Social Security & Medicare
Benefit changes, claiming strategies, eligibility rules, Medicare enrollment, Part D updates, and policy changes affecting retirees.
Latest in Social Security & Medicare
Medicare’s old Part D donut hole is gone, so drug costs no longer spike partway through the year
Millions of Medicare Part D enrollees who once watched their prescription costs jump sharply partway through each year no longer face that mid-year spending cliff....
Working one more year can replace a zero in Social Security’s 35-year formula and raise your check
Workers who spent years out of the labor force or in low-paying jobs stand to gain the most from a single extra year on the...
Miss the eight-month window to take Medicare after job coverage ends and you pay a lifetime premium penalty
Workers leaving employer health plans face a tight eight-month deadline to enroll in Medicare Part B or risk paying higher premiums for life. Federal rules...
Claim Social Security after full retirement age and you can request up to six months of benefits as a lump sum
Workers who delay claiming Social Security past full retirement age can ask the agency to pay them up to six months of back benefits in...
Medicare’s QMB program bars doctors from billing enrolled seniors, yet many are charged anyway
Millions of the lowest-income Medicare recipients are shielded by federal law from paying deductibles, coinsurance, and copays, yet doctors and hospitals keep sending them bills....
Insulins like Lantus and NovoLog join Ozempic on Medicare’s 2027 lower-price list
Medicare beneficiaries who depend on insulin or the blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic are set to pay less starting in 2027, after the Centers for Medicare...
Scammers can reroute your Social Security deposit online, and locking your account stops them in about two minutes
Someone who steals enough personal data to log into a my Social Security account can change the bank routing number on file and divert an...
Original Medicare now requires prior approval for some procedures in a handful of states
Medicare beneficiaries in six states now face a new requirement before receiving certain medical services: getting approval from the federal government first. The Centers for...
Medicare’s negotiated 2027 price cuts Ozempic to $274 a month, a 71% drop for the seniors who use it
Medicare Part D enrollees who rely on Ozempic to manage type 2 diabetes will pay $274 for a 30-day supply starting January 1, 2027, a...
Social Security disability checks convert automatically to retirement checks at full retirement age, with no drop in the amount
Americans collecting Social Security disability payments face a common fear: that reaching full retirement age will trigger paperwork, delays, or a smaller check. Federal regulations...
Senate Democrats reintroduced a plan to add $200 a month to Social Security and SSI checks, but Congress still must act
Tens of millions of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income recipients could see an extra $200 added to their monthly checks under a bill Senate...
A Senate proposal from Rick Scott would make it easier for older Americans to keep working without a Social Security penalty
Older Americans who collect Social Security while still earning a paycheck face a withholding rule that can cut into their monthly benefits. Sen. Rick Scott,...
Every state offers free one-on-one Medicare counseling through the SHIP program
Medicare beneficiaries across the United States have access to a free, one-on-one counseling service that can help them sort through coverage decisions, billing disputes, and...
Some Medicare Advantage plans refund part of your Part B premium through a giveback benefit
Certain Medicare Advantage plans are putting money back into enrollees’ pockets by covering part of the monthly Part B premium, a feature formally known as...
Errors in your Social Security earnings record can shrink your check, and you can fix them free online
A single missing year of wages on a Social Security earnings record can quietly reduce a worker’s monthly retirement or disability check for life. The...
Medicare Advantage insurers won a $13 billion raise for 2027, even as some plans trim extra benefits
The roughly 33 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans just learned their insurers will collect a 2.48 percent average payment increase for 2027, translating...
A proposed Medicare rule would cut what seniors pay out of pocket for X-rays, CT and MRI scans starting in 2027
Millions of Medicare beneficiaries who get X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs at hospital-owned outpatient facilities could see their out-of-pocket costs drop starting January 1, 2027....
Social Security began clawing back overpayments from 2015 to 2022 this month, and a hardship waiver can stop it from taking half your check
Hundreds of thousands of Social Security beneficiaries are now losing half their monthly checks after the agency began enforcing a sharply higher default withholding rate...
Original Medicare rarely covers care when you travel outside the United States
Americans on Original Medicare who need medical care while traveling abroad will almost certainly pay the full bill themselves. Federal regulations bar Medicare from covering...
Still working at 65 with job-based coverage? You can delay Medicare without the late penalty
Americans who stay on the job past 65 and keep their employer health plan face a decision that can permanently raise their Medicare costs or...