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Determining the 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment
COLA is determined each year since 1975, when automatic COLA determination began. It is based on the third quarter of the current year compared to the prior year’s third quarter, July, August, and September. The government uses the Consumer Price…
Access to mental health under Medicare
Medicare does not cover all healthcare services for older adults; however, one area of healthcare that is particularly challenging to access under Medicare is mental healthcare. “According to a study in JAMA Health Forum, adults with psychological distress saw a…
July 2025 Social Security Payment Schedule
It’s time for the July 2025 payments to be released. The payments for SSI will be paid on the first of July, and payments that are a combination of SSI and SSDI will be paid on the third of July.…
Thinking About Taking Social Security Benefits Early?
People appear to be rushing to take their benefits early because many fear it will not be there in the future. This is not a good reason for taking your benefits early, since Social Security will always be there at…
Why isn’t Social Security privatized?
The privatization of Social Security would not create an equal retirement opportunity and could lead to a wider wealth gap, as wealthy people can take more chances when investing. People who cannot afford to invest enough or have limited investment…
CMS Launches New Model to Target Wasteful, Inappropriate Services in Original Medicare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will partner with companies specializing in enhanced technologies to ensure people with original Medicare receive safe, effective, and necessary care. The Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) will build upon other changes…
The Retirement Earnings Test and the Probelms it can Cause
Social Security has quite a few nuances, many of which go unnoticed until they turn into problems for beneficiaries. The Social Security Retirement Earnings Test is one such nuance. Social Security regulations stipulate that upon beginning retirement, spousal, or survivor…
“Digital-First”: The Way Forward for Social Security
Dealing with questions from lawmakers on a variety of issues facing the Social Security administration, A Commissioner Frank Bisignano made it clear that the agency has a strategy to navigate the workforce reductions while maintaining service integrity for the 70+…
Those Darn Boomers, Again!
A GoBankingRates.com article by Gabrielle Olya titled “2 Ways Social Security and Medicare Could Unravel as Boomers Flood the System” caught my eye, maybe because “Social Security” is in the title, maybe because I am a Baby Boomer. The background…
Unpacking Some Enduring Myths About Social Security
When it comes to Social Security, there are quite a few myths and misunderstandings that persist. Currently, in the wake of the publication of the 2025 Trustees Report last week, the prevailing sentiment is that the program will cease operations…