Can consumers fix what’s wrong with healthcare? Letting consumers call the shots is a central idea in the Medicare reform plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and adopted by the GOP-controlled House of Representatives. The GOP plan proposes replacing fee-for-service Medicare with a voucher that seniors would use to buy private health insurance on [...] [...more]
The new health-care reform law aims to cover nearly all Americans and to get our exploding national health-care tab under control. But reform also calls for some upfront investment, and someone needs to foot the bill. Rich retirees–it’s time to grab your wallets. Starting this year, the most affluent seniors are shouldering steep increases in [...] [...more]
One of the central ideas in the Medicare revamp proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) is that consumers can do a better job managing health care than bureaucrats. The House Budget Committee chairman hopes to replace fee-for-service Medicare with a voucher that seniors would use to buy private health insurance on a public insurance exchange. [...] [...more]
Fidelity Investments says the cost of healthcare in retirement is falling for the first time since the company began tracking health spending ten years ago — and the new healthcare reform law is getting the credit. Fidelity estimates that a 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need $230,000 to pay for medical expenses throughout retirement, [...] [...more]
Fast-rising retiree health benefit costs are prompting more states and municipalities to seek cuts in health benefits for their retired employees, according to The New York Times. The Times’ Steven Greenhouse notes that public sector employers have much more flexibility in adjusting health benefits than they do pension plans, which usually are governed by state [...] [...more]
