Savvy Set

By TAMARA LYTLE
AARP News
President Obama on Wednesday laid out a vastly different vision of how to wrestle the nation’s debt problems into submission compared with a Republican plan that comes up for a vote later this week.
“Doing nothing on the deficit is just not an option,” Obama told a crowd at George Washington University. “Our debt has grown so large that we could do real damage to the economy if we don’t begin a process now to get our fiscal house in order.”

The Medicare Fraud Squad is here and needs your help. On a national level about 3 percent of all healthcare spending, some $86 billion, is lost to fraude each and every year.
Because Florida has one of the largest senior populations with over 3 million beneficiaries, Medicare fraud costs taxpayers betwen $3 and $4 billion each year.
And when you consider Florida’s Medicare program runs in excess of $176 billion annually, this has really got to hurt.

You’ve made your decision: although you’re eligible to collect Social Security payments, you’re going to keep working and delay receiving your retirement benefits.
But don’t forget about Medicare.
Even if you decide to wait until after you are age 65 to apply for retirement benefits, most people should apply for Medicare coverage at age 65. If you’d like to begin your Medicare coverage, you should apply within four months of reaching age 65.

By DOUG HEINLEN
AARP Florida President
 A recent survey conducted by AARP confirms that Floridians 50+ are concerned about their finances, thinking about having to delay retirement and struggling with day-to-day costs of living as big spikes in fuel costs ripple through the economy.
According to media reports, some advisors to Gov. Rick Scott have even discussed raising your electric bills – and those of existing Florida businesses – to raise money to lure new and expanding businesses to Florida.