Health

Health care, the cost of health care, is a hot topic. Many theories exist on what causes high health care costs. There is a great deal of misinformation  out there and people tend not to connect the dots as to cause and effect. 
The cost of health care is driven by use and the price of each service provided. Utilization is both justified and excessive. Some people demand more care, some doctors provide extra care as defensive or on occasion to generate revenue.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment period runs from October 15th to December 7th. I initially believed this was the only time I could switch my Plan G Medigap supplement. However, these dates specifically apply to those changing Part D or Medicare Advantage plans.
In contrast, Medigap plans can be changed at any time during the year, although underwriting may be required. I turned 65 in June and enrolled in Medicare Plan G, already changing plans once during my initial 6-month sign-up period.

Not that this is a great surprise but a sad state affairs for those who are enticed by the “low” premiums with added benefits but feel eventually trapped by MA when they need it the most. For the folks in NY (in this article) who are lucky enough to be able to switch from MA to Original Medicare. I can’t imagine for those in states where they can’t switch and are truly trapped.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/insurance/the-sickest-patients-are-fleeing-private-medicare-plans-costing-taxpayers-billions/ar-AA1tUtML?ocid=nl_article_link

I used to be a big fan of choice when it came to employee benefit plans including life insurance, health insurance and, of courses 401k investment options. 
When working I crafted a plan with lots of choices. Employees said they wanted choice, it was all the rage at the time. Our unions were not so thrilled, but went along. 
The unions were right and I was wrong. 
People may say they want choice, but when faced with it for very important decisions,

The other day I listened to a discussion about undiagnosed adult autism on National Public Radio (NPR). Autism often went undiscovered in older generations, making life challenging for afflicted adults who knew there was something wrong, but no idea what it was or how to deal with it. There are millions living with this condition and likely someone in your life as well. There may have been one in mine.
A few years back my daughter told me that she thought it possible that her mom,

If you sometimes misplace your keys or eyeglasses because you are distracted, it could be normal behavior. But if that starts happening a lot more frequently as you age, or with items that you never used to misplace, that may be a sign of MCI.—Mild Cognitive Impairment.
In addition, if you are finding the tax forms more challenging, or having trouble organizing your bills, when you always accomplished those tasks easily, that too, can be a red flag.

MEDICARE GETS A LOT of criticism these days. Some view it as socialized medicine. Others fret over the hospital trust fund, which covers Medicare Part A and is expected to run out of money by 2036.
Meanwhile, some policymakers want to cut back on traditional Medicare and promote privatization through Medicare Advantage plans, otherwise known as Part C. That reflects the philosophy that health care costs, access and quality will be improved if we obtain health care as we do other goods,

This may be a stretch for the forum but I’m going to throw it out there and hope it helps someone.
When my first wife told me that I held my breath while sleeping I didn’t think much about it. Then Chris (new wife) told me that I stop breathing and probably have apnea, and should do a sleep study.
So I did. And I hated it. Dozens of wires attached all over my body. The worst of them on my head,

For us Medicare types, it’s that Part D time of year again. In mid-September I received an email from our Part D insurer, Aetna Silverscript, saying I could see the Annual Notice of Change online. I did so and got a shock. My wife’s and my monthly premiums were going from $9.80 each to $44.80 each beginning in January 2025.
I did a little reading online, and contacted our broker, and learned that due to some recent legislation Part D plans were in for some big changes in 2025.

There appear to be many wealthy folks trying to live longer. Billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, are making large investments in the research of the aging process. I read about one tech entrepreneur who spends $2 million a year in an attempt to turn back the clock.
Equinox, an upscale gym, offers a $40,000 a year membership that helps you live “100 healthy years.” It includes biomarkers and fitness tests to measure your health. Then they use the data to create your own personalized health and fitness plan that includes coaches and trainers.

If the neighbors told you they were saving for retirement, would you go ahead and recommend specific investments, without asking any further questions?
That’s been my life since the world learned about my cancer diagnosis. Strangers, who know nothing about the details of my relatively rare variation of lung cancer, have sent me messages telling me the doctors I should see, the cancer centers I should visit, the books I should read, the diets I should follow,

It was a halting and sleepless night. The latest Covid vaccine just became available. I got my jab yesterday. I felt great when I turned off the WNBA game at 10:30. I awoke at midnight with aching bones and a fever, and what sleep I managed to get was hit and miss.
Oh I know there are vaccine deniers out there that think that I’m stupid to get the shot, I respect that, but I’ve lost a half dozen friends and clients to the sickness,

HUGE AMOUNTS OF TIME and money are spent planning for retirement. The focus is almost entirely financial—running the numbers, so to speak. How much do I need to save to retire by age 65? Can I retire with my current nest egg? What are the chances I’ll run out of money?
No doubt these are the sorts of questions that keep HumbleDollar readers up at night. And, yes, the numbers are important.

In May of 1974, I took a trip to Israel, Greece and London with my parents and one of my sisters. I was in sixth grade at the time. Prior to our departure, I gave my parents a hard time about making me go on a trip during the school year. I was unhappy about missing two weeks of school and having to make up all that homework.
I’d collected my assignments for the upcoming two weeks from all my teachers with the exception of my social studies teacher,

I NEVER PURCHASED long-term-care insurance, even though the personal finance magazine I wrote for in the 1990s often recommended it. To the magazine’s editors, it seemed like another logical step in retirement preparation. I had two reasons to decide against it, however.
First, it seemed a huge expense. We were advised to buy it around age 60, long before any presumed decline. I was younger than that and unprepared to pay hundreds a month for decades when I didn’t know if I’d ever use the coverage.