Medicare Resources

America’s #1 retirement adviser offers tried and true investment strategies for before and after retirement. Sound guidance from the creator of RetirementWatch.com and the author of Where’s My Money?: Secrets to Getting the Most Out of Your Social Security.

The 2020s are likely to be among the worst times to be nearing retirement or in the early years of retirement. The book first explains the forces that are coming together to make it more difficult to create and maintain financial security and independence in retirement.
The middle of the Baby Boomer generation will increase the pressure on every aspect of retirement. The early boomers began reaching 65 in 2011. Since then about 10,000 Boomers per day have been hitting 65. But the middle section of the Boomers is larger than the early Boomers. Beginning in 2024, an estimated 12,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 each day.

Already the foundations of retirement, Social Security and Medicare, are under stress. The rapid increase in the number of Boomers enrolling in these systems will increase the strain.

In addition, the high returns in stocks and other investments since 2009 (and especially since 2017) make it likely that investment returns will be below their long-term averages during most of the 2020s. Further, interest rates on traditional retirement income investments, such as certificates of deposit, short-term government bonds, and money market funds, are the lowest they’ve been in U.S. history and are likely to remain below their historic averages.

In addition, taxes imposed by all levels of government are likely to increase during the 2020s. A longstanding myth is that a person’s tax burden will decline in retirement. That hasn’t been true for some time, and in the 2020s retirees are likely to face a range of tax increases.

For a long time, many retirees left a lot of money on the table by making less-than-optimum decisions about Social Security, Medicare, IRAs, 401(k) rollovers, long-term care, and other key retirement issues. For example, a recent study done for United Income concluded that only four percent of Social Security beneficiaries made the optimum decision about when to claim retirement benefits.

For the most part, the Boomers mistakes were bailed out by high stock market returns and low inflation. Retirees in the 2020s aren’t likely to be so fortunate.
Peak Boomers have to make the right decisions about all aspects of their retirement finances. This book will cover each of the key retirement planning issues faced in the five years before retirement and the first five years of retirement and guide readers to making the right decisions for them.
 

Weave your way through the tangled web of Medicare
Medicare for Dummies, 3rd Edition will help you navigate the complicated, often confusing maze of the Medicare system. In simple language, with clear step-by-step instructions, the book helps you determine how and when to enroll, avoid costly mistakes, and find a plan that is right for you and your family.

Written byPatricia Barry, a nationally recognized authority on Medicare and Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage, this invaluable resource offers:

• Tips on reducing out-of-pocket expenses

• Guidance for knowing your rights and protections

• Ways to choose the best policy for you

With this definitive guide, you’ll get answers to the most common and not so common questions about Medicare, to get the most out of your coverage.

Andy Lazris, MD, is a practicing primary care physician who experiences the effects of Medicare policy on a daily basis. As a result, he believes that the way we care for our elderly has taken a wrong turn and that Medicare is complicit in creating the very problems it seeks to solve. Aging is not a disease to be cured; it is a life stage to be lived. Lazris argues that aggressive treatments cannot change that fact but only get in the way and decrease quality of life. Unfortunately, Medicare's payment structure and rules deprive the elderly of the chance to pursue less aggressive care, which often yields the most humane and effective results. Medicare encourages and will pay more readily for hospitalization than for palliative and home care. It encourages and pays for high-tech assaults on disease rather than for the primary care that can make a real difference in the lives of the elderly.

Lazris offers straightforward solutions to ensure Medicare’s solvency through sensible cost-effective plans that do not restrict patient choice or negate the doctor-patient relationship. Using both data and personal stories, he shows how Medicare needs to change in structure and purpose as the population ages, the physician pool becomes more specialized, and new medical technology becomes available. Curing Medicare demonstrates which medical interventions (medicines, tests, procedures) work and which can be harmful in many common conditions in the elderly; the harms and benefits of hospitalization; the current culture of long-term care; and how Medicare often promotes care that is ineffective, expensive, and contrary to what many elderly patients and their families really want.

"Confused by Medicare? Maximize Your Medicare helps readers understand how and what to choose when deciding on Medicare options. This book shows readers how to: Enroll in Medicare and avoid never-ending penalties; Compare Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage; Discern the differences among Parts A, B, and D; Increase benefits every year; Avoid costly errors; Deal with special circumstances; Get the most from the plan. Maximize Your Medicare is a vital resource for every American aged sixty-five or older, as well as for their families and care coordinators"--From the publisher's web site.

A citizen's guide to America's most debated policy-in-waiting

There are few issues as consequential in the lives of Americans as health care--and few issues more politically vexing. Every single American will interact with the health care system at some point in their lives, and most people will find that interaction less than satisfactory. And yet for every dollar spent in our economy, 19 cents go to health care. What are we paying for, exactly?

Health care policy is notoriously complex, but what Americans want is quite simple: good health care that's easy to use and doesn't break the bank. Polls show that as many as 70 percent of Americans want the government to provide universal health coverage to all Americans.

What's less clear is how to get there.

Medicare for All is the leading proposal to achieve to universal health coverage in America. But what is it exactly? How would it work? More importantly, is it practical or practicable?

This book goes beyond partisan talking points to offer a serious examination of how Medicare for All would transform the way we give, receive, and pay for healthcare in America.

"The decisions you make when you sign up for Medicare can impact your costs -- and your quality of care -- for the rest of your life. No one gives better advice about Medicare than Diane Omdahl. " -- Terry Savage, Author of The Savage Truth on Money and Nationally Syndicated Financial Columnist

Get the most out of Medicare. Get your maximum earned benefits for yourself and your family.

Every day, over 10,000 Americans will become eligible for Medicare, but most of us don't even know the basics. When do I enroll? What does it cover? Do I need Part B? You could watch the commercials or reply to direct mail. You could ask your best friend. Or you can take charge of these very important decisions and READ THIS BOOK!

Medicare expert Diane J. Omdahl will take you through all the steps to making the right decisions at the right time. Avoid costly mistakes and scams and ensure that Medicare works for you.

Your complete guide to Social Security retirement and medical benefits

The rules for claiming Social Security benefits have changed. Find out if you can still choose between your own benefits and spousal benefits. Learn this and more with Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions—completely updated for 2023.

Social Security benefits. Figure out how to get retirement, disability, dependents, and survivors benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Decide whether it’s best to claim benefits early, at full retirement age, or not until you turn 70—and how to time your claims so you and your spouse get the best benefits.

Medicare & Medicaid. Learn how to qualify for and enroll in both programs, including Medicare Part D drug coverage.

Medigap insurance & Medicare Advantage plans. Compare Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans, and choose what’s best for you.

Government pensions & veterans benefits. Discover when and how to claim the benefits you have earned.

What’s New in 2023?

• Lower drug costs under Part D
• New Medicare costs and Social Security amounts for 2023, and
• Changes to some Medigap plans.

Whether you’re looking for yourself or helping a parent, you’ll find valuable information here to help get the benefits you’ve earned.