Legal Decision Making as Your Child Nears Age 18

Privacy laws were enacted so that when a child turns 18, his or her parents are no longer able to make medical or financial decisions for them because that child is now considered a legal adult.  This is the case for all children turning 18, especially those with...

Your Medical Directive

Any complete estate plan should include a medical directive. This term may encompass a number of different documents, including a health care proxy, a durable power of attorney for health care, a living will, and medical instructions. The exact document or documents...

CMS: Medicare Will Soon Cover Certain Alzheimer’s Treatments

Medicare recipients living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s recently received promising news: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it would begin covering new Alzheimer’s treatments that receive approval from the FDA. “If the FDA...

Medicare Fraud Prevention Week: Avoiding Health Care Scams

The week of June 5 marks Medicare Fraud Prevention Week. Seniors – as well as their caregivers – should be aware of the risks posed by Medicare scams and how to avoid falling victim to this type of fraud. Each year, Medicare loses tens of billions of dollars to abuse...

How Will the Public Health Emergency’s End Affect Veterans?

Per an announcement from the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the federal Public Health Emergency created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ended in May 2023. With the end of this Public Health Emergency (PHE) comes a number of shifts...

Estate Planning Q&A: Do You Need a Trust?

According to the 2023 Wills and Estate Planning Survey by Caring.com, only 34 percent of Americans have an estate plan. The primary reasons respondents gave for not participating in estate planning are: Procrastination Believing they need more assets Not knowing how...

Which Should I Choose? Nursing Home Care vs. Hospice Care

End-of-life decisions are never easy. One of the most important decisions you may make regarding health care as you age could be whether you need a nursing home or hospice care. To make the best choice for you and your family, it helps to know the difference between...

Trusts and SSI

The contents of most trusts you create for yourself will be considered available to you in determining your eligibility for SSI. On the other hand, assets of most trusts that someone else creates and names you as a beneficiary of will not be considered to belong to...

Federal Government Seeks to Improve Long-Term Care Industry

The Biden Administration has directed federal agencies to improve access to high-quality, affordable long-term care for seniors, people with disabilities, and veterans. Citing a 40 percent increase in the cost of long-term care over the past decade, the...