How to pay for…how to save on…
A good number of the posts that we do are about how to pay for, or save on, the expenses that seniors are likely to incur. After retirement, there tends to be a growing gap between the expenses, mainly driven from additional care, and the ability to pay for them. The stress associated with managing the tightening finances grows with this gap in funds. This has been the situation for years, but likely being aggravated by the downturn in the economy.
With that thought in mind, this post is to say that we’ll be covering some of the money issues, and how to solve them, in coming posts. In the mean time, we’ll also point you to a number of previous posts that you may have missed, or have forgotten.
Will Long-Term Care Matter to You? Likely.
About half of long-term care is paid for by Medicaid. Since Medicaid is a government program for the poor, many people have to spend down their resources before they qualify for it. Other options for paying for care include long-term care insurance, reverse mortgage and self-insurance
Veterans Pension Can Help With Assisted Living or Nursing Home Care
If you, or someone you know, served in the military during just about any American conflict going back as far as the Indian wars (1817-1898), up through the Gulf War, the VA Pension could help with “aid and attendance”, which may include assisted living, or nursing home care.
Where to Find Inexpensive Generic Meds and Why They May Not Be So Cheap in Your State
It’s likely that you’ve heard about grocery stores and pharmacies offering low prices on generic prescriptions, but you don’t know which pharmacy might offer the generic you need. Many, but not all, of the pharmacies have posted the generics that they offer at reduced prices. There are links to some of the major ones in this post.
How to get the most from discount generic drug programs
In this post we looked at the generic prescription drug programs and learned that they’re not all alike. In some cases, you’ll need to pay for a membership before you get the low price. The lists of medicines aren’t the same from one retailer to the next and some only offer the good prices on 90-day prescriptions.
Your State May Have a Prescription Drug Price Finder
A number of states offer tools that will help you find better prices on your prescriptions. We could find twelve state sites (Wisconsin thinks it’s part of Canada) that allow you to search pharmacies in your area for specific medicines. It’s difficult to tell how accurate they are, but they’re certainly worth a try.
Now’s the time to start thinking about the Donut Hole
The Medicare Part D coverage gap sneaks up on a number of people every year. Even if you’re fully aware of the dreaded “Donut Hole”, it may be difficult to avoid it if you’ve been prescribed a large number and/or expensive prescription drugs. This post has some strategies for avoiding the coverage gap.
Know a Senior That Needs Help With Tax Preparation?
AARP Tax-Aide claims to be the nation’s largest, free, volunteer-run tax preparation and assistance service. They serve low- and middle-income taxpayers with special attention to those ages 60 and older.
Three Tips for Senior Citizens from the IRS
The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) website provides three tips for senior citizens for filing their taxes.
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Congratulations on a useful site. Lots of good info shared here.
Thanks, too, for posting these items on saving money. Aid and attendance from the Veteran’s Administration is a HUGE program typically overlooked. Funds for long term care are also available for the spouses of vets. When up to $21k a year is available, it’s a meaningful benefit worth checking out.
Keep up the good work.
Martin Sabel
Mr. Eldercare