Free Republic

Nancy Pelosi said Americans would find out all about ObamaCare if Congress would only pass the bill. Now we’re finding that some seniors will not be allowed to spend as much as they choose to on their health care – even if they’re willing to pony up for it. ! Turns out that with ObamaCare, even if you qualify for health care you just might not get any.. A new report by the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics at National Right to Life titled “The Affordable Care Act and Health Care Access in the United States,” analyzes four fundamental...

To say that President Obama is not an enthusiastic backer of the two Medicare programs that offer seniors private insurance options would be something of an understatement. Over the years, Obama has repeatedly derided Medicare Advantage — the program that lets seniors enroll in subsidized, private insurance. He once called it "wasteful," and said it amounted to "giveaways that boost insurance company profits but don't make (seniors) any healthier." Obama has been equally harsh when it comes to Medicare Part D — the drug benefit President Bush signed into law that relies on privately run plans. In his 2006 book,...

The health insurance industry fighting proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage payments argued they will raise seniors' out-of-pocket costs next year. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a trade group, blasted the reductions with a report Thursday finding that beneficiaries could pay as much as $900 more in 2015 if the cuts take effect. The report by consulting firm Oliver Wyman concluded that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans could see a 5.9 percent total cut to their payments next year as a result of changes proposed by federal health officials. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) floated a 2015 cut of...

She may not look anywhere near her 76 years but Jane Fonda says she is well aware of her age. The Hollywood legend – who has made her career in an industry which isn't exactly kind to aging actresses - admits she has been brought to tears on more than one occasion recently as she comes to terms with her own mortality. In a thoughtful blog post entitled 'Crying', which has since been removed, Jane wrote: '[I've been thinking], how come my tears are so close to the surface? And I’ve come to feel it has to do with age....

The brains of older people only appear to slow down because they have so much information to compute, much like a full-up hard drive, scientists believe. Older people do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe. Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full up, so to (sic) do humans take longer to access information, it has been suggested. Researchers say this slowing down it is not the same as cognitive decline. “The human brain works slower in old age,” said...

PHILADELPHIA — Jerry Zeft was so excited to move into his new apartment that he slept on an air mattress for nearly a week while he waited for his bed and other belongings to catch up with him. No matter that he's 70 years old. Zeft had landed a coveted spot in a new affordable housing complex for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. Only two other U.S. cities have similar developments. "I wanted to get into a community that I'm more comfortable in," Zeft said shortly after picking up the keys to his...

Happy Birthday card from AARP: Best wishes and sincere thanks for all you’ve done for us! You’ve probably noticed: the photo embargo, backed by the full faith, credit and retaliatory power of the U.S. government, was in full force for Lady M’s big, historic, Fab Fifty bash last night. So it’s unlikely that you will see much of the actual party that you paid for. The photo-Gestapo gendarmes were out in full force. As of this morning they had confiscated “detained” over 350 cameras and smartphones that will be scanned for data by the NSA before and if they are...

Like many people in late middle age, I find myself wondering if my next dog will be different. I have long shared my life with retrievers — active, field-bred dogs who throw themselves with joy into every situation (and every puddle of water bigger than a dinner plate). Their boisterousness is infectious: My dogs make me happy. But in 10 years, or 15, or 20, will I be up to the demands of dogs like these? Or will a nice, quiet little spaniel be the dog I need? My answer may be different than others, even among people of similar...

The year end’s most popular “Florida Man” tweets feature the very strange story of a 76 year-old South Florida resident who was arrested at the hospital bedside of his elderly wife who was being treated for a broken right hip which he had caused. (1) A nurse called police after she overheard the couple talking about the fight they had when the wife walked in on her husband surfing dating sites on the Web. The wife apparently struck the first blow by slapping him, but police arrested the husband for shoving her to the floor, thereby causing the woman serious...

Words matter. “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your healthcare plan, you'll be able to keep your healthcare plan, period,” President Obama said during a speech to the American Medical Association in June 2009. Honoring your commitments is the cornerstone of trust in our leaders. The American people won’t accept illusions or misdirection’s. That’s why its troubling that because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, Medicare will be cut by $1.05 trillion, 6.3 million Americans have lost their healthcare coverage since its implementation and millions more stand...

<p>CHICAGO (AP) -- It's an assertion that has been accepted as fact by droves of the unemployed: Older people remaining on the job later in life are stealing jobs from young people.</p> <p>One problem, many economists say: It isn't supported by a wisp of fact.</p>

The second alternative would make working-age military retirees and their families ineligible for TRICARE Prime, which is the most costly of the three programs for DoD. Those people could instead enroll in TRICARE Standard or Extra during the annual open-enrollment period or when a life event occurred (for example, a change in marital status). Enrollees in Standard or Extra would pay a monthly premium that would be set at 28 percent of the average cost of providing benefits for that group.

(AP) Retirement unlikely for some blue-collar Americans By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press Tom Edwards grew up in a family that's been cutting trees and hauling timber in the Pacific Northwest for more than a century. The Spanaway, Wash., resident says he has worked as a logger since he was a kid _ it's just what an able-bodied youngster was expected to do.

The deep rumble of bulldozers and other construction equipment at the former UC Extension campus at Laguna and Haight streets in San Francisco is a welcome sound not only to the folks who will be building about 440 housing units on the site but also to the city officials who helped jump-start the long-stalled development. The help - and money - provided by city housing officials "is really what's made this project move forward," said Seth Kilbourn of Openhouse, one of the site's developers and a group that provides services to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors.

The Affordable Care Act was designed to dramatically increase the number of Americans who qualify for Medicaid. In fact, the ACA will literally FORCE many low income seniors onto Medicaid rolls as subsidies for regular ObamaCare plans are NOT available to those over 55 years of age who earn less than 138% of the federal poverty level ($15,856 for individuals; $21,403 for married couples). And without such subsidies, ObamaCare plans are generally far too expensive for older, low-income individuals or couples. Why should any of this matter to those getting “free” healthcare via Medicaid? Because: “If you’re 55 or over,...

As if ObamaCare’s botched website, coverage cancellations, and higher costs were not bad enough, the Obama Administration has quietly dealt yet another blow – this time striking millions of the nation’s most vulnerable seniors. Specifically, the Obama Administration has decided to deeply cut funding for the Medicare program’s home health benefit as a way to help pay for ObamaCare. The Administration made this announcement very quietly, waiting to do so until the very end of the last Friday before Thanksgiving, perhaps thinking that most people would not be looking. To be sure, the timing of the Administration’s quiet announcement did...

This Golden Globes fave has a famous theme built around the 1970s Abscam Hustle, and its trio of stars provide a trilogy of how rotten American financial brainiacs hurt us every day. I guess. But what about all of the American Hustles happening every day in every home and extended family? One of the biggest hustles of which I am acutely aware is the way in which adult children hustle their sick, old parents. The PALM BEACH POST is carrying pitiful stories each week in the run up to our Christmas Celebration of the birth of our Christ Child. One...

Military retirees are getting "screwed" by a budget deal expected to pass the Senate on Wednesday, said Sen. Lindsey Graham. "Is the choice between keeping the government open and screwing all the military retirees? Is that that right choice?" said Graham, Republican from South Carolina.

Starting Jan. 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin slashing 14 percent of their Home Health Care Prospective Payment Program budget, driving small home health-care providers out of business and potentially affecting millions of poor, elderly citizens in need of physical rehabilitation. The cuts — which are being made to fund Obamacare — will slash the homecare budget 3.5 percent every year for the next four. “By CMS’s own calculation, 40 percent or nearly 5,000 home health companies — mainly small businesses — will experience a “net loss” in revenue due to the cuts and go...

LOS ANGELES — After 20 years in the US military, James Cummiskey was divorced and looking for a change. Relenting to his buddy's request, he flew to Medellín, Colombia, for a visit. He looked, he saw, and, by dinner time, he decided to stay. Permanently. "After four to five hours, I was immediately captured by everything I saw," says the ex-marine, who has lived in 35 countries. He spent the next four months selling two homes, three vehicles, two motorcycles, and one airplane. He put the money aside and decided to retire early. Now he lives in a posh section...