image description — The flu vaccine has dramatic impacts on public health.

Flu Shot: It's That Time Again

By Dr. Everett Lamm11:45AM / Tuesday, October 01, 2019Print Story | Email Story

With flu season around the corner, your health care providers, employers, pharmacists and others are sounding the annual reminder: "Get your annual flu shot." We encourage this for you — and for the people around you, too. We see evidence every year of the benefits of the flu vaccine, and we also see the risks of skipping it.

The flu vaccine has dramatic impacts on public health. However, since strains of the flu may vary from year to year, the vaccine must be received annually. Although the vaccine doesn't guarantee a flu-free winter and perfect health, medical research has convincingly shown that the flu shot reduces flu severity and reduces sick visits, hospitalizations and intensive care admissions. For infants and the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, the flu shot is essential protection against serious illness.

Although Massachusetts has historically ranked high in its overall immunization rates — 50 percent of all residents received vaccines in 2015-16 flu season — that percentage dropped from 55 percent the year before. The lowest rates of vaccination are in residents 18-49 — 40 percent for the 2015-16 season, but vaccine rates for all age groups (except young children) dropped slightly as well.

Some people have medical reasons for being unable to have the shot, but others go without by choice. Why? They may feel confident in their own good health and their body's ability to ward off illness. They may be skeptical about vaccines in general. However, skipping the flu vaccine means taking an unnecessary risk – for yourself and others whom you care for or work with, or who may be more vulnerable than you to illness.

Here's what we know about the flu vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

* During flu seasons when the vaccine is well-matched with flu strains that are circulating, the vaccine is shown to reduce the need for flu-related medical visits by 30 to 60 percent.

* During the 2016-17 flu season, the vaccine prevented an estimated 5.3 million flu illnesses, 2.6 million medical visits for the flu and 85,000 flu-related hospitalizations.

* The vaccine reduces the severity of flu symptoms for those who may get sick, and reduces hospital-based Intensive Care Unit admissions related to the flu.

* The flu vaccine is a preventive measure for people with other chronic illnesses, such as cardiac, diabetes and lung diseases.

* Children and pregnant women are especially susceptible to complications from the flu. The vaccine has repeatedly reduced the risk of flu-related deaths among children by 50 percent.

In addition, if you are exposed to someone else who has the flu virus, you may not get sick, but you can pass on the virus to others. Do you have a young child? Do you care for an elderly relative or a chronically sick friend? Are you a teacher or a health care provider?

It is true that flu vaccines are not foolproof. Flu strains may differ from year to year and efforts to keep up with its changing characteristics are not 100 percent effective.

Some myths and misinformation are "out there" — even one claiming that the flu shot causes the flu. This is unequivocally false. In fact, flu vaccines are "inactivated," which means they contain no actual influenza (flu) virus at all. If someone falls ill after getting a flu shot, there are several explanations:

* The flu shot takes about two weeks to take full protective effect. A person can get the flu during this period.

* If someone was exposed to the flu just prior to getting the flu shot, he or she might coincidentally get sick around the time of a vaccine.

* Just because someone gets sick, does not mean that influenza ("the flu") is the culprit. There are many other non-flu illnesses that can be contracted. This is the time of year for increased respiratory illnesses and pneumonia.

* There are some outlying strains of the flu not covered by the typical flu shot. Unfortunately it is possible to contract one of these non-vaccine containing flu strains.

To protect your health and those around you – loved ones, friends, co-workers – please take the preventive step of getting your flu shot this season. You could save a life by doing so – and reduce your own risk of contracting the miserable and dangerous flu virus.

Dr. Everett Lamm is the chief medical officer of Community Health Programs.

Tags: CHP, flu,

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The Retired Investor: Saver’s Match Offers Some Workers up to Half Their IRA Contribution

By Bill SchmickiBerkshires Columnist
03:00PM / Thursday, August 27, 2026

The Trump administration’s ongoing effort to help low- and moderate-income taxpayers save towards retirement took another step forward last week. The new program will impact millions of Americans who have struggled to save in an economy where they can barely make ends meet.

In a follow-up to my mid-May column on President Trump’s efforts to provide new retirement savings vehicles to low-income Americans, a new modification to his existing program was announced last week.

As I wrote previously, "Many workers say they cannot save for retirement, especially as inflation reduces their paychecks. Others find the application process too complicated or paperwork heavy. Some do not bother because they already have employer retirement plans. For many, retirement seems unreachable due to their background and income."

The Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury plan to propose a new federal program that will provide up to 50% of the first $2,000 in retirement savings contributions for eligible taxpayers. The amount caps at $1,000 annually and will be paid to individuals based on income beginning in 2028.

This new Saver’s Match would replace the existing Saver’s Credit program, which will still be in place beginning next year. The match would apply to four types of retirement vehicles. Elective deferrals, like those made to a section 401(k) plan. Contributions to traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. Those made to a section 501(c)plan and certain voluntary, after-tax employee contributions of a qualified retirement plan.

To qualify, an individual must be 18 years old during the taxable year with a modified adjusted gross income of less than $35,500 per year. A similar limit applies to married couples who file separately. For couples who file jointly, the threshold is $71,000, and for head of household, the maximum limit is $53,250.

You do not qualify if you enrolled as a full-time student at a school or took a full-time, on-farm training course given by a school or government agency. How much of the match you receive depends on your adjusted gross income.

This effort is aimed at the roughly 41 million American workers aged 18-65 who lack access to employer-provided retirement plans, according to the TrumpIRA.gov website. That’s a lower number than the 56 million the Pew Charitable Trust came up with in a recent research paper. The government site claims that "A 25-year-old worker who saves $165 per month and qualifies for a $1,000 annual Saver’s Match could retire with roughly $465,000 at age 65."

The math assumes a 6% annual return, and almost $155,000 of that total would come directly from the government’s contributions. For taxable years after 2027, income thresholds will be adjusted for inflation. Applicants can apply for the Saver’s Match through a separate government form (Form 8880-A).

This differs from the existing Saver’s Credit program because the government amount is paid directly into a person’s retirement account. In contrast, the existing credit program offers a tax credit as an incentive. The credit is nonrefundable, meaning it can reduce your federal tax liability to zero but cannot generate a refund by itself.

In my last article, I predicted that Trump would up the income level for those qualifying for the match to $35,500. That is exactly what the proposed regulations now do. Now it is up to Congress to pass the legislation.

Bill Schmick is the founding partner of Onota Partners, Inc., in the Berkshires. His forecasts and opinions are purely his own and do not necessarily represent the views of Onota Partners Inc. (OPI). None of his commentary is or should be considered investment advice. Direct your inquiries to Bill at 1-413-347-2401 or email him at bill@schmicksretiredinvestor.com.

Anyone seeking individualized investment advice should contact a qualified investment adviser. None of the information presented in this article is intended to be and should not be construed as an endorsement of OPI, Inc. or a solicitation to become a client of OPI. The reader should not assume that any strategies or specific investments discussed are employed, bought, sold, or held by OPI. Investments in securities are not insured, protected, or guaranteed and may result in loss of income and/or principal. This communication may include opinions and forward-looking statements, and we can give no assurance that such beliefs and expectations will prove to be correct. Investments in securities are not insured, protected, or guaranteed and may result in loss of income and/or principal. This communication may include opinions and forward-looking statements, and we can give no assurance that such beliefs and expectations will prove to be correct.

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