News and Issues
The CBO's Health Plan Cost Debut and Medicare Benefits Enunciated
It improves Medicare benefits with lower prescription drug costs for those in the ‘donut hole,’ better chronic care, free preventive care, and nearly a decade more of solvency for Medicare. more »
Lifelong Pursuits: Allure
Joan L. Cannon writes: My father's desk would be glittering with snippets of gold foil, spools of brilliantly colored silk, as resplendent as a jeweler's tray with iridescent peacock and pheasant feathers, tiny bits of deer and badger and elk hair, and puffs of down. more »
How Did Older Workers Fare in 2009? The Urban Institute's Report Doesn't Paint a Pretty Picture
High unemployment has attracted much attention, but there has been less consideration of how older workers have fared. In past recessions unemployment has remained relatively low for older workers, whose seniority often protected them. However, age might not protect older workers as well as it once did, because workplaces are now less regularized and labor unions are less powerful. For women, the 2009 unemployment rate was 6.0 percent at age 55 to 64 and 6.1 percent at age 65 and older. The aging population will increase the number of workers age 55 and older by a third over the coming decade. more »
How Ethical is Your Travel Destination?
People from wealthy and powerful countries often express their opinions as if they are the absolute truth. Such preaching invites anger and resentment. We suggest tempering conversations with phrases like "I believe," or "My view is," rather than, "Everybody knows ...." more »
