Taxpayers with long-term care insurance policies can deduct some of their premiums from their income. Whether you can use the deduction requires comparing your medical expenses to your income in a complicated formula. Premiums for qualified long-term care insurance policies are tax deductible to the extent that they, along with other unreimbursed medical expenses (including Medicare premiums), exceed 10 percent of the insured's adjusted gross income. In tax year 2016, taxpayers 65 and older [...]

The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, federal legislation that allows people with disabilities to create their own special needs trusts instead of having to rely on others, is now law. The measure was included in the 21st Century Cures Act, a $6.3 billion package of health-related initiatives signed by President Obama on December 13, 2016. The Fairness Act, introduced in 2013 by Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), fixes an especially frustrating drafting error in the Social Security Act that has [...]

While you are eligible to apply for Medicare when you are 65, there are circumstances where you might not want to, particularly if you are working full time for a larger employer or contributing to a health savings account. However, there can be penalties if you don't sign up at the right time, so it is important to know when you can delay signing up for Medicare without facing a penalty. You can first sign up for Medicare during your Initial Enrollment Period, which is the seven-month period [...]

The beginning of a new year is a good time to take a look at your estate plan to make sure it is up to date. Less than half of people actually have any estate planning documents in place and many of those people may have outdated documents. Documents that were created when your children were born may need updating 20, 30, or 40 years later, after your family and financial situation have changed entirely. 1. The Durable Power of Attorney The most important estate planning instrument for taking [...]

Part B Premium Will Rise Slightly for Most Medicare Beneficiaries in 2017The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has announced the Medicare premiums, deductibles, andcoinsurances for 2017. After holding steady at $104.90 a month for four years, the standardMedicare Part B premium that most recipients pay will rise 4 percent to about $109 a month.However, approximately 30 percent of beneficiaries will see their Part B premium rise from$121.80 to $134 a month, a 10 percent increase. Meanwhile, all [...]