There remains great concern among seniors about how the new Health Reform Law will affect them, and it will be years before the true effect of the law among this group of citizens is known. However, some aspects of the law are clear, and the hope is that the overall positives will outweigh the negatives when all is said and done.
Among the negatives are broad cuts in projected Medicare payments to insurance plans, hospitals, nursing homes, and other service providers. Although many projections have been made, this is one area in which it is too early to evaluate the size of reductions or its effect. Another negative is that those seniors enrolled in private insurance plans under Medicare Advantage will likely face higher premiums and reduced benefits. Prior to passage of the new law, private insurers were subsidized by the government to manage Medicare programs on the government’s behalf. The government will begin lowering the subsidies to these private plans likely resulting in higher premiums to the insured. Also, although basic Medicare benefits will not be reduced, extras such as eyeglasses may be reduced or eliminated.… Read More... “How the New Health Care Reform Will Affect Seniors”
One of my all time favorite family law blogs is Updates in Michigan Family Law written by Attorney Jeanne M. Hannah. I read her posts every week even though thinking about Michigan gives me a twinge of pain as a “Buckeye”. Nonetheless, her posts are always informative and excellent! She recently posted on a topic that I felt would be of interest to our readers, especially since our law office is only a few miles from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. With Jeanne’s kind permission, I have republished her article below.
I generally begin my articles for our Family Blog Web Site with a definition of the topic or subject that I am addressing, and this month’s article will not deviate from that practice. Finance is defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary as being “the science of managing money”. And, Financial Planner is defined by Wikipedia as “a practicing professional who helps people deal with various personal financial issues through proper planning, which includes but is not limited to these major areas: cash flow management, education planning, estate planning, investment planning, risk management and insurance planning, tax planning, estate planning and business succession planning (for business owners). The work engaged in by this professional is commonly known as personal financial planning. In carrying out the planning function, he or she is guided by the financial planning process to create a financial plan – a detailed strategy tailored to a client’s specific situation, for meeting a client’s specific goals.”
Just as each marriage is unique, so is each divorce. Your reaction to the final legal decree will vary from that of others going through this process. Your feelings will be based on your own special circumstances and will depend upon a number of factors:
Some holidays warrant special attention. Independence Day is certainly one of them. Last year, I wrote an article for the occasion which I dedicated to my Aunt Marion. In it, I shared some meaningful personal memories and experiences. I have decided to repost it, but this year I want to dedicate it to a wonderful client I represented this past year through a very long and difficult divorce. “Jane” is one of my all time favorite clients! In part, due to her class, intelligence, grace and the exceptional humor she exhibited throughout the proceedings which hit her from “left field” and ended a 19 year marriage. Together, we worked through each painful issue step by step to trial. She and I connected . . . So, why do I mention this? Well, Jane became a reader of the Ohio Family Law Blog and grew up in Maine, like my Aunt Marion. Jane read the 4th of July article I wrote and after her case was done, Jane made a generous donation of children’s books to both a local library and to Dayton Children’s Hospital in honor of … 
As an adult who weathered through a divorce proceeding within the past thirteen (13) years, I was the product of an “intact family” having parents who were married for more than 54 years. Like most young women, I was “socialized” into thinking that I would grow up, meet Prince Charming, fall in love, get married, and “live happily ever after”! Unfortunately, that dream of many young women has become more of a myth than a “true-to-life” fairy tale as our divorce rate approaches or exceeds 50% for first time marriages. Nevertheless, I was hopeful that my two children would not be negatively affected by their parents’ divorce as they were not toddlers anymore. When my divorce actually took place, both children had graduated from college and were living independently.
In 2005, a seventeen-year old girl named Shynerra Grant was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Antonio. She had just graduated high school in Toledo, Ohio, and was heading to college in the fall. Shynerra had been stalked by her ex-boyfriend for more than a year before she was murdered. Antonio stalked and abused Shynerra, including an incident in May 2004 when he broke into her home and put her in the hospital with a broken jaw. At the time an adult could obtain a Civil Stalking Protection Order (CSPO), but it was almost impossible for minors to get that same protection if the aggressor was another minor.