How CAF turns firsthand questions into source-backed reporting.
How founder observations are preserved, tested against authoritative evidence, edited for readers, connected to practical tools, and updated when the underlying rules change.
Start with primary sources
Government agencies, official program pages, IRS guidance, CMS, Medicare.gov, Medicaid.gov, HealthCare.gov, BLS, and plan documents get priority when a rule or definition depends on official language.
Translate, do not exaggerate
Articles are written to simplify terms and decisions without pretending every reader has the same employer, plan, state, income, health situation, or family needs.
Update when rules change
Healthcare finance changes with tax years, plan years, policy updates, and employer benefit design. Pages should be corrected or updated when material information changes.
Keep advice boundaries clear
The site provides education and decision frameworks. It does not provide individualized medical, financial, tax, legal, billing, insurance, or employment advice.
The preferred article format
CAF often begins with a question or contradiction Andrew encountered through nursing and care-transition work. The original thesis, analogy, or unusual observation is preserved when it helps; factual claims are then separated from interpretation and checked against current primary or authoritative sources.
Major explainers answer the reader near the beginning, show how the issue looks from several seats in the system, add evidence and limitations, and end with practical questions or a relevant CAF utility. Other pages use a shorter guide format when that better matches the decision. Length follows usefulness, not a word-count target.
The founder's rough writing remains source material rather than published evidence. CAF does not silently copy unresolved claims into an article, invent firsthand experience, or automatically publish every manuscript addition.
Calculator limits
Calculators are simplified educational estimates. They do not know the reader's full plan document, employer rules, tax return, claim history, state rules, exact benefit design, or household details.
Use calculator results to understand tradeoffs and ask better questions. Verify final decisions with official documents, benefits departments, insurers, billing offices, and qualified professionals where appropriate.
Core source set
Common sources used across the site. Individual articles may include more specific references.
- Medicare.gov· Official Medicare program information
Federal site for benefits, enrollment, and coverage rules.
- Medicaid.gov· Federal Medicaid program overview
Eligibility frameworks and state-by-state program details.
- CMS· Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Regulator that publishes the underlying coverage and payment rules.
- Federal Student Aid· Federal student-aid dashboard
Official federal loan records used to separate federal debt before a private refinance comparison.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau· Should I consolidate or refinance my student loans?
Primary consumer-protection guidance on federal/private boundaries, rate type, term extension, total cost, and lender-term verification.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau· Private student-loan repayment
Primary consumer guidance on private-loan repayment and lender-specific relief terms.
- CDC· Understanding Your Risk for Healthcare-Associated VTE
Federal patient education on hospitalization, blood-clot risk, and prevention measures.
- MedlinePlus· Heparin Injection
National Library of Medicine patient information on heparin uses, precautions, and urgent concerns.
- MedlinePlus· Enoxaparin Injection
National Library of Medicine patient information on enoxaparin uses, precautions, and administration.
- MedlinePlus· Apixaban
National Library of Medicine patient information on apixaban uses, warnings, and precautions.
- MedlinePlus· Rivaroxaban
National Library of Medicine patient information on rivaroxaban uses, warnings, and precautions.
- MedlinePlus· Aspirin
National Library of Medicine patient information on aspirin uses, blood-clot effects, and precautions.
- The Joint Commission· Maintaining and Communicating Patient Medication Information
Current hospital-safety guidance on comparing home medication information with new orders and resolving discrepancies.
- KFF· Health policy research and explainers
Independent analysis on insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.
- Medicare.gov· Medicare costs
Official Medicare premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and cost-sharing amounts.
- Medicare.gov· Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage
Official comparison of provider access, referrals, drug coverage, and plan rules.
- Medicare.gov· Skilled nursing facility care
Official Medicare coverage guidance for post-hospital skilled nursing facility care.
- Medicare.gov· Home health services
Official Medicare coverage guidance for skilled home health services.
- Medicare.gov· Durable medical equipment coverage
Official Medicare coverage guidance for equipment used at home.
- Medicare.gov· Parts of Medicare
Official overview of Part A, Part B, Medicare Advantage, and Part D.
- Medicare.gov· Medigap basics
Official explanation of how Medicare Supplement insurance works with Original Medicare.
- Medicare.gov· How Medigap works
Official explanation of how Medigap helps with Original Medicare cost-sharing.
- Medicare.gov· Compare Medigap plan benefits
Official Medigap benefit comparison, including skilled nursing facility coinsurance coverage by plan type.
- Medicare.gov· Long-term care coverage
Official coverage guidance for long-term and custodial care.
- Medicaid.gov· Medicaid eligibility
Federal eligibility framework; each state administers its own program within federal rules.
- Medicaid.gov· Long-term services and supports
Federal overview of Medicaid long-term services and supports, with state-administered coverage.
- CMS· Medicare-Medicaid coordination
CMS resources for coordinating benefits for people enrolled in both programs.
- KFF· A Snapshot of Sources of Coverage Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Independent context on Medicare Advantage, Traditional Medicare, supplemental coverage, and dual eligibility.
- KFF· Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends
Independent current context on Medicare Advantage enrollment and plan trends.
- KFF· Medicaid 101
Independent overview of Medicaid structure, financing, eligibility, and benefits.
- Reuters· US agency announces interim guidance on Medicaid work requirements
Current reporting on CMS interim guidance for the January 1, 2027 Medicaid work-rule rollout.
- Kiplinger· Four Proposed Changes to Medicare in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — and What Ended Up in the Signed Bill
Summary separating limited direct Medicare changes from broader Medicaid provisions in the signed law.
- Investopedia· What Medicaid Recipients Should Know About The One Big Beautiful Bill
Consumer-oriented summary of Medicaid verification, cost-sharing, retroactive coverage, and long-term care concerns.
- HealthCare.gov· Premium
Official Marketplace definition for monthly insurance premiums.
- HealthCare.gov· Deductible
Official Marketplace definition for deductibles.
- HealthCare.gov· Copayment
Official Marketplace definition for fixed copayments.
- HealthCare.gov· Coinsurance
Official Marketplace definition for percentage cost-sharing.
- HealthCare.gov· Out-of-pocket maximum/limit
Official Marketplace definition for annual covered in-network cost limits.
- HealthCare.gov· Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
Official Marketplace definition for HMO plan structure.
- HealthCare.gov· Dental coverage in the Marketplace
Official Marketplace overview of dental coverage options and how dental benefits may be offered.
- IRS· Retirement plan and tax guidance
Official contribution limits and tax treatment for 403(b), HSA, FSA.
- U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA· Plan Information
Official explanation of Summary Plan Descriptions, Summary of Material Modifications, and Summary of Benefits and Coverage documents.
- U.S. Department of Labor, EBSA· Workers and Families
Official resources for comparing job-based health and retirement benefits during major life and employment events.
- HealthCare.gov· Summary of Benefits and Coverage
Official explanation of the standardized SBC and how it supports apples-to-apples health-plan comparisons.
- IRS· Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans
Official federal guidance for HSAs, health FSAs, HRAs, and related eligibility and tax rules.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics· Healthcare occupational wage data
Published wage data for healthcare occupations.
- Federal Reserve· Household economic data
Household financial well-being and savings benchmarks.
- Investor.gov· Compound Interest Calculator
Investor education resource for understanding how recurring contributions and time can compound.
- Investor.gov· Asset Allocation
Investor education resource for diversification and investment mix concepts.
- Investor.gov· Mutual Funds and ETFs
Investor education resource for fund structure, diversification, fees, and investment product basics.
- SEC Investor.gov· Target Date Retirement Funds
Investor education resource explaining target-date funds and how their asset mix changes over time.
- S&P Dow Jones Indices· S&P U.S. Indices Methodology
Primary methodology document for S&P U.S. indices, including S&P 500 construction and governance.
- Healthcare.gov· Marketplace insurance basics
Definitions for premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance.