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 now lets you spread prescription costs into capped monthly payments instead of one big bill at the pharmacy
Medicare beneficiaries who once faced steep pharmacy bills for costly prescriptions can now elect to spread those charges into smaller, capped monthly payments billed directly...
If you regret claiming Social Security early, you can withdraw the application within 12 months and reset it once
Retirees who claimed Social Security at 62 and now wish they had waited face a narrow but real escape hatch. The Social Security Administration permits...
After age 65 you can pull money from a health savings account for anything, paying only income tax like a traditional IRA
Americans holding health savings accounts who reach age 65 gain a quiet but significant advantage: they can withdraw money for any purpose and owe only...
Fairview is dropping UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage, warning 35,000 Minnesota patients
Fairview Health Services is ending its contract with UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage plans, a decision that puts roughly 35,000 Minnesota patients on notice to find new...
Social Security can now wipe out an overpayment of $2,000 or less with a single phone call if the mistake wasn’t your fault
People collecting Social Security or Supplemental Security Income who receive an overpayment notice of $2,000 or less can now request that the debt be wiped...
A historic 2027 Social Security raise is on track — but a bigger check can push more retirees into taxes and higher Medicare premiums
Tens of millions of Social Security recipients could see their monthly checks rise by a historically large amount in January 2027, but the same increase...
If your income dropped after you retired, you can appeal the Medicare surcharge on higher earners and get it lowered
Retirees who saw their income fall sharply after leaving the workforce can ask the Social Security Administration to reduce or eliminate the Medicare surcharge they...
For six months after you turn 65 and enroll in Part B, insurers must sell you any Medigap plan regardless of health
Americans turning 65 and signing up for Medicare Part B get exactly one chance to buy supplemental insurance on their own terms. Federal law gives...
Medicare now caps what you pay out of pocket for prescriptions at $2,100 a year, the first ceiling Part D has ever had
Seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare Part D now face a hard dollar limit on what they spend each year for prescription drugs, set...
CVS denied 80% of Medicare Advantage long-term-care requests, a federal watchdog found
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans run by CVS Health and the two other largest insurers faced denial rates for long-term hospital and rehabilitation care...
Medicare Advantage plans must now honor a hospital’s approval through discharge, with no mid-stay denials
Millions of Medicare Advantage enrollees who end up in hospitals no longer face the risk of having their approved stays pulled out from under them....
$184,500 is where Social Security’s payroll tax stops in 2026; income above it goes untaxed
Every worker earning above $184,500 in 2026 will stop paying Social Security tax on each additional dollar, while everyone below that line pays the 6.2...
Sign up late for Medicare drug coverage and a penalty rides on your premium forever
Medicare beneficiaries who let their Part D drug coverage lapse for 63 days or more face a permanent surcharge added to every monthly premium payment,...
Original Medicare leaves you paying 20% of most doctor bills, with no yearly cap
Millions of Americans on Original Medicare face a cost-sharing structure that charges them 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most doctor visits and outpatient services,...
10% is added to your Medicare Part B premium for every year you enroll late
Every year that a person delays signing up for Medicare Part B past their initial eligibility window adds a permanent 10% surcharge to their monthly...
Senate Democrats are pushing a $200-a-month emergency boost to Social Security and SSI checks
Senators Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, and Ron Wyden have introduced legislation that would send an extra $200 per month for six months to people who...
The income limits that make Social Security taxable haven’t changed since 1984, pulling in more retirees each year
A growing number of retirees owe federal income tax on their Social Security checks each year, not because Congress raised rates but because the income...
Who pays Medicare’s steepest 2027 surcharge, nearly $13,700 a year? Couples earning over $420,000
Married couples on Medicare whose combined modified adjusted gross income tops $420,000 face the program’s steepest income-related surcharge for 2027, a combined annual hit approaching...
$1,676 is the Medicare Part A hospital deductible, and it resets with each benefit period
Medicare beneficiaries who need more than one hospital stay in a year can face the same $1,676 deductible each time, a cost structure that catches...
Keep working past 62 and Social Security can recalculate your benefit higher each year
Millions of Americans who start collecting Social Security at 62 while still earning a paycheck may not realize the agency can automatically raise their monthly...