Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Overtime pay up to $12,500 is deductible this year, and it lands in box 12 of your W-2 under code TT
Box 12 of the Form W-2 carries a code this year that was not on the wage statement workers opened last January. Employers must now enter qualified overtime compensation there under the two-letter code TT, and that single entry is what makes the new overtime deduction usable at all. The Internal Revenue Service set out…
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Valley Health goes out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage on October 1, two weeks before Medicare’s enrollment window opens
Three dates now sit within a six-week span for older adults in Virginia and West Virginia who get their care at Valley Health and carry a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage card. The contract between the health system and the insurer terminates on September 30, 2026. Valley Health’s hospitals, facilities and physicians become out of network for…
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A package you never ordered may mean your name is being used
An FTC alert explains brushing scams: an unordered package validates a delivery so a seller can post fake reviews, and a QR code inside may lead to a phishing site.
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Federal regulators say a Connecticut dealership charged customers to certify cars it had already advertised as certified, and it agreed to pay $4 million
The FTC and Connecticut secured a $4 million stipulated order over allegations a dealership charged buyers to certify cars advertised as certified pre-owned.
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Drones 25 kilograms or under face a 25 percent tariff September 3
A Section 232 proclamation sets a 25 percent duty on imported drones weighing 25 kilograms or less starting September 3, and 100 percent on heavier aircraft and components.
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Electricity is up 4.2 percent and utility gas 4.3 percent over the year, while rent rose 2.9 percent and groceries 2.7 percent
In the July CPI, electricity rose 4.2 percent and utility gas 4.3 percent over 12 months, above the 3.4 percent headline, while rent rose 2.9 percent and food at home 2.7 percent.
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Nearly a quarter of hospital finance leaders say they have already dropped or narrowed a Medicare Advantage contract
A Black Book Research flash poll of 112 hospital finance leaders found 23.1 percent of Medicare Advantage-exposed organizations have already cut a contract. It is not a probability sample.
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Brown University Health patients have until August 31 to use a special Medicare window after their doctors left UnitedHealthcare’s network
A CMS-approved special enrollment period for Brown University Health patients on UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage closes August 31, 2026, and it reaches a narrow group.
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Income above $109,000 pushes the Medicare Part B premium as high as $689.90 a month, and it is based on your 2024 tax return
The 2026 Part B premium is $202.90, but income above $109,000 adds a surcharge on a six-step ladder topping out at $689.90 a month, scored on a 2024 tax return.
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Medicare’s late drug plan penalty is 1 percent of $38.99 per month, forever
The Part D late enrollment penalty adds 1 percent of the $38.99 national base premium for every full uncovered month, and Medicare adds the result to the premium permanently.
