medicare
Medicare costs are going up next year
Like most things, Medicare costs are going up next year. Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles will increase, along with Part B premiums. In 2025, Medicare placed a cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs. What other changes are taking…
Medicare spending was higher for people who disenrolled from Medicare Advantage
In 2024, over half of the Medicare recipients are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare beneficiaries turn to Medicare plans that offer extra benefits and lower cost-sharing compared to traditional Medicare alone. Although Medicare Advantage plans are a popular…
Don’t fall into these traps when applying for benefits
Signing up for either Social Security or Medicare should not be so confusing. It is easy to fall into certain traps that could cost you thousands of dollars. Why? First, when you sign up for Medicare, you do so on…
Ask Rusty – About How Medicare Premiums Are Determined
Dear Rusty: Please explain the Medicare premium increase based on income reported to Social Security? For those of us that waited to draw Social Security until age 70, and who are still working – drawing a salary, and planning to…
Decisions Need to be Made on Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare
This article by Juliann Ventura for The Hill explores the possibility of cuts to what he calls “social welfare programs”. Democrats need to be in on the discussion regarding how to save billions of dollars. He suggests we know the…
Are Social Security and Medicare at Risk with Trump Pick?
This Dax Everly article for Kawsachun News expresses concern for Social Security and Medicare due to Trump’s selection of Russell Vought to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought is expected to resume this role, as he had…
About the Medicare Advantage “blitz” during Annual Open Enrollment
If you’re like me, you are likely receiving a good amount of mail – email and via the U.S. Postal Service – and, perhaps text messages, offering you wonderful benefits if you simply switch your healthcare coverage by calling “this…
A Discussion on Strenghtening the “Guardrails” for Social Security and Medicade
The crisis in Social Security and Medicare funding is drawing attention from many quarters, especially as the flashpoints draw closer. We’ve reached the point where the luxury of deferring action on the insolvency issues facing these two critical programs will…
Policy Options for Addressing Social Security & Medicare Solvency Issues
The focus on resolving the rapidly eroding financial positions of our country’s two critical senior safety net and income security programs—Social Security and Medicare—is growing. As we look ahead to the incoming congressional session, various solutions will likely enter the…
Medicare Advantage saves money
Medicare recipients who migrate from traditional Medicare to the Medicare Advantage program have saved the federal government $144 billion over the last decade, according to the latest study by Elevance. They found: “What happens in the MA system indirectly affects…