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2009-2010 RECOVERY ACT: HUGE TAX CREDITS FOR ENERGY
EFFICIENT PRODUCTS
Applies through December 31, 2010 - - The Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009
stimulus) offers huge investment tax credits for a range of
high energy products for your home. Windows, doors, heating,
roofs, and alternative energy-producers all participate. If
you are having difficulty in selling an existing home,
energy-saving improvements could be the key. Few know of
these provisions, so move quickly to avoid backups in
supplies and contractors.
Read the Details and Cash In
Claim your $60
Telephone Tax Credit:
Read what
you can do only before
April 15, 2010
Pass the Health Insurance
Reform Bill, Then Work to Make it Comprehensive
Opinion:
March 17, 2010
- Robert Fassbach, editor: www.SeniorArk.com
 On December 7, 2009
SeniorArk withdrew support for the current Health
Insurance Reform effort. (See
article)
The bill had been so weakened by conservative Democrats,
independent Joe Lieberman, and Republicans who feigned
bi-partisanship, that it became little
more than a jackpot for private health insurance
companies. There is
little "reform". We can only hope that if it
passes, it will become the foundation for more sweeping
reform. We
have again changed our position. Today we believe that
passing the bill is better for Americans over 50 than
not passing.
Americans over 50 who have no health insurance should
have a better chance of obtaining it through this bill.
And the bill will immediately begin the process of
eliminating the doughnut hole in our prescription drug
program.
But - - this bill should only signal the
beginning of a more serious effort to pass sweeping
healthcare reform. Pass the current bill
immediately, and start talking about
Medicare for all
in America. It should become the drumbeat of those who
would seek universal healthcare. "Medicare for
all" is the drumbeat. Start repeating it. This
would be far simpler, and would result in high
quality care for all, cradle to grave, at a much
reduced price. Medicare has successfully delivered
quality healthcare for nearly 50 years, and with
administrative costs of only 3%
(Health insurance companies have balked at being limited
to 15%, and their
goal is 35% for costs and profits).
"Medicare for all" is very workable. The
machinery is already in place. For insurers and drug
manufacturers, this proposal is the ultimate heresy. But
Congress is elected to serve the needs of the citizens,
not the profits of companies bent on giving us as little
care as possible.
We cannot sustain a further burden on the Medicare
Trust Fund, so costs to the non-senior member must be
determined, and assessed to the user, or the employer.
But this would be a very efficient, proven, health
delivery method.
Remember,
it's
"Medicare for all"!!!
Seniors---Did You Know?
Twenty
percent of Americans receive Medicare insurance through
private insurance companies. The program is called Part
"C", or Medicare Advantage. Many Seniors believe that
the Part B insurance premium we all pay (now $96.40/mo),
and a small premium paid to the private insurer, covers
our care.
NO
WAY!
Your
private insurer is paid between
$9,600 and $12,000
each year
to cover
your individual health expense.
Is
it any wonder that the health insurance stocks are
soaring on the back of our Medicare trust fund? Mystery
solved as to why insurers are paying big dollars for
your congressman's vote on any healthcare issue.
Democrats have said these payments are excessive, and
propose cutting them by about 15%.
Opponents have used this cut to decry a "Democratic cut
in Medicare", when in fact it is intended to bring these
payments more in line with the real costs of Senior
healthcare. We have a lot of trouble believing the
crocodile tears of conservatives who are complaining
about Medicare cuts, when the base of their party
proposes a total elimination of the program.
At the same time we
mistrust the strident efforts of the AARP, and the
Alliance for Retired Americans, both of which support
these Medicare Advantage cuts, while at the same time
profiting from Medigap supplement programs that would
benefit from such cuts. Both AARP and The Alliance for
Retired Americans off supplement programs, but not
Medicare Advantage. Hmmm!
Where is the truth?
Interesting
Fact:
If
you had spent $26,000,000 per day since the day Jesus
was born, you still would not have spent as much as the
United States has spent on defense since World War II.
Picture(s) of the
Day
|
A Palestinian schoolgirl runs past Israeli troops
in an effort to get to school in east Jerusalem,
Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Thousands of officers,
including reinforcements brought in from other
locations, were in place for a fifth straight day.
The violence also spilled over into the nearby
West Bank. Israel is expected to respond today to
a US request for clarification on several points
relayed by a “frustrated” Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton last weekend.(AP Photo/Bernat
Armangue)
TOPSHOTS A layer of fog floats into Victoria
harbour in Hong Kong late on March 15, 2010. Warm
humid air from the south mixed with a cold front
from neighbouring Guangdong province in mainland
China to the north has produced patches of fog
across the territory over the past few days.
TOPSHOTS/AFP PHOTO/ RICHARD A. BROOKS (Photo
credit should read RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/Getty
Images)
The pack is on its way during the annual Engadine
cross country skiing marathon from Maloja to S-Chanf
in south Eastern Switzerland, Sunday, March 14,
2010. Around 11, 200 sportsmen and -women
participated in the event. (AP
Photo/Keystone/Steffen Schmidt)
|
Seniors, always remember, if you are
EVER in need of ANYTHING,
email:
seniorark@aol.com
We may not be
able to help, but we WILL TRY.
And we
WILL answer your email.
Email us--we
want to be bothered.
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___________________________________________
Updated:
Wednesday March 17, 2010
Did you read something on this page, and
now it's gone? If so, you will probably find that it has been
moved to this page.
03-04-10 - Reader submitted details on a
current telephone scam.
Read
about it.
TODAY'S IMPORTANT NUMBERS
-
Wednesday March 17, 2010
***********************************************************
|
*
|
|
January 2001 the
national debt was $5,728,195,796,181
January 2009 the national debt was $10,656,877,048,913
|
* 3 - Days until Spring 2010 (as of
March 17, 2010) (Begins at 1:32 PM EDT, 3-20-10 in Northern
Hemisphere)
* 211 - Average days from layoff to finding a new job in the
current economy (as of 2-26-10)
* 50 - Number of U.S. states that have had measurable snow
this winter
* 49 - Number of U.S. states that had measurable snow on the
ground 2-15-10
* 3,000,000 - Soft drink vending machines in the U.S. One for
every 100 people.
* 237 - Miles the average European walks per year
* 87 - Miles the average American walks per year
* Don't ask, don't tell - Miles I
walk per year
* 27% - Gift cards never redeemed in the U.S.. Over $8 Billion
worth of them were never used from 2006.
* $700 - $1000 per MONTH. Amount Medicare Advantage insurers
are paid by Medicare for your care.
* $772,000,000 - Amount AARP was paid by health insurance
companies in 2008. Beware their opinions.
* $13,375 - Average 2009 cost for an
employer-based family health insurance policy
* 8 - Percent of American companies that
will drop healthcare for employees in 2010
* 35 cents - amount health insurers
want to pocket for every health insurance dollar received
* 2.1 - USA spends $2.1 trillion/year on health care.
Double per person in any other country.
* 44 million - # of Americans on
government-run health insurance - It's called Medicare!
* 44 - years Medicare has served
the needs of America's Seniors - July 30 > 44th birthday
* 43rd - U.S. life expectancy - 42
nations are higher (best healthcare in the world???)
* 28th - U.S. ranking on infant mortality
- 27 were better. (Center for Disease Control)
* 1 - Number of top 30 developed
countries without universal healthcare >> U.S.A.
* 33 cents -
Portion of each U.S. health dollar spent on administrative
costs
* 6 British pubs are closing every day
(now--this is serious)
* 2,944 consumer bankruptcies filed per day
* 50 Million - - # of Americans who will
face today with no health insurance
* 17,000 - Democrats and Republicans who are
losing their health insurance every day
* 9.2 Million U.S. households
net worth of $1 million or more, not including primary
residence
Do you know there are now
9 news sections on
www.seniorark.com?
Volunteers scour the web EVERY DAY to find the most
important articles for Seniors
***********************************************************
Primary News Sections
·
The Home Page you are now viewing, for the
very latest news for Seniors
·
The
"News" page for today's news on health and other items of
interest
·
Up-to-date
news on Medicare, including Part D information (last
section)
·
Up-to-date
news on Social Security, including other pension related
news (last section)
·
News on
Senior Health Issues, (last section), older than the
current
"news" page
Archived News Sections - Articles you remember reading somewhere,
but can no longer find.
·
Hot News items that have been
moved very recently from the page you are now reading
·
Older Medicare News
·
Older Health Articles with summary
·
Older Health Articles listed, without a summary
Social Security Trust Fund Analysis:
Need to Look at the Long Term
**********************************************************
Social Security took in only $3 billion more in taxes last
year than it paid out in benefits - a $60 billion decline from
2008, according to federal data. The recession is blamed in
part, as it added to the hundreds of thousands of workers
retiring or claiming disability. USA Today, using
Congressional Budget Office numbers, reports that the impact
of the recession is likely to reduce Social Security revenues
again this year and next. The slide in revenues occurred
sooner than Social Security actuaries had expected, for
several reasons: Payroll tax revenue that was growing at a
4.5% average annual clip along with wages flattened out in
2009 because of rising unemployment and disappearing pay
raises; the number of retired workers who began taking
benefits increased by 20%; those taking disability jumped by
10%; and monthly Social Security benefits were raised 5.8% due
to a spike in energy prices the year before. The overall
surplus of the Social Security Trust Fund is still $2.5
trillion; this is not a cataclysm. We must look at the
financial picture of Social Security as actuaries do, over the
long-term, which would be over a 75-year timeline. We cannot
allow privatizers to use temporary recessions - even deep ones
- to ruin the system that has worked for millions of seniors
over
several decades.
Insurance Premium Increase of 39% in California Adds to Health
Reform Urgency
**********************************************************
The health care problem remains
on the center stage now that Anthem Blue Cross of California
has unveiled rate increases of up to 39 percent for its
800,000 individual policyholders. The increases, which will
take effect on March 1, far outpace the increases of 10 to 25%
seen in previous years among most insurers offering individual
policies. Kaiser Health News and The San Diego Union-Tribune
report that as the economy slowly recovers, health insurance
costs for those with individual policies continue to increase
due to larger numbers of unemployed and those relying on
government health care programs. As a result, "hospitals and
doctors are passing on more of their uncompensated costs to
patients with private insurance." The San Francisco Chronicle
adds that "California physical, occupational and speech therapists are also taking
issue with Anthem. The therapists said the insurer cut their
reimbursement rates by 30 to 50% on February 1. In addition,
the Chronicle reports that patients covered by other health
insurers, including Health Net and Aetna, are reporting being
hit with sky-high increases. "This is exactly the kind of news
that proves we need health care reform immediately," said
Barbara J. Easterling, President of the Alliance For Retired
Americans.
ABC News -
Emily Walker
In the midst of a deep economic recession, America's
health insurance companies increased their profits by 56
percent in 2009, a year that saw 2.7 million people lose
their private coverage.
|
MARCH IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY TO ACT
THIS IS THE
SENIORARK MEDICARE BIG RED NEWS BOX
(Your source for the latest
Medicare information, as you make decisions for 2010)
For more helpful information on
Medicare, Parts A, B, C, and D, the Donut Hole, the
CPI-W, Current Medicare News
Articles, and much more, see our
Medicare Page.
Why
you must look at your Medicare Advantage Plan Today
You can still make changes between January 1 and March 31,
2010
Updated:
March 17, 2010
Robert Fassbach, editor,
www.seniorark.com
When January 1 arrives, your worries about Medicare
Advantage are not over. Not yet. And that is very good. What you do right now
can determine how well you do for the rest of the year
in getting the medical care and prescriptions you need.
If you still have concerns about whether you are
in the right Medicare Advantage Plan (20% of Seniors
choose this method of receiving Medicare), you have
until March 31 to make additional changes.
I turned 65 the day before Christmas 2007,
Selecting a Medicare Advantage Plan that also covered my
prescriptions, was a traumatic experience. My choice for
2010 was much the same. I have been
studying and writing about the nuances of Medicare for
over four years on SeniorArk, and in various other
publications. But until I entered the scene myself, I
had no idea of the extreme confusion surrounding the
process. Even now, having made an "informed" decision
for 2010, I am not
completely sure I have made the best choice
for my needs. I have a plan that will work, and it
includes Prescription Drug coverage, but Pennsylvania
has some 100+ plan possibilities out there, all being
offered by private insurance companies interested more
in my money than my health. During insurance company
plan presentations I heard misrepresentation,
half-truths, and outright misinformation. But a choice
was needed, so one was made.
So then, if our decisions on Part "D" or Medicare
Advantage were made between November 15 and December 31,
what is there to do between January 1 and March 31?
Well, here goes.
(1) Here is exactly what Medicare says we can do
between January 1 and March 31:
"Between January 1 through March 31 of each year.
Your coverage will begin the first day of the month
after the plan gets your enrollment form. During this
period, you can't do the following:
-
Join or switch to a
plan with prescription drug coverage unless you
already have Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part
D).
-
Drop a
plan with prescription drug coverage.
-
Join,
switch, or drop a Medicare Medical Savings Account
Plan."
Here are the different coverage scenarios permitted
during Medicare Advantage open enrollment:
-
If a person on Medicare currently has coverage in a
Medicare Advantage Plan with prescription drug
coverage, they can use open enrollment to select a
different Medicare Advantage Plan with prescription
drug coverage, Original Medicare and a stand-alone
prescription drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage
Private-Fee-For-Service Plan and a stand-alone
prescription drug plan.
-
If a person on Medicare currently has coverage in a
Medicare Advantage Plan with no prescription drug
coverage, they can use open enrollment to select a
Medicare Advantage Plan or Original Medicare without
prescription drug coverage.
-
If a person on Medicare currently has coverage in
Original Medicare with a stand-alone prescription drug
plan, they can use open enrollment to select a
Medicare Advantage Plan with prescription drug
coverage or a Medicare Advantage
Private-Fee-For-Service Plan with the same stand-alone
prescription drug plan.
-
If a person on Medicare currently has coverage in
Original Medicare without a stand-alone prescription
drug plan, they can use open enrollment to select a
Medicare Advantage Plan without prescription drug
coverage.
(2) Now let's assume that you review the details
of your Medicare Advantage plan and decide that you
are in the right Medicare Advantage plan with
prescription drug coverage. Or you are in traditional
Medicare with a stand-alone part D drug plan. Then
today you need to think about the doughnut hole. The
best time to begin avoiding it is right now. This week I
met with my doctor to go over the salad of drugs that
seem necessary to keep me going each month. I told him I
wanted to find a generic for every one of them. He was
willing to do that with one exception, and I may still
decide to change that one. It is a statin, and I'm not
convinced that Lipitor is necessarily better than
several others out there. I will need to do a little
research on that.
Here are some examples of
the savings when switching from Brand to Generic:
-
Celebrex 200mg, a medication used for
arthritis, costs about $100 for a one-month supply.
Replace with Meloxican 15 mg (generic for Mobic)
costs about $8. Cost difference,$1100/yr.
-
Lipitor 20mg, used for cholesterol, costs about
$111 for a month's supply. Simvastatin,
(generic for Zocor) cost $11. Savings, $1200/yr.
-
Prevacid 30mg, a medication for heartburn,
costs about $144 for a one-month supply. Omeprazole
20mg (generic for Prilosec) costs about $27, or a
savings of $1400/yr.
-
Tricor 145mg, a medication for triglicerides,
costs around $100/mo. Fenofibrate (generic for
Tricor) costs $37, for a savings of about $750/yr.
Remember for 2010, in the "stand-alone" Part "D" plans,
you are paying the first $310 of annual drug costs, and
then 25% of the next $2,520 ($630). After that, you will
pay 100% of the next $3,610. This is the doughnut hole.
(see
chart) How
fast you reach this expenditure level is determined by
what your pharmacy bills your insurance company,
not what the insurance company pays your pharmacy. If
you are using generics, it will take much longer to
reach the doughnut hole than if you are using brand
name drugs.
(By
the way, this is also a good time to go over your
medications to determine if you still need every one of
them. Over time, medications are prescribed that should
be given for a limited time, but they are never stopped.
Several doctors, including your specialists, may have
written prescriptions that just keep refilling
automatically long after their need ends. Doctors are so
busy these days, that many overlook this. Make them
look.)
(3-a) Go online to see if
you you qualify for
Federal help
with your Medicare expenses.
(3-b)
Go online, ( click your state on the
map at this page)
or call your state's agency on aging, or the equivalent
department, to determine if you may actually qualify for
additional state prescription help. There is a lot of it
out there. My state, Pennsylvania, has 2 tremendous
plans for couples earning less than $31,500, and
individuals below $23,500. You may be passing up help
that is staring at you. See our
"Surviving the Doughnut
Hole"
page for 14 ideas on dealing with the doughnut hole.
(4) Let's assume that you looked over your
paperwork, and decide that you may have made a Medicare
Advantage mistake. Now there are two choices: live with
it until next year (changing to something else between
November 15 and December 31, 2008), or switching NOW
to a
Another Medicare Advantage Plan, occasionally
called Medicare Health Plan, and also called
Medicare "C". (see
simple description)
Open enrollment has not ended for these plans. Open
enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans goes until March
31. This plan is not administered by the
government, but is handled by private insurance
companies. It combines Medicare A, B and D. There are a
wide variety of plans, and types of Medicare Advantage
Plans.
If you take a number of
prescription drugs, however, it gets more difficult to
choose. Certain plans might cover some of the drugs you
need but not all of them. But there are a number of
resources to help you choose.
Medicare's
Part D, or Medicare Advantage Plan Finder
enables you to enter your drugs, for your area, and
determine which plan makes the most sense for you.
Be aware that if you switch
to a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must review much more
than just the Part "D" portion of the policy. That
insurance carrier takes over your "full care", and
provides the features of Parts A, B, and D. Study which
doctors, hospitals, and other types of care are included
with the policy. Medicare pays the Medicare Advantage
insurance provider around $650/month for every
month you are in their care, whether you need them or
not.
We hope all of this adds to
your options, and not to your confusion, If questions
remain, you can always search at
www.medicare.gov,
or call 1-800-MEDICARE. There may also be a state
representative available to give you some help.
So what was my choice
with Medicare and/or Part "D" for 2010?
I opted for a very different
Medicare Advantage plan this year. My premium for last
year's policy went to $76/mo., and the benefits were
severely reduced. This year I have gone to Highmark-Freedom
Blue PPO. There are NO monthly premiums, but I do have a
$1200 annual deductible on the larger expenses. My
premiums alone would have been $912 under my old plan,
and co-pays would have pushed it quickly over $1200 if I
needed any hospital or lab related care. We'll see how
this works. I am a government-created gambler; I gamble
on what I will need during the next year. What a system.
I have no deductible in the drug portion of the program,
and will pay $7/mo for generics and more for brand
names. There is no donut hole coverage, but I found that
I did not reach the donut hole last year.
A final comment. I think it
is obscene that our government puts us through this
traumatic, risky, confusing process. I totally support a
"single-payer" system, run by the highly competent
Medicare section of the Department of Health and Human
Services. They can administer the program more cheaply,
and would have huge negotiating power with drug and
other suppliers. The only thing standing in the way has
been Congressional backbone, and Presidential consent.
Insurance and drug lobbyists have wielded enough power
to control these programs up to this point. Until it is
changed, we must sift through this program as best we
can. Best wishes.
You
may also want to read:
Medicare Advantage open season
and
I'm Falling into the Doughnut Hole
For much more helpful information
on Medicare, Parts A, B, C, and D, the Donut Hole, the
CPI-W, Current Medicare News Articles, and much more,
see our
Medicare Page.
|
FELLOW SENIORS, CONSIDER THIS
**********************************************************
March 17, 2010 We seniors are in a pretty good position.
(1) We have a fixed income--something much of the population
would love to have.
(2) We have government-run, single payer health insurance
(Medicare), something that 50-70 million Americans would fall
on their knees to get.
(3) We received a 5.8% cost-of living adjustment last year.
(4) We have a health insurance premium (part B) that cannot go
up if there is no cost of living increase. (applies
to most Seniors who earn less than $85,000 single/$170,000 for
couples)
(5) Obama has negotiated with drug companies to reduce the
cost of medications, paid by seniors, by 50% in the donut
hole. (May be dependent upon the final health insurance reform
bill)
Obama has no control over whether there is, or is not, a cost
of living adjustment. That was established by law many
years ago. The President has proposed a special $250
payment to every Senior in 2010, but its passage is still in
question. (See the very next article below)
* Now, we do have another legitimate issue:
does the CPI-W - - the index that determines our COLA - -
truly reflect Senior expenses. We think not, and we need to
let our congress people know that. (See
SeniorArk article on this subject)
* And indeed another legitimate is is the
difficulty of a single senior living on a single Social
Security check. Since the gals usually outlive the guys, these
single income folks are mostly women.
Can you guess what the average Senior
receives monthly in Social Security benefits?
Click for Answer
$250
SOCIAL SECURITY STIMULUS CHECK TO BE PAID IN 2010???
**********************************************************
The US government is taking every
measure to revive the economy and bring it out of the
recession. President Obama has said that there will be a
Social Security Stimulus Check in 2010 of $250. However, the
final decision for this special measure is up to the congress.
They should approve bill H.R.3557 – To provide an emergency
cost-of-living increase for Social Security benefits for 2010
in their next session. This will be a bonus and will cost the
government about $13 billion. The last couple of years has
seen the worst slowdown in all the markets including the
housing and financial markets which has caused a lot of
problems to the economy. By the distribution of the social
security stimulus check in 2010 the government hopes to
stimulate the markets and the economy and the slowdown can be
reversed. (Read complete article at
itaxrebate.com)
Update
1: In his
new budget, released on February 1, 2010, President Obama
officially proposes this one-time payment to seniors. Now it
is up to the House of Representatives. If you do not write
or call your Representative, don't complain if the measure
does not pass. Go to our
Government Links
page, and click on "Contact your Representative". The process
will take you about 3 minutes.
Update 2: SeniorArk.com
March 5, 2010
The U.S. Senate has rejected a
proposal on March 3 to give a $250 bonus payment to people on
Social Security.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders,
I-Vermont, proposed the idea to make up for a lack of a cost
of living increase in the program this year. This was proposed
as an amendment to the jobs bill.
"I do know that in Vermont, a lot of
citizens -- seniors, veterans, disabled veterans are wondering
why this year they are not receiving a COLA. They've written
my office. And they are saying to me: 'Hey, I don't know what
you're talking about, because my costs have increased over the
last year'," Sanders said on the senate floor.
Sanders amendment had the support of
President Obama, but it failed on a vote of 50-to-47.
Opponents say it would add 14 billion dollars to the deficit.
SeniorArk adds: The purchasing needs
of seniors are unique, and often include medications needed to
stay alive. We insist that the Senate realize the importance
of this $250 payment to struggling retirees. Sen. Sanders also
said that the fight for the measure, which President Obama
included in his budget, would continue.
Every Republican voted no (37), except
for (3) who did not vote at all. (11) Democrats voted no, and
Indep. Leiberman.
Here are the Senators who voted
against the $250 bonus:
| Alexander (R-TN)
Barrasso (R-WY)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennet (D-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Brown (R-MA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Carper (D-DE)
|
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Corker (R-TN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
|
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hatch (R-UT)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johanns (R-NE)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
|
LeMieux (R-FL)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (ID-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McCaskill (D-MO)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-NE)
Risch (R-ID)
|
Roberts (R-KS)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Shelby (R-AL)
Thune (R-SD)
Udall (D-CO)
Vitter (R-LA)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (D-VA)
Wicker (R-MS) |
The following three did not
vote: Bond (R-MO) Hutchison (R-TX)
Isakson (R-GA)
2009 - 2010 RECOVERY ACT: HUGE TAX CREDITS FOR BUYING ENERGY
EFFICIENT PRODUCTS
**********************************************************
Applies through December 31, 2010 - - The Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009
stimulus) offers huge investment tax credits for a range of
high energy products for your home. Windows, doors, heating,
roofs, and alternative energy-producers all participate. If
you are having difficulty in selling an existing home,
energy-saving improvements could be the key. Few know of
these provisions, so move quickly to avoid backups in
supplies and contractors.
Read the Details and Cash In
SOME SIGNIFICANT RECENT NEWS HEADLINES
- from the web:
(Green indicates a health
article)
***********************************************************
For more news headlines, go to
"NEWS" page.
AOL - March 16, 2010
If your computer is running well today, there's no reason it
shouldn't stay that way for several more years to come. Like
a car, a computer needs regular maintenance and care to keep
it operating smoothly. There are easy steps anyone can take
to help extend a computer's useful life, saving money and
the environmental impacts of throwing a
computer away.
Read Article
Reuters -
Jonathan Stempel, Robert MacMillan
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Reported losses from Internet fraud
more than doubled in 2009, with scams that falsely used
the FBI's name generating the most complaints, the law
enforcement agency said on Friday.
Trading Markets (press release)
Sarah Palin admitted over the
weekend that she used to get her treatment in Canada's
single-payer system, the Huffington Post reported Monday.
...
Chicago Tribune -
Bruce Japsen
Consumers in Illinois who lose
their jobs and have no other option but to buy their own
health insurance will get socked this year with premium
increases of up to 60 percent, according to state records.
CNBC - Tom Brokaw
Declining finances, rising health care costs threaten a
generation.
“I have applied for jobs that are one-fourth, one-third of my
previous income level,” he said. “And I would have been
thrilled to get it. There are just too many of me and everyone
else out there. I just wish there was a place for us, to kind
of land.”
SeniorArk comment: Boomers, do not despair. Read "editor"
Forbes - The best place to buy right
now: Pittsburgh. For a housing market to be attractive it
should have appreciating prices that show homeowners are
making wise investments; an affordability rating that gives
middle-class families with good credit entry into the market;
and a relatively low number of foreclosures, which keeps
prices stable and indicates there isn't an excess of
inventory.
Pittsburgh has all three. In the metro area, 85 percent of
homes are affordable to those making the median family income
of $62,500. At the same time, foreclosures are low: Only one
home is in foreclosure for every 120 housing units — the
second-best record of all the cities we ranked; and home
prices are expected to increase 2.67 percent by the end of the
year.
The last promoter of the idea that
people should personally invest their Social Security
assets in the stock market was President George W. Bush,
in 2001.
AlterNet
Americans have been wondering
aloud for the past year about the existence Republican
ideas related to topics such as entitlement reform,
especially as it ...
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YOU MUST REVIEW YOUR MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN OR YOUR
PART D PLAN NOW
************************************************************
Insurers have made MAJOR
CHANGES to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug
(D) plans this year. If you do not review these changes, you
could be in for a nasty surprise when you need benefits in
2010. The main period for open enrollment is between November
15 and December 31. Between January 1 and March 31 you may
still make a change in your Medicare Advantage Plan (MA),
provided it is considered a "like kind" change. That means
that if your MA plan covers drugs, you may only switch to
another one that covers drugs during this period. Click the
proper links in the red box above to access the Medicare Plan
Comparison sites.
ARE YOU FALLING INTO THE DOUGHNUT HOLE?
*************************************
15
ways to survive a fall into that dreaded abyss -
March 17, 2010
Yes, Part "D"
is a bizarre system, crafted by a slight-of-hand
Congress, mostly written by the drug
and insurance companies. Yes it can be
overwhelming to the Senior who needs more than a minimal
amount of medication each year. But do not despair. There are
specific things you can do today to survive this
convoluted program, and the doughnut hole at its center.
Read
Complete Article, and another important article,
Surviving
with Medicare Part "D".
MANY ELIGIBLE LOW-INCOME SENIORS NOT
APPLYING FOR PART D SUBSIDY
************************************************************
The
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the
Congressional Budget Office have estimated, respectively,
that about 2.6 million to over 4 million individuals who may
qualify for the Medicare prescription drug low-income subsidy
are not receiving it. Various barriers, such as reluctance to
disclose personal financial information or lack of knowledge
of the subsidy, may prevent potentially eligible Medicare
beneficiaries from applying for the subsidy. To view the
highlights of the report, go to:
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08812thigh.pdf.
To see if you qualify, or to apply, go to:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/
Also see:
Latest
Health News ,
Latest Medicare News ,
Latest Social Security
News
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 SeniorArk
FunSpot
Updated:
03/17/2010
Also, enjoy our massive: "just for fun" , "humor",
and "photo"
sections
And
click here to see some humor that was formerly on this
FunSpot
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Does this remind you of anyone?
__________________________________
^^
submitted by Esther L, Greenville, PA
__________________________________
They say we
begin to resemble our pets
Whooo Said That??
In the safety of mother's HUGE, but gentle, paws
Good to the last drop
Best friends pray together
For more, go to:
Fun
Pages, or
Humor Pages, or
Funny Images
, or
Funny
Videos
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