Social Security & Medicare
Benefit changes, claiming strategies, eligibility rules, Medicare enrollment, Part D updates, and policy changes affecting retirees.
Latest in Social Security & Medicare
A spouse can claim up to half the higher earner’s Social Security, but filing before full retirement age cuts it for life
A married retiree with little or no earnings record of their own is not shut out of Social Security. The program lets a husband or...
Next year’s Social Security raise is tracking near 3.6%, about $69.75 a month, before September’s inflation reading sets it
The next Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is shaping up near 3.6%, an estimated $69.75 more on the average monthly retirement check — but that figure...
Sentara’s contract fight with Anthem could push about 380,000 Virginians out of network on January 1
A contract dispute between Sentara Health and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has put roughly 380,000 Virginians on notice that their hospitals and doctors could...
Garnishment of Social Security for defaulted student loans is set to restart, taking up to 15% from 452,000 retirees
A collection tool that had been switched off for years is powering back up, and it reaches straight into retirees’ monthly income. The federal government...
UnitedHealth, Aetna and Humana are all cutting Medicare Advantage plans after 2.6 million members were dropped for 2026
The three biggest names in Medicare Advantage are all pulling back at once. UnitedHealth, Aetna and Humana are each shedding plans heading into 2027, a...
Trump is ending a subsidy that held down Medicare drug premiums, and about half of plans could cost more in 2027
The federal government is ending a temporary subsidy that has quietly held down Medicare prescription-drug premiums for two years, and the Centers for Medicare and...
Social Security overpayment clawbacks are back to 50% of a check, yet most who qualify for a hardship waiver never ask
A single line buried in a Social Security overpayment notice now carries far more sting than it did two years ago: the agency’s default response...
Claim Social Security after full retirement age and you can take six months of back pay, but every future check shrinks for good
Social Security offers a tempting shortcut to anyone who files after reaching full retirement age: a single deposit covering up to six months of past...
Humana is dropping Medicare Advantage plans that cover about 600,000 members, and the non-renewal letters go out in September
Humana has confirmed it will stop offering a slate of Medicare Advantage plans that together cover roughly 600,000 members in 2027, and most of those...
Original Medicare pays nothing toward custodial long-term care averaging $9,500 a month
Most people spend their working lives paying into Medicare and assume it will cover the care they need if they can no longer manage on...
Workers under full retirement age can earn up to $24,480 in 2026 before Social Security holds back part of the check
A retiree who claims Social Security early and keeps working can run into a rule that surprises many of them: earn above a set threshold...
Retirees can have tax withheld from Social Security with Form W-4V
Most retirees think of Social Security as money coming in, not money the government can tax, yet for millions of beneficiaries a share of each...
Molina is dropping its standalone Medicare Advantage drug plan for 2027, forcing members to find new coverage during fall enrollment
Molina Healthcare will pull its Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans from the market for the 2027 plan year, retreating to the dual-eligible business that has...
Social Security disability checks convert automatically to retirement checks at full retirement age, with no drop in the amount
People who rely on Social Security disability payments often approach retirement age bracing for a cut, assuming their benefit will shrink the way an early...
Turning 65 and enrolling in Part B opens a one-time six-month window to buy any Medigap policy with no health questions
Turning 65 and signing up for Medicare Part B starts a clock that most new enrollees never hear about until it has run out. For...
Medicare’s QMB program bars doctors from billing enrolled seniors, yet many still get charged
Federal law is unusually blunt about the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program: a provider may not bill an enrollee for Medicare deductibles, coinsurance, or copayments, at...
A widow or widower can claim a survivor benefit as early as 60, though the check is permanently reduced
When a spouse dies, Social Security offers the survivor an early lifeline that many do not realize exists: a benefit built on the deceased partner’s...
Skip Medicare Part D or other creditable drug coverage for 63 days and you can owe a late penalty for life
Skipping Medicare’s drug coverage can feel harmless for a healthy retiree who takes no prescriptions, but the decision carries a penalty that never goes away....
Hospital observation status, not admission, can cost thousands and block Medicare’s nursing-home coverage
A hospital stay can last three nights, involve a bed, medication, and a battery of tests, and still not count as an admission. Under a...
Medicare’s Extra Help erases the Part D deductible and caps brand copays at $12.65
Prescription drugs are among the least predictable costs in retirement, swinging with each new diagnosis and formulary change. A federal subsidy called Extra Help removes...