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CMS proposes $21B payment increase for Medicare Advantage in 2026
CMS has released a new advanced notice to increase payments to Medicare Advantage plans in 2026. CMS expects to spend $9.2 trillion over the next decade in an “effort to provide access to affordable, high-quality care in Medicare Advantage while…
ACA enrollment surges
As of January 4th, almost 24 million consumers have signed up for the 2025 Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Enrollment figures for 2024 were just over 21 million enrollees.…
Breaking News: Social Security & Medicare aren’t Going Bankrupt!!
In the true sense of the word, neither Social Security nor Medicare is in any danger of going “bankrupt.” However, that doesn’t mean that both programs are not having financial difficulties. Indeed they are, but the worst case scenario is…
A Logistics Nightmare: Implementing the Social Security Fairness Act.
Celebrated by all those affected by the elimination Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), what’s not talked about is the logistics of implementing this new legislation known as the Social Security Fairness Act. Fact is, bills…
For Federal Retirees affected by WEP and GPO
H.R. 82 – The Social Security Fairness Act – was signed into law earlier this week, eliminating Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced Social Security benefits for anyone with a “non-covered” pension,…
HSAs account balances are increasing
A recent report on Health Savings Accounts (HSA) found that there had been a 35 percent increase in HSA account balances from 2024 to the beginning of 2025. “HSAs have long been a strategy to help offset the high cost…
When Social Security Isn’t Enough
If you’re like most seniors, your Social Security payment sure isn’t enough to live on and, at best, is likely a just a supplemental piece of your overall retirement income. And with consumer prices inexorably going up, it is harder…
The Social Security Fairness Act may affect income taxes and Medicare premiums
With much “hoopla,” the so-called Social Security Fairness Act has become law, soon to provide substantively increased Social Security benefits for about 3 million affected beneficiaries. Those affected had their SS benefits reduced (or eliminated) by either the Windfall Elimination…
More on the Social Security Fairness Act
As most who are directly affected likely already know, Congress has passed, and the President has signed, legislation which repeals a pair of decades-old Social Security provisions which affect benefits for those with a “non-covered” pension (“non-covered” means a pension…
How many people will benefit from the price cap
If you are a Medicare recipient who takes expensive prescriptions, you will get a break on your drug costs in 2025. The Inflation Reduction Act 2022 enabled Medicare to negotiate drug prices and establish a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket spending…