Ask Our Experts
By: Source: AARP Bulletin Today Date Posted: 2003-11-14 16:10:00-05:00
The AARP Bulletin's Ask Our Experts column provides answers to important questions affecting older Americans. Read below for this month's column, or review our archive of previously published questions and answers sorted by topic. (Note: Recent news or changes to regulations may affect the guidance offered in this previously published column.)
Submit your own question to the Ask Our Experts column via our easy-to-use online form.
Q. My siblings and I plan to move our mother into a local nursing home. Which facility offers the best care?
At Medicare's website, you'll find a handy tool, Nursing Home Compare, that lets you search for nursing homes by county, city, ZIP code or facility name. As you narrow your hunt, you will discover basic facts and contact information for each facility.
You can also compare how each home performed in three key areas: quality measures (including the percentage of residents with bedsores), inspections (including any health deficiencies found in the most recent state survey) and average time the nursing staff works with each resident a day.
A few caveats:
1. Nursing Home Compare turns up only those facilities certified for Medicare and Medicaid. Assisted living facilities and private nursing homes may not appear.
2. Data on nursing/staff hours are not always accurate.
3. Online "comparison shopping" can never supplant the value of visiting a home. See AARP Bulletin Online's guide to nursing home performance data available by state.—Expertise provided by Faith Mullen
Q. I just turned 70 and have both IRA and 401(k) accounts. Will I have to withdraw money from them when I turn 70 1/2 if I'm still working?
Anyone with a traditional IRA has to start making withdrawals at 70 1/2, says the Internal Revenue Service. People with Roth IRAs, however, are not required to make any withdrawals.
If you're still working at 70 1/2, you may not have to withdraw funds from your 401(k) if your plan allows you to put it off and you're currently working for the company that sponsors the plan. If you have a 401(k) with a former employer, you must start taking distributions.
People who fail to take a required distribution face a stiff penalty.
To learn how much you must withdraw and when, go to the IRS' website, and type "minimum distribution" in the search box. Or contact your local Taxpayer Assistance Center.
IRS operators are required to tell IRA owners how large a distribution they must take in 2003.—Expertise provided by Alison Shelton
Q. I retired at 65 but am thinking of returning to work. Will my Medicare eligibility be affected if I do?
No; you'll be entitled to Medicare benefits no matter how much more you earn.
You'll also be covered by Medicare if you decide to buy group health insurance through your employer (but the company must have 20 workers or more). In that case, your employer-based insurance would become the primary payer and Medicare the secondary payer.—Expertise provided by Craig Caplan
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