A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would create a new Medicare benefit known as “planning services.” Patients with an advanced or terminal illness who are on Medicare would be allowed to work with an interdisciplinary team to help the patient figure out his or her wishes for future treatment and to articulate those wishes in the form of an advanced directive. The doctors on that team can be reimbursed by Medicare for this service. (Right now, no such provision ...
Community Property Versus Separate Property — What’s Mine Is Mine, Or Maybe It’s Yours, Or Maybe Not…
Idaho is what’s known as a “community property” state — one of 9.5 such states in the United States. (Alaska has an opt-in provision for community property, so it is the 1/2 state.) The rest of the states are “common law” property state. In those states, determining who owns what is generally straight-forward. If there is a written title document for the property (house, car, boat), then whoever is listed on the title owns the property. If there is not title, then whoever owned the money ...