By P.J. D'Annunzio A federal class action has been allowed to proceed against the state Department of Human Services, brought by a group of mentally disabled Pennsylvania youths claiming they were left too long in treatment facilities and not given access to proper treatment. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III of the Middle District of Pennsylvania denied
Figuring out how much to save for retirement and when you can safely stop working can be difficult. A growing number of online retirement calculators, many of them free, are available to help. Although these calculators can yield vastly different results, they can still be useful tools. Based on information about you and your finances,
Q: My 90-year-old cousin lives by herself. She's in overall good health but she has fallen a few times. She wears a medical alert button and can summon the paramedics fairly quickly. Her neighbor, who is a retired nurse, told her that if she falls too many times, Medicare won't pay and can force her to
by Walecia Konrad Long-term care insurance seemed like such a great idea. Buy a policy when you're in your 50s or 60s, while you're still relatively healthy, pay your monthly premiums and in return you'll have help managing the astronomical costs of a nursing home, assisted-living facility or personal aide when the time comes. This insurance
by Mark Miller Fewer Americans are asking Social Security to “show me the money” as soon as possible. The share of workers claiming Social Security retirement benefits at the earliest possible date has plunged in recent years. That probably reflects growing public awareness of the higher annual benefits available through delayed claiming. But it may
by Stanley M. Vasiliadis, Esquire Nursing homes cost $120,000 a year. Medicare and health insurance don’t pay for this. Financial products alone are usually not enough. For all but the very wealthy, planning to qualify for Medicaid, which does pay for long-term nursing home care, is an essential part of prudent retirement and estate planning.
by Stanley M. Vasiliadis, Esquire What’s in a name? That depends on the name. Apparently, all that’s needed to acquire the title “Lawyer of Distinction” is submission of an application together with a registration fee. Who would have guessed that Zippy, a chicken, could qualify? Think I’m kidding? Check it out at https://mockingbird.marketing/lawyers-distinction-cease-desist-threat/ A proliferation
If your Medicare drug plan denies coverage for a drug you need, you don't have to simply accept it. There are several steps you can take to fight the decision. The insurers offering Medicare drug plans choose the medicines -- both brand-name and generic -- that they will include in a plan's "formulary," the roster
A Pennsylvania appeals court rules that an agent under a power of attorney did not have authority to create a Medicaid trust and transfer her mother's property to the trust because the power of attorney allowed her to transfer property only to a trust that was created before the power of attorney was signed. In Re:
An international coalition of brain researchers is suggesting a new way of looking at Alzheimer's. Instead of defining the disease through symptoms like memory problems or fuzzy thinking, the scientists want to focus on biological changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's. These include the plaques and tangles that build up in the brains of
