Category: Bay Area

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER In a recent ruling that has implications for whistleblowers filing under the False Claims Act, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a lower court decision. The ruling should lead to more whistleblowers filing qui tam lawsuits. In this case, United States ex rel. Hartpence v. Kinetic Concepts, […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Unbeknownst to many, September is Life Insurance Awareness month, as well as National Yoga Month, National Bourbon Heritage Month, National Papaya Month, and National Prostate Health Month. While the last four are all nationally recognized, the first is a marketing event put on by Life Happens, a non-profit […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER The Nursing Home Reform Law prohibits discrimination based on a person’s Medicaid status or eligibility. Medicaid rates, however, are often much lower than those paid by Medicare and private insurance residents, which can lead to residents being treated as second-class citizens in a nursing home. Approximately two-thirds of […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER At first glance, Indexed Universal Life Insurance sounds like a dream come true: guaranteed market returns on your life insurance and a solid floor to prevent you from losing your primary. But there’s a reason some Insurers are pushing Indexed Universal Life policies: they don’t perform the way […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER It’s been a long time since life insurance was a risky business. In the last century and a half, reformers have created a sold, staid industry that is compelled by law to invest the bulk of its customers’ money in low-yield, low-risk bonds that are guaranteed to produce […]

Fidelity Doubles Down on Deferred Annuities ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Fidelity Investments is stepping up their inclusion of deferred annuities as part of retirement planning. Their move follows a record year for deferred income annuities, with sales at nearly $3 billion, up 22% from the previous year. As sales skyrocket, the only […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Medicare and Medicaid programs differ in the way that they pay for nursing home care. It is important for nursing home residents and their loved ones to understand the coverage they have under their particular program. Medicare coverage functions like a health insurance policy, with either the beneficiary […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Though long overdue, the field of Elder Justice just got a new playbook. Prepared from a survey of hundreds of stakeholders, funded by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, and compiled by top experts in the field, the Elder Justice Roadmap lays […]

Why Protecting Whistleblowers Pays Dividends ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER At a time when businesses and governments seem more eager than ever to cover up their wrongdoings, it’s worth asking what benefit there is in strong whistleblower protections. The benefit to the whistleblower is obvious: these protections enable them to act on their […]

ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER Statistics reflect that 1 in every 7 senior citizens will fall victim to elder abuse. Unfortunately, elder abuse attorneys note, that very often it’s a family member or close family friend that is the abuser. In fact many victims of elder abuse refuse to report it because of […]