The Federal Estate Tax and the Big Beautiful Bill
It is tempting to think that the budget conflicts in Washington today are something new and different from an ongoing dialogue going on for at least twenty-five years and more. The most recent major discussion concerns the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed in 2017 during the first Trump administration. The TCJA contained a […]
Continue readingSome Timely Recommendations for Persons on Medicaid
While the country is waiting for results in the United States Senate regarding a current budget proposal referred to variously as a Big Beautiful Bill which could impact large numbers of U.S. Medicaid recipients, current Medicaid recipients may be wondering what actions to take, if any, now regarding their own healthcare. Because we do not […]
Continue readingHow Health Care Has Changed For Seniors
Sometimes it helps to remember how systems were first established and how they changed and why to understand where they are now. This could be said off the Medicaid and Medicare systems of healthcare in America and of Social Security. Medicaid especially but also Medicare and Social Security have been critical areas of my legal […]
Continue readingYour Rights As a Taxpayer With the IRS
At a time when questions may arise regarding your rights it could be comforting to know that, at least as to the US Internal Revenue Service, there is a clear statement of general rights as an American taxpayer. While at times, especially with short staffing or other problems, some of these may be aspirational, the […]
Continue readingCCRC’s What You Need To Know Before Signing
Continuing Care Retirement Communities in the US have become a staple of everyday living and a common topic of conversation among seniors trying to determine whether they should stay at home or move to an environment specially adapted to provide for their needs as they age. There is no lack of opportunity to learn generally […]
Continue readingWhat Would We Do Without Medicaid?
For the past twenty-five years I have been writing about elder law issues -usually on a weekly basis – many of which relate to health care, health care insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and similar programs. Over the years as readers might imagine there have been significant changes – Obamacare, for instance, came into effect […]
Continue readingDon’t Update My Software Again – Please
If you are a techie believer who awaits every new nuance of the myriad software choices available now with the kind of greeting only known to expectant parents you might not understand this column. If you are an elder law attorney relating to clients and other professionals as well as government, court, and private offices […]
Continue readingPaul Ryan and the History of Medicaid Block Grant Proposals Business
On January 3, 1999 Paul Ryan was sworn in as Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin’s 1 st District. Twenty years later, on January 3, 2019 he left office to return to private life. In the intervening time in his public life he served as the 54 th Speaker of the House, […]
Continue readingPennsylvania/Florida Snowbird Issues for Elder Law and Estates Business
If you tried to reach me or my daughter and paralegal, Alisa, last Friday we took some time to attend the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA) Winter Conference at Bedford Springs, Bedford, Pennsylvania. While I attended the many programs updating the rules and laws, Alisa had an opportunity to socialize with the group […]
Continue readingCoffee Questions That Consider How We Socialize Today
A recent article in CNN Health, “Viva la coffee shop: Why we need to meet up in them, now!” https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/20/health/recommend-coffee-shops-wellness/index.html (2025) raised the fascinating question whether we are losing something today in our loss of common spaces to meet, discuss, and enjoy each other’s company. Also, of course, it discussed coffee. Frankly, I was amazed […]
Continue readingResearch Your Health Insurance Options for 2025 Retirement Business Editor/DLN
Among the many issues you are likely to confront when considering a 2025 retirement is whether and when you need to take action regarding health insurance for you and possibly, if you are married, your spouse. Answers are not necessarily simple and your HR Department might not have all of them readily at their disposal. […]
Continue readingGoodbye to 2024. Hello to New Year 2025
As the year 2024 comes to an end it seems very much to be a turning point for many aspects of what we do, not the least of which for me and my daughter and brother is a series of changes in our own practices. So now, as we all wave goodbye to 2024 as […]
Continue readingWould the Polio Vaccine Be At Risk Under Robert Kennedy, Jr.?
On December 13, 2024, the New York Times published an article by Christina Jewett and Sheryl Gay Stolberg that raised the question whether a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Robert Kennedy, Jr., the prospective Trump nominee, might place polio vaccines at risk. The article was entitled “Kennedy’s Lawyer Has Asked the F.D.A. […]
Continue readingSo, Maybe Small Corporations Do Not Need to File Under the Corporate Transparency Act
Just when you thought you knew the one and only answer to a legal question regarding what your client should or should not do something happens to change all that. In this case the question is whether “beneficial owners” of certain mostly smaller corporations and entities are required to file some very personal information with […]
Continue readingTax Complications Might Arise When You Live In One State and Work in Another
As we move toward April 15, the dreaded “tax day” one question that might arise for those who live in one state but work in another is where should the taxpayer pay his/her state taxes. Is it in the state of his/her residence or the location of his/her employment? Or maybe in both or neither? […]
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