The goal is to prevent fraud and combat identity theft by removing the Social Security numbers from cards and using a unique, randomly assigned number instead. The new cards, which contain a combination of numbers and uppercase letters, will be automatically mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries. There is nothing people need to do to obtain the cards..Those people include Barbara B. - a retired home healthcare aide who lives in the Indianapolis area. "We're due for the increase," she says. But rising Part B premiums will likely take her entire COLA, leaving her with no increase at all in her net operating Social Security benefit again in 2018..The coronavirus has caused a dramatic decline in home mortgage rates, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good time for everyone to refinance. The good news is that, in many areas of the country, lenders and states are making the process safer for your physical health. That said, refinancing in retirement is still a process that carries risk to your fiscal health.."Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health care professionals will reportedly spend less time filling out paperwork and more time focusing on delivering the best care for patients," said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius..Thankfully, those covered under Medicare are not as susceptible to this, although it can still happen, even when it comes to such things as dental care. Hoyer said it's "possible" the House could act on surprise billing legislation before May although he didn't definitely commit to it..Daily exercise: According to a growing volume of scientific research, one of the biggest factors in protecting your brain from the effects of aging is the amount of exercise you get every day. Exercise helps reduce insulin resistance, reduce inflammation and stimulates chemicals in the brain that affect not only the health of brain cells but the abundance and survival of new brain cells. It also helps you sleep which can reduce memory problems. You don't have to sign up for gym membership. The standard recommendation often is about one half-hour of exercise daily that gets your heart pumping, or about 150 minutes a week. In addition to walking, riding a stationary bicycle or the treadmill, "exercise" can include things like dancing, gardening, raking leaves, mopping floors vigorously and climbing stairs..The debate over cutting entitlement spending, however, isn't new. For years, proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits have been put forth from both sides of the aisle. Consider:.Dad passed away a few years ago at age 90, after going to the emergency room during a health emergency and then spending a few days in the hospital. He was released to a nursing home where he lived a few more months. When all this happened, we didn't have any professional counseling, and had no idea how complicated this situation would turn out to be. We didn't know what Medicare covered or that it would not cover his nursing home care. Nor did we know how to get Medicaid assistance. Now Mom has no income left but her Social Security, and dad's impossible nursing home bills that she will never be able to pay off. How can we find help with questions about nursing home care, and how the costs would be financed in case Mom needs it next?.To avoid the fee in 2014, you need insurance that qualifies as minimal essential coverage. If affordable insurance is not available through your employer, you can shop for health insurance through your new state health insurance exchange, or market place. Middle to low income people who buy coverage through the exchanges will also get government subsidies in the form of advance refundable tax credits to help pay the premiums. These tax credits are only available if you buy coverage through the exchange. You aren't supposed to get the subsidy if you have an offer of insurance from your employer that meets the standards. You qualify for the subsidy if your income is less than 400% of the federal poverty level. So the qualification level is about ,000 or less for an individual and ,000 or less for a family of four in 2013.
