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 10% lifetime penalty hits your Medicare Part B premium for every year you sign up late
People who miss their first window to enroll in Medicare Part B face a permanent surcharge: a 10% increase to the monthly premium for every...
A free my Social Security account lets you check your benefit estimate and guard against direct-deposit fraud
Social Security beneficiaries who have not claimed their free online account with the agency face a specific and growing risk: someone else could set one...
The income limits that make Social Security benefits taxable haven’t moved since 1984, so more retirees owe yearly
Nearly half of all Social Security beneficiaries will owe federal income tax on their benefits by 2026, up from roughly one in eight three decades...
$2,100 now caps what you’ll pay out of pocket for Medicare drugs all year
Starting in 2026, Medicare Part D beneficiaries will not pay more than $2,100 out of pocket for prescription drugs in a single year. That figure...
Social Security sends this month’s last checks on June 17 and June 24 by birth date
Millions of Social Security beneficiaries born after the 10th of the month are waiting on two final payment dates in June 2026: June 17 for...
A spouse can claim up to half of the higher earner’s Social Security even with little work history
Millions of Americans who spent years out of the paid workforce, whether raising children, managing a household, or caring for family members, stand to collect...
Social Security is clawing back overpayments by withholding up to half a monthly check
Millions of Social Security recipients who owe money to the federal government now face the loss of half their monthly benefit check. The Social Security...
About 82% of seniors who could lose part of their Social Security to defaulted student loans qualify for a hardship exemption, but fewer than 1 in 10 apply
Roughly four out of five older Americans whose Social Security checks are reduced to repay defaulted student loans meet the criteria for a hardship exemption,...
A widow can claim a survivor benefit first, then switch to her own larger check at 70
Widows who qualify for both a Social Security survivor benefit and their own retirement benefit face a choice that can shift their total lifetime income...
Checking your Social Security earnings record for errors can raise your check for life
Every worker who pays into Social Security is building a benefit that hinges on one thing: the accuracy of the earnings record the agency keeps...
Drugmakers agreed to negotiate Medicare prices on 15 more medicines, including the first ever under Part B
Medicare’s drug price negotiation program has expanded again, with federal officials announcing agreements on 15 additional medicines and, for the first time, a treatment covered...
Medicare Advantage members get a January window to switch plans or return to original Medicare
Millions of people enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans have a narrow three-month period, running January 1 through March 31, to switch to a different Medicare...
The first 10 drugs with Medicare-negotiated prices took effect this year, and the 9 million seniors who take them could see out-of-pocket costs fall by more than half
Nine million people enrolled in Medicare entered 2026 paying less for some of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States. Negotiated Maximum Fair...
Medicare’s Part B premium rose to $202.90 a month this year, with a $283 deductible
Millions of Medicare enrollees are paying more for outpatient medical coverage in 2026 after the standard Part B premium climbed to $202.90 a month, up...
Waiting to claim Social Security past full retirement age raises your check about 8% for every year, up to 70
Retirees who delay claiming Social Security beyond their full retirement age stand to collect roughly 8 percent more per year in monthly benefits, with gains...
Medicare’s annual wellness visit and most preventive screenings cost you nothing — as long as it’s billed as preventive
Medicare beneficiaries can walk into a doctor’s office for their annual wellness visit and most preventive screenings without paying a dime out of pocket, but...
Medicare’s yearly cap on out-of-pocket drug costs holds near $2,100 in 2026, and the old “donut hole” stays gone
Medicare beneficiaries filling expensive prescriptions in 2026 will hit a hard ceiling on what they owe out of pocket: $2,100 for the full year, up...
Social Security is ending paper checks this year — about 280,000 people still getting one must switch to direct deposit or a prepaid card
About 280,000 Social Security recipients who still receive paper checks face an abrupt deadline: the federal government plans to stop mailing those payments this year,...
Medicare’s Extra Help program can sharply cut prescription drug costs for people with limited income
Medicare beneficiaries with limited income stand to pay as little as zero dollars for prescription drug premiums, deductibles, and most copays in 2026 through the...
Lower-income retirees can get their Medicare Part B premium paid through a state Medicare Savings Program
Retirees living on fixed incomes and enrolled in Medicare can have their Part B premium paid entirely by their state through a Medicare Savings Program,...