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Social Security, Medicare & Government Pensions: Get the Most Out of Your Retirement & Medical Benefits ReviewIn my line of work, I deal with Social Security, SSI and Medicare rules and regulations every day, so I could be considered a bit of an authority on the subjects. I've always been skeptical of publications that want to "sell" you information that you could otherwise get for free, and this is no exception - nearly all the information on government benefits contained in this book can be obtained free of charge from the source. That said, this is a well-organized and clearly-written book. It will probably appeal to those who would like most or all the information they need in one handy resource, or those who - rightly or otherwise - would rather trust a third party for information that the agencies who administer them. One thing to keep in mind, though - the author of this book is NOT the final authority on the subject. Nevertheless, he does a good job presenting the basic requirements and peculiarities of Social Security, Medicare and government pensions in a clear, "For-Dummies"-style manner. (It should come as no surprise that nearly half the book is devoted to the complexities of the Medicare and Medicaid programs.)
The book gets kudos for its introductory commentary on "saving Social Security" - it criticizes the recommendation made during the Bush administration to "privatize" the system by investing SSA trust funds in the stock market (an idea that all but died with the current recession); and it suggests removing the cap on maximum social security tax (which would not impact lower- and middle-income workers), thus keeping the system solvent for another 75 years. It also offers good explanations on such topics as the so-called "notch babies" (the controversial changes that affected workers born between 1917 and 1921), and figuring out "break even points" when deciding at what point it is most advantageous to collect benefits. The author, who is an attorney, also deserves credit for an objective section on appeals and legal representation - he does not give the reader the impression that an attorney is essential at every step in the claims or appeals process, contrary to what many "social security attorneys" lead the public to believe.
The book isn't without flaws, however. First, it needs to cut or minimize a lot of the discussion of rules that are all but obsolete now, such as rules regarding earnings before 1951 - hardly anyone filing for benefits these days has worked that long ago. There are occasional factual and numerical errors, some of which may have slipped by the updated editing of the book. (For instance, it says that surviving spouses can get full benefits unreduced for age at age 65; the qualifying age is now 66. Also, the book says the SSI limit for countable resources is $5000, when in fact it is $2000 for individuals or $3000 for couples.) Overall, this is a handy reference and general guide to entitlement programs, but it's certainly not the "be-all and end-all". One should always check with the administrating agency (SSA, Medicare, OPM) for the final word on the rules governing entitlement to benefits.
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