Social Security & Medicare
Benefit changes, claiming strategies, eligibility rules, Medicare enrollment, Part D updates, and policy changes affecting retirees.
Latest in Social Security & Medicare
Millions of retired teachers, firefighters and police officers still haven’t gotten their full Social Security back pay, and senators are pressing the agency to fix it
Retired public-sector workers across the country, including teachers, firefighters and police officers, are caught between a law that promised them higher Social Security checks and...
Medicare’s trustees peg the 2027 Part B premium at $209.50, but forecasters warn it could top $216 and eat into next year’s Social Security raise
Millions of retirees counting on a bigger Social Security check next year face a quieter threat from the other side of the ledger. The Boards...
Over-the-counter hearing aids now run $200 to $600 a pair versus $4,000 to $6,000 for prescription ones, and Original Medicare covers neither
Millions of older Americans with mild-to-moderate hearing loss now face a stark choice between over-the-counter hearing aids priced at $200 to $600 a pair and...
Social Security disability pays nothing for the first five months after you qualify
Workers who qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance face a mandatory five-month blackout before they receive a single dollar, a gap that strips income from...
Medicare covers blood-sugar screening and a diabetes-prevention program at no cost
Medicare beneficiaries with prediabetes can get blood-sugar screening tests and enroll in a year-long lifestyle-change program without paying a dime out of pocket. The Department...
Nearly 3 million Medicare Advantage members, about one in ten, were forced to switch plans this year as insurers pulled out of their counties
As many as 2.9 million people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have been forced to find new coverage for 2026 after their insurers stopped offering...
Enroll in Medicare and you must stop putting money in a health savings account, or the IRS adds a tax penalty on what you contribute
Americans who continue depositing money into a health savings account after enrolling in Medicare face a 6% excise tax on every dollar contributed while ineligible,...
A one-time income spike from a Roth conversion or a home sale can raise your Medicare premium two years later through the IRMAA surcharge
Retirees who converted a traditional IRA to a Roth account or sold a home at a large gain in 2024 are now facing higher Medicare...
Medicare covers a free Welcome to Medicare checkup in your first 12 months
Every person who enrolls in Medicare Part B gets exactly one chance to receive a free preventive checkup, and the window to claim it closes...
Many Medicare Advantage plans load a quarterly card for groceries and drugstore items, and unused dollars often vanish at year’s end
Medicare Advantage enrollees who receive quarterly debit cards for groceries and drugstore purchases face a quiet deadline: unspent dollars on those cards typically expire at...
Some states let you switch Medigap plans each year around your birthday
Medicare beneficiaries in a handful of states can shop for a new Medigap policy every year around their birthday without answering a single health question....
Most disability recipients wait two years before Medicare coverage even begins
Americans approved for Social Security Disability Insurance face a gap of at least 24 months before Medicare coverage kicks in, a period that can stretch...
Born before January 2, 1954? You can claim just a spousal Social Security check and let your own grow 8% a year until 70
Americans born before January 2, 1954, still hold a Social Security option that Congress eliminated for everyone younger. At full retirement age, they can file...
Paying cash with a discount card can beat your Medicare drug copay, but that purchase won’t count toward your $2,000 out-of-pocket cap
Medicare beneficiaries who use discount cards like TrumpRx to buy prescription drugs at a lower price than their plan copay face a hidden cost: those...
A worker’s minor child can receive a 75% Social Security survivor check
When a working parent dies, each eligible minor child can collect a Social Security survivor benefit equal to 75 percent of the deceased worker’s Primary...
A doctor who won’t take Medicare’s rate can legally bill you 15% more
Medicare beneficiaries who see a doctor outside the program’s standard payment agreement can be billed up to 15 percent more than the approved rate for...
Social Security money withheld for working before full retirement age isn’t lost — your check is recalculated upward once you reach it
Workers who collect Social Security before full retirement age and keep earning above the annual limit often watch their monthly checks shrink, dollar by dollar....
Seniors on Medicare and Medicaid can join a Dual Special Needs Plan for free
Millions of Americans who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid can enroll in a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, known as a D-SNP, with zero...
Social Security now requires a second security step to log in online, and users who don’t set it up can be locked out of the account that guards their benefits
The Social Security Administration cut off its own username-and-password login system, and anyone who has not set up a second verification step through a third-party...
Medicare covers a screening colonoscopy free, but removing a polyp can trigger a bill
Medicare beneficiaries who schedule a screening colonoscopy expect to pay nothing out of pocket. That expectation is correct, but only up to a point. When...