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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Provides Energy Incentives for Businesses

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a number of energy tax incentives for both small and large businesses. Businesses and individuals who take advantage of these energy-saving steps this year may result see bigger tax savings next year.

Here are some of the major provisions that apply:

1. Extension of Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit: This law extends the “eligibility dates” of a tax credit for business facilities that use wind, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, municipal solid waste, qualified hydropower and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy. The "placed in service date” is now Dec. 31, 2012 for wind facilities and Dec. 31, 2013 for the other facilities.

2. Election of Investment Credit in Lieu of Production Credit: Businesses that operate facilities that produce electricity from wind and some other renewable resources after Dec. 31, 2008 can now choose either the energy investment tax credit or the production tax credit.

3. Repeal of Certain Limits on Business Credits for Renewable Energy Property: ARRA repeals the $4,000 limit on the 30 percent tax credit for small wind energy property and the limitation on property financed by subsidized energy financing for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2008.

4. Coordination with Renewable Energy Grants: Business taxpayers can apply for a grant in lieu of claiming either the energy investment tax credit or the renewable energy production tax credit for property placed in service in 2009 or 2010.

5. Temporary Increase in Credit for Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property: Qualified property placed in service in 2009 and 2010 is now eligible for a 50 percent credit, and the per-business location limit increases to $50,000. Property relating to hydrogen remains at the 30 percent rate, but the per-business location limit rises to $200,000.

In addition, there are several other energy credits available that small businesses should be aware of, such as:

6. Residential Energy Property Credit: The new law increases the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes. The new law increases the credit rate to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements and raises the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements placed in service in 2009 and 2010. The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.

7. Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Credit: The new law modifies the credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles purchased after Dec. 31, 2009.

8. Plug-In Electric Vehicle Credit: The new law also creates a special tax credit for two types of plug-in vehicles — certain low-speed electric vehicles and two- or three-wheeled vehicles.

More information on these business energy tax incentives are available on IRS.gov at www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=204335,00.htm .

To keep up with ARRA and other IRS tax news, subscribe to e-News for Small Businesses at http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=154825,00.html or type in “e-News for Small Businesses “ in the search box on IRS.gov and enter.

Added: June 29, 2009
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AARP Launches Money-Saving Prescription Drug Resource

Online tool helps people avoid dreaded “doughnut hole”

WASHINGTON—By the end of this summer, more than one million older Americans will have fallen into the “doughnut hole”—a coverage gap in Medicare’s prescription drug program that leaves individuals on the hook for all of their own drug costs while still paying premiums. AARP is launching a new online resource to help older Americans avoid this dreaded coverage gap.

The AARP Doughnut Hole Calculator, available at www.aarp.org/doughnuthole, guides visitors through their prescription drug options using localized information about their plans and prescriptions to determine if or when they will fall into the coverage gap. In about 15 minutes, visitors can view a graph of their out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for their conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to their doctors to help start a conversation about safely switching prescriptions.

“More than three million people fall into the gap each year, and millions more nervously wonder if they might fall in,” said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. “For the first time, people in Medicare have a simple way to learn if they’ll fall into the doughnut hole and find ways to avoid it by switching to safe, less expensive medications.”

As a part of its Health Action Now campaign, AARP is calling on Congress to close the doughnut hole and lower prescription drug prices so that no one has to go without the prescriptions they need to stay healthy. Yesterday, AARP joined President Obama to endorse an agreement by Senate leaders and the pharmaceutical industry that would reduce brand name drug costs for people who fall into the doughnut hole by half. Research has shown people cut back on their prescription drugs when their costs become unaffordable, which can lead to more serious health conditions and larger health care bills.

LeaMond added: “Saving money on prescription drugs is going to mean pressing hard in Washington to close the doughnut hole; yesterday we were proud to help announce significant progress toward that goal. In the meantime, we also want to give Americans the tools they need to cut their drug costs and stay out of the gap in the first place. We encourage every person in Medicare to take a few minutes to find the right drugs at the lowest prices.”

The calculator is powered by DestinationRx as part of a special arrangement between AARP and Medicare. The data is the same used by the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, giving users the most accurate and up-to-date drug pricing information available.

For details on AARP’s health reform priorities, visit http://www.aarp.org/governmentwatch.

Added: June 26, 2009
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Over one half of eligible Rhode Islanders not on food program

Thousands of Older Rhode Islanders May Be Going Hungry Unnecessarily

Nearly half of Rhode Islanders eligible for Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP) may be unaware that assistance

is available to help pay for their groceries

Providence – AARP Rhode Island today urged older Rhode Islanders and those who care for them to take advantage of the Department of Human Services Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit - formerly the Food Stamp Program- that can help put food on the table during tough economic times.

According to the USDA, in Rhode Island, only 55% of people who are eligible take advantage of the benefit; nationally, only about 34 percent of eligible older Americans participate.

“Today in Rhode Island , an estimated 130 thousand people over age 65 are living in poverty,” said AARP State Director, Kathleen S. Connell. “Many have to choose between going to the grocery store and paying their bills – this isn’t a choice anyone should have to make. The DHS Food Stamp Program can help make ends meet.”

How it works

Participants get a special debit card called an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card to use at most grocery stores, certain senior centers, farmer’s markets and meal delivery services – the card is used just like a credit card and the cost of groceries is deducted from the account balance. New benefits are added automatically every month.

Who should apply

People who are 60 or older may qualify for food assistance if:

Their net monthly income (after subtracting certain expenses, i.e., housing and medical costs, child care, and eldercare) is around $903 for a single person or around $1,214 for a married couple.

They have no more than $3,000 in countable resources, like a bank account.
They get SSI
They live in federally subsidized housing for the elderly even if they receive their meals at the facility.

How to get started

Older Americans and those who care for them can find everything they need to get started in any state by visiting AARP’s Benefits QuickLINK Web site: www.aarp.org/snap . AARP’s SNAP Map is a one-stop resource to:

Fill out a quick on-line survey to determine if people are eligible.
Find the local office that gives out food benefits.
Get a list of required documents
Print out the state application or apply on-line.

Added: June 26, 2009
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Rx Drugs Cost Too Much

Sometimes it seems that we have about as much effect on what we pay for prescription drugs as we do about the weather: we can complain but we can’t really do anything about it. Actually, we can all do something about it—prescription drugs that is, not the weather—and AARP is working in a number of ways to lower prescription drug costs through health reform.

First, AARP is fighting to close the “doughnut hole” the place where Medicare Part D beneficiaries are responsible for all of their drug costs even while they are still paying their Part D premium. Millions of people have fallen into this hole—and are paying a heavy price for it. About one in five Part D beneficiaries delayed filling a prescription or did not fill it at all because of costs. AARP believes we must lower out-of-pocket costs for people in Medicare with high drug costs and give them the coverage they’ve been paying for.

AARP also believes we must end the drug companies’ monopoly on drugs, especially generic biologics used to treat serious diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis that can cost up to $10,000 per month. That’s why AARP supports the “Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act,” which would make it easier to approve safe and affordable generic biologic drugs, and save lives and save billions of taxpayer dollars in the process.

There are other important steps we can take. Congress should allow the safe and legal importation of prescription drugs. It should also enable Medicare to directly negotiate prices with drug manufacturers.

All of these common sense solutions ought to be part of health reform this year. To find out what you can do to back these changes and rein in drug costs, go to healthactionnow.org. Make your voice heard so we can all make a difference in the cost of prescription drugs.

Added: May 21, 2009
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Make Your Community Walkable

Make Your Community Walkable

Newport, RI to become the first "Livable Community"

Remember the “good ol’ days” when you walked down the sidewalk to go to the neighborhood grocery store? You’d greet the neighbors who were sitting on their front porches and chat awhile. You’d walk down to Main Street and make your way down the broad, tree-lined sidewalks abuzz with shops, restaurants, and friendly passersby. By the time you made it back home, you’d have three miles and a few errands behind you. Those were “walkable communities.”

Today, as the Main Streets of America give way to sprawling suburbs, more of us use our cars, rather than our own two legs, to get around. Cities and rural areas pose walking challenges with their traffic, crime, congestion, dangerous roads, and a lack of sidewalks or walking paths. That’s beginning to change and there’s a national movement afoot to return to the walkable communities of those “good ol’ days.”

What is a Walkable Community?

In a walkable community, people “don’t have to jump in a car to get somewhere,” says Bob Chauncey of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking. “Regardless of their age or physical ability, they can get from one place to another. They have attractive destinations to get to.”

Chauncey describes Chestertown, the Maryland town he lives in, as a walkable community. He says the downtown area has shaded trees, nice sidewalks, plants and benches, and places to go. “It’s a nice place to be.”

Having even more places to go would make it more walkable, according to Chauncey, as would more mixed-use housing – such as townhomes and condos – in addition to single-family homes.

According to Walkable Communities, Inc., some of the characteristics of walkable communities include:

town centers – a quiet, pleasant main street with a set of hearty, healthy stores
areas designed for people first, cars second
neighborhoods with mixed income and mixed-use housing
safe, adequate and appealing public space for people to gather and to sit
easy access for people of all ages and abilities
main streets that are speed-controlled and interconnected, or laid out in a grid
many people walking

Those pushing for more walkable communities in the U.S. say the trend is leaning in that direction, after years of building spread-out suburbs. Cities are reclaiming their waterfronts and creating more walkable downtown areas. Even some suburban areas are developing town centers as places to walk, shop, and gather together. And walkable communities are becoming more appealing to retired people, as well as young families. Both like the convenience of having stores, entertainment, and services all within walking distance.

“More and more boomers and empty nesters are returning to cities because of the attractions that cities have,” says Chauncey. “There’s an appeal to cities among those who’ve raised their kids in the suburbs and don’t want to live there anymore.”

But many developers are misled about what walkable communities are, says Dan Burden, the executive director of Walkable Communities, which helps communities become more walkable and walker-friendly. “Just putting in sidewalks doesn’t make a walkable community.” It’s everything mentioned above and, ideally, more (such as schools that are safe to walk to.)

In Newport, R.I. AARP has joined a coalition consisting of the Mayor and City Council, City Planner, City Engineer and members of the public to plan for a walkable city. Starting with the Broadway area from Equality Park to Farewell Street, an engineering plan will be drawn with accommodations for handicapped accessibility, revamped street crossings and lighting and upgraded sidewalks and sidewalk scapeing. Public input will be solicited as the plan progresses. AARPs long term vision is for Newport to be Rhode Island's first "Livable Community". To read more about Livable Communities, go to www.aarp.org/livablecommunities.

Added: May 14, 2009
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Older Workers Struggle Through Financial Crisis

Older Workers Struggle Through Financial Crisis

In the wake of today’s economic crisis, job fairs frequently draw as many older workers and retirees as high school and college grads. Job seekers of all ages and skill levels have flooded the employment pool with older workers showing up in increasingly larger numbers.

Lack of savings, dwindling 401(k) and nest egg investments, combined with increasing health care costs and day-to-day expenses have prodded some near-retirees to stay on the job. Similar factors have drawn others well into retirement back into the labor market. They’re joined by growing numbers of jobless downsizing casualties; many of them mid-life and older workers who aren’t old enough to retire. They still have responsibilities, perhaps dependent children, aging parents or other major financial obligations.

Financial turmoil is squeezing everyone regardless of age. People desperately need jobs. This climate has prompted some to sound the false alarm of generational warfare as unemployed older job seekers increase while their employed counterparts hold tightly to jobs. It’s a misguided charge, pitting old against young and exacerbating tensions during a challenging time.

Teresa Ghilarducci, authority on retirement economics, professor and author of When I’m Sixty-Four, says, “In a bad labor market, different groups perceive that they’re being discriminated against when the real problem is they’re being mistreated by the overall economy.”

In a landscape littered with foreclosures, bankruptcies, layoffs, company closings and falling stocks, unemployment is not the option of choice for traditional working-age men and women, and increasingly, not for many retirees.

Overall, national unemployment is at a quarter-century high and continues to rise among all age groups. However, in recent months, the greatest increase has been among workers 55+, 10.7 percent in March – considerably higher than the 4.9 percent for the entire workforce. Over the past several years, length of unemployment has consistently lasted about five weeks or longer, on average, for 55+ workers than for younger age groups.

Once older workers lose jobs, research shows it’s much harder for them to find new ones than for younger applicants. Some eventually give up and drop out of the job market, falling into a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) category called ‘discouraged workers.’

The hurdles loom large for all job seekers in the current market, but the specter of age discrimination weighs heavily on older workers, underscored recently in the New York Times’ “Longer Unemployment for Those 45 and Older.” (April 13, 2009)

Age discrimination in hiring is hard to prove, but in a 2008 AARP survey, 60 percent of workers ages 45-74 said they had seen or experienced age bias. Even so, 70 percent in this age group plan to work past the traditional retirement age; nearly two thirds claimed financial need as the primary reason.

Even in this downturn, lack of significant interest by younger workers for certain job types, such as retail, health care and education makes some jobs somewhat more accessible to older workers.

More importantly, economic pressures are forcing employers to carefully evaluate their human resources, examine future needs and identify the best mix of people – both younger and older – to provide the greatest productivity and competitiveness.

Some employers still get caught up in ageist stereotypes, thinking all older workers don’t like change and won’t work hard, don’t understand new technologies, resent younger bosses and cost significantly more for health care. These are myths regarding most older employees, but sometimes apply to workers of any age.

Yet other employers recognize the significant benefits of 50 + workers: loyalty, strong work ethic, lower turnover and absenteeism rates, commitment to quality work and dependability in crises. Additionally, a 2005 Towers Perrin report found that older workers are highly motivated to exceed job expectations, which strongly correlates with job engagement and company performance.

All of this is important for older workers to keep in mind during these difficult times. Eventually, the crisis will pass, but America’s workforce will continue aging; a demographic shift set in motion long before the panic on Wall Street.

Therefore, for businesses that want to ensure long-term competitiveness in the 21^st century, this will mean developing multi-generational work teams and designing policies and practices to attract and retain an increasingly age-diverse workforce.

Added: May 14, 2009
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An Answer to Hospital Readmissions

An Answer to Hospital Readmissions - More Care is Not Always “Better” Care

News that Medicare wastes billions of dollars a year on avoidable hospital readmissions points to a visible and compelling reason for health reform: We not only can improve patients’ lives, but we can contain skyrocketing costs for both individuals and our country’s taxpayers in the process.

Fresh evidence that our increasingly unaffordable health care system is failing many of the most vulnerable patients comes in a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers found that up to one in five Medicare patients sent home from the hospital were forced to return within a month.

Many of these patients had chronic illnesses, yet did not recall instructions about what to do if a problem emerged after they left the hospital. As we all know, the ability to learn and understand instructions in the environment of a busy hospital room is not the “ideal learning setting”. Once discharged, many are essentially left adrift, lacking meaningful – if any – communication with health care professionals, whose guidance and follow-through might have made a huge difference.

We should have no tolerance for re-admissions that are avoidable. The cost of these unplanned readmissions was $17.4 billion in 2004. Keeping people healthy and out of the hospital saves money for everyone.

Fortunately, there is at least one clear, cost effective solution to this problem: Medicare could provide “transitional” care designed to help people who leave the hospital stay out of the hospital.

From AARP’s own research on chronic conditions, we know that a patient’s transition from one setting to another, such as from hospital to home or a rehabilitation facility, can be a hazardous time. Too often, poor communication and lack of timely guidance can lead to dangerous medical errors, adverse medication reactions, and inappropriate care during that very vulnerable period of location change..

According to recent research by AARP’s Public Policy Institute, one in five patients surveyed felt their health had suffered as a result of poor communication among physicians. Nearly one in four said they had experienced a medical error, often due to uncoordinated care.

Two out of three caregivers also expressed concerns about poor communication among clinicians, lack of timely clinician visits after hospital stays, and patients who did not understand medical advice or had received conflicting information.

The lack of guidance often leaves patients in the dark about local services that could help them thrive at home and decrease the burden on family caregivers, who already provide an estimated $375 billion worth of care a year.

A 79-year-old woman in Pennsylvania who cares for her 84-year-old husband recently described the uphill quest for information:“Here you are, two dummies...What do you do? Where do you go? You make a million phone calls. You do a lot of things that are stupid, and nothing gets done.”

We simply must do a better job of helping individuals with chronic health problems. Eleven million older adults now live with five or more such conditions, and the number is increasing. Three out of every four dollars spent by Medicare goes to this category of patients, who on average see an assortment of 14 doctors a year in various settings. Further, it has been found that some of these same people end up taking as many as 50 prescriptions a year. If care and medications aren’t reviewed and coordinated, the result often translates to a hospitalization.

A new benefit for transitional care would help people in Medicare navigate this maze. Nurse-led teams of medical specialists would coordinate transitions, meeting patients before discharge and developing plans for follow-up and coordinated care as they move from different care delivery sites

Nurse managers would provide needed follow-through to help ensure that services are delivered, instructions followed, and medications are taken as prescribed. People would stop falling through the cracks of our disjointed system, and costly readmissions would be reduced.

At AARP, we view this idea as a common-sense strategy to help patients stay as healthy as possible, while managing chronic conditions, easing pressure on their caregivers, and saving money both for the individual and for taxpayers. Shouldn’t that be what health reform is all about?

Added: May 11, 2009
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Health Insurance Crisis is Hitting 50-64 Age Group Hard!

AARP has made guaranteeing access to affordable health coverage for people aged 50-64 an essential element of health reform. Why? Americans aged 50-64-- who make up nearly half of AARP’s 40 million members -- are taking a hard hit in these times of shrinking employer-sponsored health coverage. They have become the fastest growing group of uninsured. The rate at which they have been losing coverage is really alarming -- 36 percent between 2000 and 2009. And, now, in today’s turbulent economy, as more working men and women in this age group are losing jobs with employer-sponsored health care, they are finding it more and more difficult – if not impossible -- to get affordable individual coverage. This is -- in large part -- because health insurers consider age and pre-existing conditions when setting their rates. Seven of every ten Americans in this age group have at least one -- if not several – such chronic health conditions as diabetes and heart disease. Insurance industry data show that insurers reject between 17 and 28 percent of all applications from people aged 50-64.And those “lucky”enough to find individual coverage must pay, on average, premiums that average three times higher than premiums for those of the same age who have employer coverage. And their out-of-pocket spending for health care is more than twice that of those with employer coverage -- despite less generous benefits. This problem is becoming more serious because, thanks to the aging of the baby boomers, our 50-64 population is growing rapidly. Nearly one of every five Americans will be 50-64 by 2015. So, AARP is pressing Congress to find a common-sense solution to the coverage gap for 50-64-year-olds. For information on AARP’s efforts to help people in this age group – and on ways you can help – please check out our new web page for health reform – www.healthactionnow.org

Added: May 5, 2009
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Fat 2 Fit Campaign Challenge

Fat2Fit

Get into the spirit of healthy living without skimping on the fun! We'll explore invigorating new activities, nutritious feel-good foods, and the latest health trends. Working together, we can help one another reach our personal goals! It's all part of the AARP Fat 2 Fit Community Weight-Loss Challenge.

Our philosophy is summarized by F.I.T.: F=Fun I=Individualized T=Together

(All AARP.org users should seek expert medical care and consult their own physicians for any specific health issues. Read our full medical disclaimer.)

Added: April 14, 2009
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"Safe Transitions" decrease hospital re-admissions

RI launches “Safe Transitions Project”

Recent research by Quality Partners of Rhode Island indicates that the process by which patients move from hospitals to other care settings is increasingly problematic as hospitals shorten lengths of stay and as care becomes more fragmented. Rehospitalization is gaining attention nationally and can affect a nursing home’s bottom line. About one in five Medicare beneficiaries is rehospitaliz4ed within 30 days of discharge, and evidence suggests that up to 50% of these hospitalizations are avoidable. The costs of re-hospitalization under 30 days is driving up the costs for Medicare.

Quality Partners of Rhode Island and AARP along with community partners in the health care field have launched a pilot project in the state called “Safe Transitions”. Rhode Island is one of only 14 states nationwide to receive Medicare funding to promote coordinated transitions across care settings, focusing on patients’ discharge from the hospital to home.

Through patient self-management and systems improvement, the goal of the project is to implement effective, sustainable interventions that reduce 30 -day re-hospitalization for patients at high risk of readmission.

Some of the improved systems targets Medicare beneficiaries at high risk for hospital readmission because of diagnoses of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), or pneumonia-related diagnoses (PNE+). Home Health and Hospital Program Coordinators are now working wit hospitals and home health agencies to share lessons learned.

Five Transitions Coaches are now working with patients in five of the seven hospitals in the pilot and will be incrementally expanding to work with patients at the remaining two hospitals over the coming weeks and months.

AARP serves as a Board Member of the Leadership Team of “Safe Transitions” whose duty is to shape the project’s approaches and provide education curriculum.

To learn more about “Safe Transitions” visit www.qualitypartnersri.org

Added: March 11, 2009
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My Journals (28)

Fat2Fit