Tag archives: medicare

Medicare Explained
By Christopher Gallo   |   April 16, 2020

Most people think of Medicare as the health insurance nirvana: get to age 65 and there’s a free healthcare plan waiting to take you through retirement. With political debate centering around expanding the program, it’s important to understand what it will provide and what it won’t. First, who qualifies? With more than 50 million people […]

The Search For “Affordable” Healthcare
By Bob Hazard   |   June 6, 2019

For the majority of the 8,965 residents of Montecito, the cost of healthcare is affordable. Until it is not. Healthcare becomes less affordable, even for affluent residents, when they face the cost of chronic conditions like cancer, when they are forced to finance end-of-life care, when very expensive drugs are prescribed, or when unexpected medical […]

A Closer Look at Federal Income Taxes
By Bob Hazard   |   May 2, 2019

On or before April 15, 141 million U.S. taxpayers voluntarily shipped to Washington an estimated $1.7 trillion in individual income tax dollars, or about half of all federal revenues, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Taxpayers grappled with a federal tax code that is 73,954 pages long, which Albert Einstein called, “the hardest thing […]

Water Security Required
By Montecito Journal   |   July 26, 2018

In his recent letter (“Recycled Water Warning,” MJ #24/28), Dr. Edo McGowan raises important issues associated with water quality. But these issues should not be a “stop sign” for water recycling. Instead, the issues need to be addressed as part of planning for water recycling and other new sources of water for our community. As […]