reform law goes into…
A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) warns that given the weak economy Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are facing challenging times. CCRCs offer the entire residential continuum of care – from independent housing to assisted living to round-the-clock nursing services – under one “roof”. In its new report,…
Many people like the idea of leaving bequests to favorite charities in their wills. But instead of leaving money to a charity in your will, you can put that money into a charitable remainder trust and collect income while you are still alive. Charitable remainder trusts have many other advantages,…
Continuing-Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) offer comfortable living for older individuals and include the availability of fine dining, health clubs and on-site long-term health care. Risks to consider are whether the CCRC might fail due to loss of membership. In the case of failure, residents can lose all or part of…
Elder Law Attorney An Elder Law Attorney is uniquely qualified to guide you through the complex maze of public entitlements, estate and trust planning, tax law, probate, incapacity planning and nursing home rights. Home Care Home Care encompasses a wide range of health and social services delivered at home. These…
Hospice Care/Medicare Hospice care is designed for terminally ill persons and is covered by Medicare Part A. Hospice programs will care for patients in a hospice facility or whenever possible in their homes and emphasize relieving pain and managing symptoms rather than undertaking curative procedures. An individual may elect to…
Continuing Care Retirement Community This type of housing alternative, sometimes called a life care community, generally requires that an individual be able to live independently upon becoming a resident in the community. As a resident begins to need more assistance, specific additional services are made available. Most CCRCs offer three…