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Make Time for Free Preventive Health Services
Tweet Share on Facebook February 4, 2011 CommentThe new year is barely a month old, but it's not too soon for Medicare users to begin taking advantage of the new, free preventive health screenings and tests provided under the health reform law. Many of the procedures do not require a co-pay and are not subject to any insurance deductibles. Ideally, they should be part of an on-going wellness plan that you and your physician develop.
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Under the new rules, a free yearly wellness exam is available from doctors who participate in Medicare. This visit, in turn, can be used to build a year-long wellness plan with your primary physician. Most Medicare beneficiaries have some form of supplemental coverage beyond basic Medicare. They should check with their insurers for other wellness provisions provided under their policies.
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Why We're Not Wired for Successful Retirements
Tweet Share on Facebook February 2, 2011 Comment (6)People don't know much about financial decisions, but even if they did, research shows, their preference for immediate gratification at the expense of longer-term rewards would lead them away from sound retirement planning and investments.
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"Two competing explanations for why consumers have trouble with financial decisions are gaining momentum," say researchers Justine S. Hastings of Yale University and Olivia S. Mitchell of the University of Pennsylvania in a paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research. "One is that people are financially illiterate since they lack understanding of simple economic concepts ... The second is that ... some people persistently choose immediate gratification instead of taking advantage of longer-term payoffs."
