Retirement insights from a Colorado PERA perspective

News You Should Know

News You Should Know: New Law Targets Health Care Billing

Federal legislation
Surprise Medical Bills: New Protections for Consumers Take Effect in 2022 | KFF

At the end of 2020, the No Surprises Act made it out of Congress and was signed into law. While the law doesn’t go into effect until 2022, it contains changes that could help curb high costs that stem from emergency services and complex billing practices.

Social Security: The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) | Congressional Research Service

The research arm of the U.S. Congress released this updated brief on how the WEP works, why it exists, recent legislative history, and common arguments for and against eliminating. The Congressional Research Service also updated a shorter summary, which includes an overview of the Government Pension Offset.

How much income will your 401(k) provide? | Marketwatch

Making sense of your 401(k) balance can be tricky. Maybe you’ve saved a few thousand dollars. By the end of your career, you might have several times your annual salary. But here’s the thing: you probably won’t spend it all at once. So how can you translate that total dollar amount into an amount that you can feel confident about spending on a monthly or annual basis?

A new rule under development at the Labor Department would require plan sponsors to include retirement income projections along with account balances. This article lays out the strengths and shortcomings of such an addition.

Are You Prepared for Health Care Costs While in Retirement? | Kiplinger

It’s no secret: health care isn’t cheap, especially for retirees. While stories about health care costs often focus on policy changes that could address high prices, this story is about steps individuals can take to prepare for them.


News You Should Know is a digest of news from publications around the nation about finance, investing, and retirement.

Windfall elimination provisionA provision of federal law that may reduce Social Security benefit payments to retirees who receive a pension based on work during which they did not contribute to Social Security. The WEP does not apply to those with 30 or more years of substantial earnings in Social Security.Government pension offsetA provision of federal law that reduces Social Security dependent benefit payments to spouses, widows, and widowers who receive a government pension like PERA.

Comments

  1. David Farrell says:

    Thank you to all COPERA employees for all you do, and especially, for all your good work in these difficult times

  2. Bill says:

    Great work!
    When in hospital for 9 days, they helped me understand the medical billing.
    Even made several calls to medical companies.
    Felt more confident that I wasn’t being taken advantage of my health.

  3. John Hamilton says:

    Question if the proposed changes to WEP have any consequences to retirees who have more than 30 years paid into social security.

  4. P. Logene Williams says:

    Why can’t I just click on the topic and read the information? Why do I have to print it out, or share it?

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