On January 19, 2021, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule addressing Medicare Part C – Medicare Advantage Plans and Part D Prescription Programs. The rule is complex, but here are some of the provisions that are particularly relevant.
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Here's what you should and shouldn't do post-vaccination, according to health experts.
Congratulations if you have received your last dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and passed the two-week quarantine period. You are now considered “fully vaccinated,” and armed with our best weapon against a virus that has killed more than 3.3 million people worldwide and upended our lives in unimaginable ways. Before you throw caution to the wind, however, it’s important to remember that the coronavirus is still spreading, and the majority of Americans have yet to be vaccinated — so some precautions continue to be necessary to protect yourself and the people around you. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published specific guidance about what the fully vaccinated can do and cannot do, and AARP asked experts to answer other common questions about life after vaccination. Here is a list recently published by AARP on the top ten precautions to consider. The longer you live, it makes sense to delay Social Security until your FRA or age 70. If you qualify for Social Security, you can take it as early as age 62 or delay it as late as age 70. However, there are pros and cons for each option, and the optimal choice will be unique to you.
If you decide that waiting is the right decision, needing the money could prevent you from following that choice, but there are some actions you can take in advance that can help prevent this. Here is some information from a recent Fox Business article you may find useful: When do you need your estate plan to “go to work” for you? While you may think the right answer is “after I die,” the actual answer is “if you lose the ability to manage your affairs.”
Which means having the right kind of Durable Power of Attorney for Finance is vitally important. A June 2020 Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies survey found that only 28% of retirees have a financial power of attorney, yet many people don’t understand that there are two types of these advance directives and that each one serves a very different purpose. Knowing how both types work is critically important, particularly in this COVID-19 environment. Do you have a Will? That is, do you have a legal document that outlines your wishes regarding the distribution of your property after your death? The document should also spell out other important considerations like the legal care of your minor children upon your passing.
Between one-half and two-thirds of American adults do not have a Will. The big question is why? There are many answers, but some of the most common answers are, “I don’t have time,” “I’m still young,” or “I don’t have much so what does it matter.” None of these answers are real answers, they are actually excuses. The truth is, a Will is something that has to do with our eventual death, and who wants to think about that? To start, see if you answer yes to any of these questions:
Technological solutions such as e-signatures and Zoom meetings will likely remain even after social distancing restrictions are lifted and the Pandemic becomes a thing of the past.
Interactions with clients is the cornerstone of an estate planning attorney’s relationship with clients, but social distancing has limited contact with clients and, as a result, has proven that trust can be built in other ways. Frequent phone calls and emails, video calls, and, most importantly, strong, and thoughtful work providing the results our clients need, are now the basis of strong relationships with clients. Attorneys are embracing technology more and more to interact with clients and will most likely continue even after pandemic restrictions are fully lifted. |