Social Security & Medicare
Benefit changes, claiming strategies, eligibility rules, Medicare enrollment, Part D updates, and policy changes affecting retirees.
Latest in Social Security & Medicare
Social Security’s 2027 raise gets locked in this October from summer inflation figures
Tens of millions of Social Security beneficiaries will see their January 2027 payment amounts determined by just three months of consumer price data collected this...
A high-deductible Medigap Plan G lowers premiums for healthy retirees who rarely need care
Retirees on Original Medicare who stay relatively healthy and rarely visit a doctor face a straightforward trade-off when shopping for supplemental coverage: pay higher monthly...
Medicare’s 2027 drug deal cuts prices on 15 top medicines by 38% to 85%, from Ozempic to cancer pills
Millions of Medicare Part D enrollees who depend on treatments for cancer, diabetes, and asthma will pay sharply less starting January 1, 2027, after the...
You can claim Social Security up to four months before you want it
Workers approaching retirement age can file their Social Security applications well before they want monthly checks to arrive, but the window is fixed at exactly...
Retirees can deduct medical costs above 7.5% of income, including Medicare premiums and long-term care
Retirees facing rising Medicare costs in 2026 have a tax tool that grows more valuable as premiums climb: the federal itemized deduction for unreimbursed medical...
A retiree with a child under 18 at home can collect up to 50% more each month in Social Security for that child
Older Americans raising school-age children can unlock a separate monthly Social Security payment on top of their own retirement check, set by federal law at...
Eight states still tax Social Security benefits in 2026, though most retirees owe nothing
Retirees in eight states will see Social Security benefits formally included in their state income tax calculations for the 2026 filing season, but layered credits,...
Medicare Advantage plans are set to trim dental, vision and gym perks in 2027 after insurers called their raise too thin
Millions of Medicare Advantage enrollees who rely on dental coverage, vision exams, or gym memberships through their plans face the prospect of losing or seeing...
Who collects Social Security’s $5,181 maximum benefit? Workers who earned the taxable max for 35 years and waited until 70
Workers who earned at or above Social Security’s taxable maximum for at least 35 years and delayed their claim until age 70 are the only...
Turning 65 opens a seven-month Medicare sign-up window you shouldn’t miss
Every year, millions of Americans cross the age-65 threshold and face a federal enrollment deadline that carries permanent financial consequences. The Initial Enrollment Period for...
Social Security now automatically checks every SSI applicant’s bank accounts before approving benefits
Every person who applies for Supplemental Security Income now faces an automated bank account check before the Social Security Administration approves a single dollar in...
Who can get their entire $202.90 Medicare Part B premium paid? Limited-income seniors who join a Medicare Savings Program
Limited-income Medicare beneficiaries facing a $202.90 monthly Part B premium in 2026 have a direct path to getting that entire cost covered by their state:...
Going without Medicare drug coverage adds a permanent penalty of about 1% a month once you finally sign up
Medicare beneficiaries who skip Part D prescription drug coverage and later decide they need it face a permanent surcharge that grows with every uncovered month....
Regret your Medicare Advantage plan? Each year from January 1 to March 31 you can switch back to Original Medicare
Medicare beneficiaries who feel trapped in a Medicare Advantage plan they regret choosing have a federally guaranteed exit window open right now. From January 1...
Skip Medicare Part B when first eligible and the premium can cost 10% more for every year you delayed, for life
Americans who turn 65 and skip Medicare Part B enrollment face a financial penalty that never expires. Federal law adds 10 percent to the monthly...
Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium could climb past $215 a month, quietly shrinking next year’s Social Security raise
Retirees counting on next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to stretch their budgets face a familiar problem: a rising Medicare Part B premium that gets...
Hit with a high-income Medicare surcharge after retiring? Form SSA-44 lets you appeal it after a life-changing event
Retirees who stopped working in 2024 or 2025 and then received a Medicare premium surcharge based on a higher-earning year can challenge that charge by...
Widowed spouses can take a survivor benefit now and switch to their own larger check later, or the reverse
Surviving spouses face a financial fork in the road that most retirees never encounter: the ability to collect one Social Security benefit now and switch...
Claimed Social Security too early? You can cancel within 12 months, repay what you received, and file again later
Americans who locked in a reduced Social Security check by filing before full retirement age have a narrow escape hatch: they can withdraw the application...
A single senior’s income must stay under $2,982 a month for nursing-home Medicaid
A single senior who earns even a dollar above $2,982 per month can be locked out of Medicaid coverage for nursing-home care, a threshold that...