...providing retirement news snippets from various sources for federal employees, postal employees, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities who receive Social Security . Your resource for retirement living, investment, employment, health care, and retirement leisure. - Stay Informed!
Title: Minnesota Democrats Vow to ‘Fight Until the Very End’ for Free Health Care for Illegal Aliens
Article Snip: "...The debate about the massive cost overruns in Minnesota’s free health care for illegal aliens program is facing looming cuts even as Democrats vow to “fight until the very end” for the freebies paid for by taxpayers. ..."
Reference: www.breitbart.comTitle: Inflation eased to 4-year low in April as Trump's tariffs took effect, CPI report shows
Article Snip: "...That’s the lowest annual increase since February 2021 but still leaves inflation moderately above the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal. ..."
Reference: www.usatoday.comTitle: Agitators clash with police, arrests made as clergy members descend on Newark ICE facility
Article Snip: "...Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said the two individuals who were arrested face obstruction and resisting arrest charges. One officer suffered a minor laceration to the arm during the incident, though he will remain on duty. No other injuries were reported. ..."
Reference: www.foxnews.comArticle Snip: "...While a separate idea to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits — something oft-cited by President Donald Trump as a goal — is not included in this proposal..."
Reference: www.bankrate.com/Title: COLA would continue to increase, although they project lower growth for 2026
Article Snip: "...Social Security beneficiaries can anticipate annual increases in their monthly payments due to the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). ..."
Reference: www.explica.meTitle: Springfield USPS worker, who is blind, retires after more than 40 years of service
Article Snip: "...Donning a sash and a smile, Frank Facio celebrated his last day as an employee of the U.S. Postal Service ahead of his retirement April 30. With a postal service career spanning more than 40 years, he was forced to adjust his work and lifestyle when he began to lose his eyesight in his twenties.
As one of only a few blind employees at the USPS, Facio had to forge his own path, switching between various roles through the years. ..."
Article Snip: "...People who have certain symptoms of cancer or side effects of cancer treatment might benefit from using cannabis. Relieving or reducing symptoms and side effects can lead to overall better quality of life for people with cancer and their caregivers. Managing symptoms and side effects well can also reduce the number of emergency room visits and hospital readmissions for things like dehydration due to nausea and vomiting, or uncontrolled severe pain.
Keep in mind that cannabis products can also have harmful effects. ..."
Article Snip: "...Here’s the bottom line — nearly 53,000 Americans are projected to die from colorectal cancer this year.
The overall five-year survival rate for the disease is around 65%. Several factors significantly influence prognosis, including the stage of the cancer at diagnosis, its location within the colon and the effectiveness of treatment.
A new study suggests that a popular habit may negatively affect colon cancer outcomes, significantly increasing the risk of death within five years of diagnosis. ...Furthermore, those diagnosed with marijuana addiction before they were stricken with colon cancer were 24.4 times more likely to die within five years of diagnosis compared to their peers, Cuomo determine ...
The findings were published online this month in the Annals of Epidemiology.
“This isn’t about vilifying cannabis. It’s about understanding the full range of its impacts, especially for people facing serious illnesses,” Cuomo said."
Some studies suggest that cannabis may help cancer patients manage their symptoms and potentially even reduce tumor growth.
Article Snip: "...Since the CPI-W is an inflation-based index, Trump's tariff policies might increase Social Security's 2026 cost-of-living adjustment. ...only the CPI-W readings from the third quarter (July through September) are used to calculate Social Security's COLA. If the average CPI-W reading in the third quarter is higher than during the comparable period of the previous year, inflation has occurred and beneficiaries are due a raise for the upcoming year."
Reference: www.fool.comTitle: USPS Webinar | ‘PSHB and Medicare in Retirement’ April 14, 2025
Article Snip: "...USPS employees may participate in a webinar that will help explain how the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program and Medicare work in retirement.
The session, “PSHB and Medicare in Retirement,” will be held Monday, April 14, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern.
Representatives from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, a provider of health plans for federal employees, will lead the webinar.
Participants must register on the webinar website.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees who have questions can email the USPS Benefits and Wellness team. ..."
Snippet of Article: "...If your newly adjusted Social Security benefit is large enough to cover Medicare premiums, you may no longer need to pay those premiums out of pocket. Instead, the premium amount will be automatically deducted from your monthly Social Security check.
This includes:
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage)
This deduction process streamlines the payment method, reducing the chance of missed payments and ensuring uninterrupted coverage.
2. Direct Billing Will Continue for Some..."
If your annual income crosses certain thresholds due to benefit increases, you might fall into a higher IRMAA bracket, leading to higher premiums.
Title: After Getting Called 'Governor Hot Wheels,' Abbott Had This to Say to Crockett
Article Snip: "...Greg Abbott delivers the PERFECT response after Rep. Jasmine Crockett mocked his disability and called him “Governor Hot Wheels.”
“It’s another day and another disaster by the Democrats. The reality is they have no vision, no policy. They have nothing to sell but hate. ..."
Title: Timmy Is Racing to Walk Back These Remarks About Tesla
Article Snip: "...he’s gallivanting around hoping that Tesla’s stock drops— Minnesota’s pension fund has a lot of shares in that company....Tim Walz says the one thing that brings him joy during the day is watching Tesla stock go down. ...He says it was a “joke,” and we have no humor. Timmy, your party melts down over the sillier things. And sorry, but hoping to trash a stock while domestic terrorists are targeting it isn’t funny. ..."
Reference: townhall.comTitle: Cannabis users under 50 are 6 times more likely to have a heart attack, new study shows
Article Snip: "...A new study shows that young people who consume marijuana are six times more likely to experience a heart attack than their counterparts. Research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) documents that people under the age of 50 who consume marijuana are about 6.2 times more likely to experience a myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack, than non-marijuana users. Young marijuana users are also 4.3 times more likely to experience an ischemic stroke and 2 times more likely to experience heart failure, the study shows. Researchers surveyed over 4.6 million people under the age of 50, of which 4.5 million do not use marijuana and 93,000 do. All participants were ...
Reference: www.usatoday.comTitle: 5 Reasons Retirees Shouldn’t Worry About DOGE Looking Into the Social Security Administration
Article Snip: "...Under the Trump administration, operational changes are designed to streamline processes, but many safeguards save benefits, eligibility criteria and payment reliability from major overhauling. Here are five reasons retirees shouldn’t panic.
Existing Federal Protections for Privacy and Data Security
Recently, there have been claims that DOGE staff have been learning SSA systems, which raises the question of data security and safety, but procedures for redundancy prevent operational risks. ..."
Title: Boomers and Retirees Digest More Bad News
Article Snip: "...Social Security is not meant to serve as retirees' only or even primary source of income. But for many people, that ends up being the case.
Many current retirees missed the boat on savings. Without pensions to fall back on, they're very reliant on Social Security to make ends meet.
Now the good news is that Social Security is..."
Title: 6 Signs You're Doing Worse Financially Than the Average 60-Year-Old
Article Snip: "...If you are 60 years old, here are some signs that you are doing worse than your peers — and some suggestions for fixing the problem. ...The average amount of non-mortgage debt for people between the ages of 60 and 69 is $16,661, according to Debt.org. This type of debt includes credit cards, car loans, and other personal debt. ...You have a mortgage balance higher than $188,034 ..."
Reference: financebuzz.comTitle: Low-income Americans might not get DOGE benefits
Article Snip: "...to receive $5,000 each. Importantly, the rebate would be sent only to households that are net-income taxpayers — people who pay more in taxes than they get back — with lower-income Americans not qualifying for the return. According to the Pew Research Center, most Americans who have an adjusted gross income of under $40,000 pay effectively no federal income tax. ..."
Reference: www.nbcnews.comTitle: Schumer and Senate Democrats Are Prepared to Shut Down the Government
Article Snip: "...Thune takes procedural step to bring the House spending bill to the floor.
Vote would occur Friday morning — hours before government shutdown deadline — unless there’s an agreement to have it sooner.
60 votes would be needed. Schumer is threatening to block it. ..."
Title: How You Can Lose Your Medicare Benefits
Article Snip: "...Your Medicare coverage can be disrupted or lost through your own actions or for reasons outside of your control. Don't let that happen to you. ...If you lose your Medicare coverage, you can reapply. Depending on circumstances, you may be able to apply outside of the Medicare open enrollment period, which runs from October 15 to December 7 each year. You can reapply outside of that window if you've experienced what is considered to be a qualifying life event. In order to do this, you would typically qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Here's a look at the ways you can lose your Medicare benefits. ..."
Reference: www.kiplinger.comeverify Social Security Lock | Protect Yourself From The Foreign Invasion Snippet of Article: "...Self Lock is the unique feature...