Buying Humana Would Put Walmart In The Booming Medicare Senior Market and Texas where Walmart is strong and seniors abound. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that Walmart was in “preliminary talks to buy” Humana, citing “people familiar with the Walmart is reportedly in talks matter.” The newspaper to buy Humana, a deal which described such a deal as “a would give the retail giant a dramatic shift for the retail health insurer and provider of behemoth.” medical care established in the But the shift wouldn’t be all booming market of senior that dramatic given Walmart citizens eligible for Medicare. has a long history of trying to Humana has one of the best- get into healthcare . Walmart has pharmacies, retail clinics known brands among health staffed by nurse practitioners, insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans , a fastand, at various times in the last growing form of coverage decade or so, has tried to buy popular among seniors. In and develop doctor practices and addition, Humana has been outpatient facilities. And the acquiring an array of doctor retailer already has a relationship practices and outpatient assets in with Humana. fast-growing retirement markets "Walmart and Humana have in the southern U.S. like Florida been killing it since the launch
of the Medicare drug benefit over a decade ago," Gorman Health Group executive chairman John Gorman said. "WalMart has pharmacies in hundreds of its stores and Humana is investing in a new line of primary care clinics. Imagine the two alongside each other in every WalMart. It's a deal aimed squarely at the senior market, and nobody does it better than Humana." A purchase of Humana would allow Walmart to tap into the health insurance and drug benefit business while at the same time acquiring a company that is growing a brand of doctor practices and outpatient facilities. Humana is particularly strong in offering health insurance and services to seniors. There are more than
10,000 Americans turning 65 and becoming eligible for Medicare every day. Health plans like Humana are already on the hunt to buy doctor practices with the staff, technology, information systems and providers to effectively manage the complex care of elderly Medicare beneficiaries, particularly as value-based care takes hold. Practices that provide effective treatment upfront in the doctor’s office leave more of the premium dollar for an insurance company to profit from or share with the providers. Increasingly, seniors are choosing Medicare Advantage plans like those offered by Humana. Currently, just under 35% of Medicare beneficiaries, or about 20 million Americans, are enrolled in MA plans.
Should You File for Social Security at 70 Even if You're Still Working? Though many workers today rush to retire in their early tomid-60s, an estimated 25% think they'll keep plugging away well into their 70s. And that's a good thing for a number of reasons. First, the longer you work, the more opportunity you get to sock away money for retirement. Similarly, working a few years longer than the typical employee means nottapping your nest egg during that time, thus stretching the savings you've already amassed. Though many workers today rush to retire in their early tomid-60s, an estimated 25% think they'll keep plugging away well into their 70s. And that's a good thing for a number of reasons. First, the longer you work, the more opportunity you get to sock away money for retirement. Similarly, working a few years longer than the typical employee means nottapping your nest egg during that time, thus stretching the savings you've already amassed. Waiting past 70 doesn't
make sense The reason it always pays to file for Social Security at 70 if you haven't done so already is that the delayed retirement credits you collect for waiting stop accruing at that age. In other words, if your full retirement age is 67 and you wait until age 70 to take benefits, you'll boost them by 8% a year over that three-year period for a total increase of 24%. But once you turn 70, that incentive goes away, which means there's no sense in waiting any longer. If you fail to file for Social Security at 70, in fact, you'll risk giving up money that's rightfully yours. Implications of working and collecting Social Security You may have heard that your Social Security benefits will be reduced if you attempt to collect them while still bringing home a paycheck, but that only applies in scenarios where you're working and receiving benefits prior to reaching full retirement age. If you're 70, it means you're
automatically past that point, and so whatever amount you're entitled to from Social Security, you'll get it in full. That said, being on Social Security doesn't exempt you from paying into the system. You'll still lose a portion of each paycheck to Social Security and Medicare taxes even if you're receiving benefits yourself (though if you're a higher earner, you might pay Social Security taxes on just a portion of your income). Furthermore, you should know that if you're still collecting a paycheck along with Social Security, those benefits might be taxed at the federal level. To see if this will apply to you, you'll need to figure your provisional income, which is your nonSocial Security income plus 50% of your yearly benefits. If that total falls between $25,000 and $34,000 and you're a single tax filer, or between $32,000 and $44,000 as a joint filer, then you could be taxed on up to 50% of your benefits. And if that total
exceeds $34,000 as a single filer or $44,000 as a couple filing jointly, then you could be taxed on up to 85% of your benefits. Also, depending on where you live, you might pay state taxes on your Social Security income as well. Most states that tax benefits offer some type of exemption, but if your earnings are high because you're working and collecting a paycheck, you may not qualify. Though working and collecting Social Security simultaneously does have some tax implications, once you turn 70, there's no reason not to claim the benefits that are rightfully yours. Yes, you may end up losing some of that money to taxes, but the same holds true for your regular paycheck. And financially speaking, it's better to get taxed on your income than have no income at all. …….MSN Money
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