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Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Flu Shots, do they really work?
Monday, February 20, 2017
Where's My Tax Refund?
Where’s My Refund?
Go online to find out when to expect your money
This year some taxpayers won’t get their refunds until the week of Feb. 27. — Getty Images
On Feb. 15, something wonderful happened: The river of money taxpayers send to the federal government temporarily reversed its flow.
Yes, it’s tax-refund season, although that reverse flow won’t start hitting individual bank accounts until next week at the earliest, depending on whether you filed on paper or electronically and whether you asked for direct deposit. The season officially began Feb. 15 for taxpayers who claim child-related deductions and for low-to-moderate-income families who qualify for the earned income tax credit, thanks to legislation called the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015.
The IRS’ Where’s My Refund? webpage, which the agency will start updating on Feb. 18, lets you check on when your money should arrive. There’s also a smartphone app, for the super impatient who need hourly updates.
Starting this year, the 2015 law requires the Internal Revenue Service to hold refunds until Feb. 15 to give it more time to detect fraudulent claims. Tax season is a boom time for identity thieves, who file thousands of bogus returns early in the season in an attempt to pilfer refunds before the real taxpayers get around to filing. Earned-income and child-related refunds are favorite targets because those are usually worth thousands of dollars.
“It’s a quick refund, and it adds up to be a lot of money when you file a lot of fraudulent returns,” Richmond, Va.-based CPA David Creasy told the Los Angeles Times. “They don’t just file one or two. They file in the hundreds or even in the thousands of returns.”
This year Feb. 15 fell on a Wednesday. Allowing for processing time and a long Presidents Day weekend, the IRS said it’s possible that some taxpayers won’t get their refunds until the week of Feb. 27.
As always, AARP offers IRS-certified volunteers, both online and in locations throughout the country, who provide free tax help. For information, check here.
More on Taxes
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Friday, January 27, 2017
January: National Glaucoma Awareness Month
THE MEDICARE BLOG
THE OFFICIAL BLOG FOR THE U.S. MEDICARE PROGRAM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.MEDICARE.GOV
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR GLAUCOMA
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Be A Smart Shopper during Open Enrollment
THE MEDICARE BLOG
THE OFFICIAL BLOG FOR THE U.S. MEDICARE PROGRAM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.MEDICARE.GOV
MEDICARE OPEN ENROLLMENT: BE A SMART SHOPPER
*REPOST* Brought to you by The Medicare Blog:
Whether groceries, health insurance, or anything else, everybody wants to get the best value for their money. And health care is no different—that’s why it’s a good idea to shop around for a plan. Cost is an important factor in any purchase, especially when it comes to health care, but it’s not the only thing to consider.
There may be dozens of Medicare plans in your area, all with different costs and levels of coverage. How much are each plan’s premiums and deductibles? How much will you pay for the benefits and services you’re likely to use? Is there a limit on what you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket for the year? If you’re currently in a plan, how does that plan stack up to the other plans that are available? Thinking about these things will help you make a smart choice to get good value that meets your own health care needs.
Prescription drug coverage is another part of the cost puzzle. How much will your prescriptions cost under each plan? Does the plan cover the drugs you take? Remember, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, everyone who reaches the Part D coverage gap (or “donut hole”) will benefit from a discount of 60% on covered brand-name drugs.
Only you can determine what mix of benefits and costs will work best with your needs and budget, but we can help. The Medicare Plan Finder makes it easy to compare plans so you can pick a plan that meets your needs. After you’ve narrowed your options, you can call the plans you’re interested in to get more details about their benefits and services, or check out their websites.
And lastly, protect yourself from Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud wastes a lot of money each year and results in higher health care costs and taxes for everyone. Con artists commit Medicare fraud by getting people’s Medicare number. You can help fight Medicare fraud by never giving your Medicare number to get a free offer or gift. Protect your Medicare by protecting your Medicare number.
If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of Medicare fraud, you can:
- Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048.
- Report it online to the Office of the Inspector General.
- Call the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477). TTY users should call 1-800-377-4950.
Brought to you by: Medicare
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