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 negotiated price for Ozempic drops to $274 a month next year, down from a $959 list price
Medicare beneficiaries who rely on Ozempic for diabetes management will pay sharply less starting January 1, 2027, when a federally negotiated price of $274 per...
Social Security and Medicare both moved their insolvency dates closer this year
The two trust funds that finance monthly checks for tens of millions of retirees and hospital coverage for seniors both lost ground in the latest...
Nearly 3 million Medicare Advantage members were forced to switch plans this year, the highest rate ever recorded
Nearly 3 million Medicare Advantage enrollees had to abandon their health plans this year after insurers exited markets or terminated contracts, setting a record for...
Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium is projected at $209.50 a month, about $80 more a year for most retirees
Most of the roughly 67 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Part B will pay about $80 more per year starting in 2027 if the latest...
Only a handful of states still tax Social Security benefits, and the list keeps shrinking
Retirees collecting Social Security in a shrinking number of states face a decision point as legislatures accelerate the elimination of state-level taxes on those benefits....
A drop in income after retirement can lower the higher Medicare premium you were charged
Retirees who stopped earning a paycheck in 2024 or 2025 may still be paying Medicare premiums based on their peak working-year income, because Social Security...
Full Social Security checks are flowing again to millions of public workers after a 2025 repeal
More than 2.8 million retired public workers are now receiving their full Social Security payments after decades of reductions tied to non-covered government pensions. The...
A 4.7% Social Security raise for 2027 would be the fourth-largest in 36 years
A 4.7% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 2027 would hand beneficiaries the fourth-largest annual raise in 36 years, trailing only the 8.7% increase in 2023,...
The former head of Social Security says raising the payroll cap is the only real fix
Workers earning above $176,100 a year pay no Social Security tax on income beyond that threshold, and a former head of the agency told Congress...
Medicare caps your out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,100 this year, and you can spread that bill across monthly payments
People enrolled in Medicare Part D will pay no more than $2,100 out of pocket for prescription drugs in 2026, up from the $2,000 cap...
Insurers warn Medicare Advantage plans could cut benefits or fold in 2027 after the government raised their pay just 0.9%
Millions of Medicare Advantage enrollees face the prospect of losing supplemental benefits or watching their plans exit certain markets after the Centers for Medicare and...
Next year’s Social Security raise is tracking near 3.8%, about $77 more a month for the average retiree
Roughly 73 million Americans who depend on Social Security checks could see about $77 more per month starting in January 2027 if current inflation trends...
You have 12 months to undo a Social Security claim — repay what you collected and reset for a bigger check later
Retirees who claimed Social Security benefits too early and now regret the decision have a narrow escape hatch: the agency allows a one-time withdrawal of...
Medicare covers a yearly wellness visit and most cancer screenings at $0
Millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare Part B can receive a yearly wellness visit and most cancer screenings without paying a copay or meeting a...
Divorced after a 10-year marriage? You can claim up to half your ex’s Social Security, and it never touches their check
Millions of Americans who ended long marriages walk away unaware that federal law entitles them to collect retirement benefits based on a former spouse’s earnings...
Social Security can now withhold half your monthly check to claw back an overpayment — but a waiver with no deadline can erase it
Millions of Social Security recipients who owe money back to the federal government now face losing half their monthly benefit check to automatic withholding, a...
Medicare Advantage plans must mail you a list of unused benefits between June 30 and July 31 — and most members toss it
More than 30 million Americans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans were set to receive a new piece of mail this summer: a personalized list of...
Claim Social Security at 62 and your check is about 30% smaller for life
Americans born in 1960 or later who start collecting Social Security at 62 lock in a monthly benefit that is 30 percent smaller than what...
Medicare Savings Programs can cover your entire monthly Part B premium if your income qualifies
Millions of Americans on Medicare lose hundreds of dollars each month to Part B premiums even though a federal program exists to eliminate that cost...
The typical retiree’s 2026 raise shrank to about $35 a month — the Medicare premium ate the rest
Most of the 66 million Americans who collect Social Security will see their January 2026 checks grow by about $57 a month, the result of...