Medicaid Assets Protection 101
Preparing to enter a nursing home can be as confusing as it is stressful. Garrett Gummer, a veteran elder law attorney handing Medicaid planning in Bucks, PA, says its one of the most misunderstood issues in his field.
How Will the New Tax Law Affect You?
Signed into law late in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act slashed the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. Proponents of the law say it will stimulate the economy and create jobs, but how does it actually affect you? We should also note that everything we describe below will end after […]
Medicare Launches Hospice Compare Website
Medicare launched its new Hospice Compare website last year in an effort to help patients find and evaluate hospice providers. The only problem, medical experts say, is that the site may not be all that helpful. Medicare covers any reasonable care that helps ease the course of a terminal illness through its comprehensive hospice benefit. […]
2018 Gift Tax Exclusion: You Can Give Away More Tax Free
After remaining unchanged for five years, the amount you can give away to an individual in a single year without reporting the gift on your taxes has increased in 2018.
Medicare’s Part B Premium Will Be Unchanged in 2018, But Many Will Pay More. Got That?
When it comes to the 2018 Medicare premium, there’s good news and bad news. The good news? The standard monthly Part B premium, which is what roughly 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries pay, will stay at 2017’s rate of $134 next year.
The Duties of the Executor of a Will
So, you’ve been named the executor of a will. It’s not a job to take lightly. Dealing with wills in Bucks County – or anywhere else – means managing the administration of a person’s estate after they die. And while the amount of time you need to commit to this role can vary, administering even […]
New Protections for Nursing Home Residents
Laws created during the Obama administration to give nursing home residents more control of their care are gradually going into effect. The rules give residents more options regarding meals and visitation as well as making changes to discharge and grievance procedures. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finalized the rules in November 2016. These […]
Time is Running Out: Review Your Medicare Options
There is Medicare’s open enrollment period, in which you can enroll or even switch plans if you need to. During this period you may enroll in a Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plan or, if you currently have a plan, you may change plans.
What You Need to Know: Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act
Every year, America’s senior citizens lose close to $3 billion due to financial exploitation, either from scam artists or unscrupulous caregivers. It’s this type of abuse that led lawmakers this year to pass the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, put forward by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and signed into law by President Trump in […]
Nursing Home Costs Rise Sharply in 2017
Want to live in a private nursing home room? Expect to pay more. That’s according to Genworth’s 2017 Cost of Care survey of U.S. nursing homes, conducted by the insurer each year, which found that the median cost for a private room rose 5.5 percent between 2016 and 2017. Genworth says the median cost of a […]