Are Cloth Masks Better Than Nothing? If you’re like most Americans , there’s a good chance you’re going to wear a cloth mask today . Both of us wrote articles as far back as March urging people to wear homemade cloth masks . We’re also the authors of a paper titled “An Evidence Review of Face Masks Against COVID , ” which was just published in peer-reviewed form in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . But it’s past time for better solutions to be available to the public . We first released the paper as a pre-print back in April , and it took nine months to go through peer review . Cloth masks , especially homemade ones , were supposed to be a stopgap measure . They definitely help reduce transmission of the coronavirus from the wearer and likely protect the wearer to some degree as well . But we know that not all masks are equal , and early on in the pandemic , there was a dire shortage of higher-grade masks for medical workers ...

 Some worry the Stimulus Payment money will get reported as income on 2020 tax returns   The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sent out more than 160 million stimulus payments since the CARES Act was signed into law on March 27.                            In the somewhat longer words of the IRS: “No, the payment is not income and taxpayers will not owe tax on it. The payment will not reduce a taxpayer's refund or increase the amount they owe when they file their 2020 or 2021 tax return next year. Read More HERE ...

  What is New in 2021 for Medicare 1. Costs Part A deductible for each hospital stay: $1,484 (vs. $1,408 in 2020). Part B monthly premium: $148.50 (vs. $144.60); Part B annual deductible: $203 (vs. $198). Part D prescription drug plan average monthly premium: $30.50 (vs. $32.74). 2. Expanded telehealth All beneficiaries can get virtual check-ins with doctors and other health care providers. 3. Medicare Advantage expands More Medicare Advantage plans are offering extra services, including meals at home, rides to health appointments, safety improvements to homes and nutrition counseling. 4. Dealing with Coronavirus Medicare will pay for COVID-19 testing, and coronavirus vaccines will be free to beneficiaries. 5. Medicare Compare website The program has created a one-stop online tool to help enrollees compare medical providers, hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities. 6. Fewer Medigap plans In 2021...