Aging baby boomers give rise to the need for more information concerning Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs, as well as long-term care and Medigap insurance. The new Social Security and Medicare Quickfinder Handbook provides CPAs, enrolled agents and other tax preparers with an affordable, easy-to-use Handbook for quickly and efficiently accessing the information their clients want to know about Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Eldercare insurance. The new Handbook is produced in our traditional Quickfinder Handbook format with laminated covers, tabs, and comb binding.

The Quickfinder editors understand that clients often ask questions on financial matters outside of tax accounting, including Social Security and Medicare. This new Handbook provides a single, easy-to-use Handbook that enables professionals to get the information they need quickly and efficiently!

This is a traditional Quickfinder Handbook with 18 well-labeled and easy-to-use laminated tabs with reliable and concise quick reference information on topics that range from becoming eligible for and receiving Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to how to receive benefits!

It will also include information on insurance relevant to an aging population, including long-term care and medigap insurance. And, of course, as with all Quickfinder Handbooks, our editors will provide practical tax and planning pointers, easy to understand examples, informative tables, and practice aids to assist you better in serving your clients. You'll also have more than a few good chuckles with our traditional Quickfinder cartoons and humor included in the text!   

Here's what's covered:  

Social Security Tabs

Retirement Benefits - Eligibility. Insured status requirements; earning credits; employee vs. self-employed; totalization (coordinating U.S. and foreign country benefits); etc.
Retirement Benefits - Worker Benefits. Early retirement; full retirement; delayed retirement; computing benefits; applying for benefits; earnings limits; etc.
Retirement Benefits - Family Benefits. Spouse's benefits; spouse defined; divorced spouses; child-in-care requirement; child's benefits; etc.
Retirement Benefits - Planning Considerations. Deciding when to receive social security benefits; social security calculators and tools; spousal strategies; etc.
Survivor Benefits. Widow(er) benefits; surviving children; dependent parents; former spouses; lump-sum death benefit; remarriage; etc.
Disability Benefits - Eligibility. Types of disability protection; defining "disability"; establishing disability; trial work periods; etc.
Disability Benefits - Worker and Family Benefits. Amount of benefits; widow(er) and child benefits; etc.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI program; benefits paid; eligibility requirements; countable income; resource limits; etc.
Recipient Income Tax Considerations. Taxable benefits; computing taxable amount; strategies to minimize taxes; etc.
International Agreements and Other Considerations. Many taxpayers receive social security payments from Canada and earn income in foreign countries which counts for US social security purposes. Lean how to avoid these traps.

Medicare and Medicaid Tabs

Eligibility and Enrollment. Age requirements; disabled persons; ESRD eligibility; enrollment process and period; etc.
Health Plans. Plan choices and costs; Medicare Parts A and B; Medicare advantage plans; covered services;
Drug Plans. Medicare Part D; costs and coverage; late enrollment; limited resources help; etc.
Appeals and Other Matters. Appeals process; Medicare Beneficiary Ombudsman; etc.
Medicaid. Overview of program; what¹s covered; income and resource requirements; etc.

Insurance Tabs

Medigap Insurance. Standardized Medigap policies; policy coverage; comparing and choosing a policy; etc.
Long-Term Care Insurance. Policy coverage, features, and benefits; choosing a policy; nursing home costs; cost of coverage; consumer protection; tax considerations; etc.
Index