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At OPM, an overhaul of retirement processing The Washington Post Share     In the latest attempt to fix a dysfunctional federal retiree program, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry announced Wednesday yet another overhaul of a system that leaves retirees waiting months for their checks. Berry said he is adding 80 people to a retirement-processing staff of 130 in hopes of making a significant cut in the 138 days, almost five months, it takes on average to process claims. More
 How expiring Bush tax cuts will affect you Bankrate Share
When Congress left Washington, D.C., in September to campaign for the November election, it also left taxpayers in limbo about what income tax rates they will face next year. But if lawmakers can't reach an agreement and let the Bush-era tax cuts expire on Jan. 1, 2011, all taxpayers, regardless of income, will face higher tax bills. Taxes currently are collected based on five income tax brackets. Every taxpayer would face a tax increase because the current 10 percent tax rate would disappear. That would mean that the first chunk of money earned, up to $8,375 under 2010's tax brackets, would be taxed at 15 percent. More  FEHBP premiums increase 7.2 percent, unions temper response Federal Daily Share
The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program this month announced a rise in the employee share of premiums averaging 7.2 percent for 2011. Federal employee unions reacted to the hike with measured criticism. “The good news is that the bad news isn’t worse,” Dan Adcock, legislative director for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, told FEND. “Part of the news is that the Office of Personnel Management has negotiated an average premium clearly under what other large employer-sponsored plans have negotiated on behalf of their employees and retirees.” More
Firing back: Federal workers offer counterpoints to poll The Washington Post Share
A Washington Post poll reported last week that 52 percent of Americans believe federal workers are overpaid and that more than one-third believe the employees are less qualified than those in the private sector. However, the poll also noted that three out of four respondents who interacted with a federal employee said it was a positive experience. Now, federal employees offer their take. More Opinion: Support your local federal worker AOL News Share
Amid the heated anti-government rhetoric of this election season and suggestions that federal workers represent some sort of privileged class, it may be easy to overlook the important role played by public servants who on a daily basis find solutions to serious problems, assist Americans in need, keep us safe and advance our national interests. Much of what the federal government does actually works quite well, from the payment of Social Security benefits to 53 million Americans and the supervising of the safe takeoff and landings of thousands of airplanes to the work of the nation's intelligence analysts and law enforcement officials who protect our security. More Advertisement
 Study finds docs offer too little info to patients Scripps Howard News Service via Seattle Times Share
What are the options, doc? Sooner or later, a conversation with a physician over a difficult diagnosis comes down to a question like that. But all too often, doctors are likely to leave stuff out, the results of a recent survey of more than 3,000 patients age 40 and older suggests. The survey, conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, found that patients hear far more from doctors about the pros than cons of medications, tests and surgeries. The study found that doctors, nurses and others were much more likely to talk up the advantages of a treatment or test while skipping the negatives. The patients, on average, were able to answer only about half the questions about four or five pieces of information that experts say are essential to understanding the risks and benefits of a therapy. More States affirm tough limits on insurers' use of dollars The New York Times Share
State insurance commissioners last week unanimously endorsed tough new standards that would require many health insurance companies to spend more of each premium dollar for the benefit of consumers. The new federal health care law stipulates that at least 80 percent of premium revenue must be spent on medical care and “activities that improve health care quality” for patients — not retained as profits or used to pay executive compensation and administrative expenses. The rules, adopted at a meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, describe how the calculations will be made, specifying what counts as medical care and what expenses will be classified as administrative. More Advertisement
 Alzheimer's: largely a woman's issue Time Share
A recent report from the Alzheimer's Association and California's First Lady Maria Shriver showed that the disease is disproportionately a woman's problem. The report is based on a survey of 3,118 American adults about the experience and impact of Alzheimer's disease. The survey found that two-thirds of the disease's sufferers are women. And, 60 percent of unpaid caretakers of Alzheimer's patients are women. In total, 10 million, or 6.4 percent, of all American women are affected by the disease. More  Survey: More believe they will have to delay retirement The Associated Press via USA Today Share
The slow climb out of recession has U.S. workers worried about their ability to recover financially. More than 80 percent of workers in a national survey released last week believe they will need at least three years to rebuild their retirement savings. That's a dramatic increase over the 64 percent who said the same a year ago. Some 20 percent of workers believe they will never get their savings back to pre-recession levels, the survey says. More than half of workers responding expect to work at least three years longer than originally planned. More
 More second-home communities welcome pets USA Today Share
Pets, especially dogs, have never been as big a part of the family as they are today. From sitters to spas, massages and antidepressants, people spare no expense when it comes to their pets — even during tough economic times. Americans will spend $47.7 billion on their pets this year, up from $45.5 billion last year, the American Pet Product Association estimates. Almost two-thirds of U.S. households have a pet, according to the most recent National Pet Owners Survey. Now, developers of second homes and real estate agents are taking that into consideration. Realty firms that specialize in pet-friendly sales can now be found in most major cities. More Advertisement
 A NARFE member asks about reinstating FEHBP coverage NARFE Share
Question: If a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employee retires at the minimum retirement age (MRA) + 10 and waits until age 62 to begin his or her annuity, can the individual reinstate coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) at that time? More Advertisement
 Join NARFE now before prices go up NARFE Share
By joining NARFE now, you will save $12. At the recent NARFE National Convention, delegates voted to raise NARFE dues. The new first-year dues rate of $45 takes effect Jan. 1, 2011. Join now at the current $33 rate and save. NARFE is the only association dedicated solely to protecting and enhancing the health care and retirement benefits of federal employees and survivors. More NARFE debuts new TV commercial in the Washington, DC, area NARFE Share
NARFE is airing a new 30-second television commercial in the Washington, DC, area. It makes the point that by joining NARFE, retired and active federal employees can help protect their earned retirement benefits – for less than 15 cents a day. Check it out on YouTube by clicking here. More |
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