(MONEY Magazine) – PENALTY POINTS

Bargain-hunting travelers are suddenly being taxed for their efforts. Some hotels and airlines are limiting perks for booking at third-party websites like Expedia and Priceline--and rewarding travelers who reserve directly with better deals and rooms. Starwood and Hilton, for instance, won't let guests redeem points for upgrades or perks during stays booked on such websites. Continental is offering special treatment(like priority boarding and better seats) to full-fare fliers and cutting mileage awards on some discount fares. --F.T.

HOME HEALTH CARE

Medicare's new Home Health Compare site (medicare.gov) lists 7,000 certified home health-care agencies by name and location. And for the first time you can easily access agency ratings, based on 11 quality measures like "improvement in mental health" and "improvement in getting around." Scores are updated quarterly and measured against state and national averages. --F.T.