Social Security & Medicare
Benefit changes, claiming strategies, eligibility rules, Medicare enrollment, Part D updates, and policy changes affecting retirees.
Latest in Social Security & Medicare
$25,000 in combined income for singles, $32,000 for couples, is when Social Security benefits start getting federally taxed, limits frozen since 1984
Retirees collecting Social Security in 2024 can owe federal income tax on their benefits once their combined income hits $25,000 for single filers or $32,000...
Medicare Advantage members get a January-to-March window to change or drop their plan
Medicare Advantage enrollees across the country entered a three-month decision window on January 1 that lets them switch plans or leave Medicare Advantage entirely and...
A lower-earning spouse can claim up to half of the higher earner’s Social Security
Millions of married couples approaching retirement face a decision that can shift their combined Social Security income by tens of thousands of dollars over a...
Johns Hopkins Medicine is now out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage patients after the two ended their contract
Patients in Maryland enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans lost in-network access to every Johns Hopkins Medicine provider and facility starting in August 2025. The...
10% is added to your Medicare Part B premium for every year you delayed signing up, for life
Anyone turning 65 who skips Medicare Part B enrollment faces a permanent financial penalty: a 10 percent surcharge on the monthly premium for every full...
$2,000 is the most an SSI recipient can keep in savings, frozen since 1989
Millions of Americans who receive Supplemental Security Income face a savings ceiling that has not changed in more than 36 years. The individual resource limit...
Going without Medicare drug coverage adds a permanent penalty of about 1% for each month you skip it
Medicare beneficiaries who skip Part D prescription drug coverage for 63 days or more after their initial enrollment window closes face a permanent surcharge of...
When your hospital drops your Medicare Advantage plan, you pay out-of-network rates or must switch coverage for the next year
Medicare Advantage enrollees who lose access to their hospital mid-year face a hard choice: absorb higher out-of-network costs immediately or wait to switch plans during...
Checking your Social Security earnings record for errors can add hundreds a month to your check for life
A single missing year of wages on a Social Security earnings record can permanently reduce a retiree’s monthly check by hundreds of dollars. The Social...
Full retirement age finished its climb to 67 this year, and claiming at 62 now locks in a check about 30% smaller for life
Americans born in 1960 or later now confront the steepest early-claiming penalty in Social Security’s history. Full retirement age has completed its four-decade climb to...
Earn over $1,690 a month in 2026 and you can lose your Social Security disability benefits
People collecting Social Security Disability Insurance who earn more than $1,690 in any month during 2026 risk losing their benefits entirely. The Social Security Administration...
When a Medicare Advantage plan drops you, you get a guaranteed right to buy any Medigap policy
Seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans that exit their county or fail to renew contracts face an abrupt loss of coverage, but federal law gives...
$750 a month is the least the government must leave you when it garnishes Social Security for old student loans
Older Americans living on Social Security can lose a share of their monthly benefit when the federal government collects on defaulted student loans, but the...
Earning $7,560 in 2026 banks all four Social Security credits for the year
Part-time workers, gig earners, and anyone with irregular income face a concrete deadline built into the Social Security system each year: earn enough in covered...
Social Security is phasing out paper checks this year, moving remaining recipients to direct deposit or a prepaid card
Social Security beneficiaries who still receive paper checks are running out of time. Executive Order 14247 directed the Treasury Department to stop issuing paper checks...
Medicare will cap out-of-pocket drug costs at $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100
Medicare’s annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug spending is set to rise to $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026, according to figures compiled...
A widow can take a survivor benefit first and switch to her own larger Social Security check at 70
A Social Security rule that catches many widows and widowers by surprise allows a surviving spouse to start collecting a deceased spouse’s survivor benefit as...
Seniors earning under $23,475 can cut their Medicare drug copays to about $5 through the Extra Help program
Prescription drug costs remain one of the biggest strains on a fixed retirement income, and a federal program built specifically for lower-income Medicare enrollees is...
A federal audit found 5,367 widows lost $113.8 million by claiming Social Security survivor benefits too early
A federal watchdog review has put a hard number on a mistake that has quietly drained retirement income from thousands of widows: claiming a Social...
More hospital systems are dropping UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage for 2027, including Minnesota’s Fairview Health
A growing list of hospital systems is walking away from UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage network, and the latest to join is Fairview Health Services, one of...