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Is Insurance Help For Seniors Available?

My budget is getting very difficult to manage, are there any programs to help with paying for my insurance? What is that and How do I get that? Answer: A program I believe is very helpful for many seniors is called the Medicare Savings Program (MSP). This is a Medicaid benefit administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS) in your county. Each year the income levels change, and this is new income information just released from the Federal Government for 2025. Often our gross income is different than our Net income. (I remember the difference with a rhyme, “Net is what you ...

Getting A New Social Security Card Isn’t Hard

Question: We recently discovered that we can’t find my father’s Social Security Card. How do we get a new one? Answer: Your Social Security (SS) Card is such an important piece of paper, and yet we don’t need it that often – once you are an adult you have other forms of ID that are used, like a driver’s license or work ID. Plus many individuals have memorized their SS Number, so they just say it without having to refer to the card itself. However, there are situations where you need to have the actual card. Then when we go to look for it, in that safe place we thought we ...

Insurance Premium Timelines Explained

Question: I’m getting ready to sign up for Medicare, but I don’t want to collect Social Security yet. How will I pay for the Medicare Part B premium? Answer: Social Security and Medicare have been around a long time, and for many of those years, individuals filed for both benefits at the same time. Now many individuals wait to collect their Social Security Benefit until after they sign up for Medicare Part A & B. To understand this trend, I’ll lay out the timing: while you MAY start collecting Social Security as early as age 62, individuals born after 1960 don’t reach “full ...

Medicare Part B Deadline Is March 31

Question: I got a letter from Medicare (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMS) saying that I might need to sign up for Medicare Part B. I have coverage through my employer, so do I still need to have Medicare Part B? Answer: According to data.cms.gov, over 68 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare. Each of those 68 million have slightly different circumstances that impact their Medicare enrollment decisions. Over half of those enrollees have Medicare Part A & B plus additional insurance, like Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplement Plans, or Medicare Part D drug ...

Should I be signing up now for Medicare and Social Security?

Question: I am turning 65 in April of 2025 and wondering about Medicare and Social Security Benefits. Should I be signing up now for Medicare and Social Security? Answer: This is the second answer to this two part question, so as I said last week, Happy Early Birthday! Most of us understand you become eligible to file for Social Security Benefits when you are 62, and this age is considered early retirement. For those born in 1960 and after, Full Retirement Age (FRA) for Social Security Benefits is 67. To collect Social Security you must “file a claim” with the Social Security ...

Handling A Late-Arriving Insurance Bill

Question: I haven’t gotten my Prescription Drug Coverage/Insurance Company January bill yet, what should I do? Answer: 2025 is here. This was a year of significant changes to Insurance options for many people. Some of this was due to the Inflation Reduction Act protections related to the $2000 Maximum Out of Pocket (MOOP) for all those enrolled in Medicare Part D plans. Much of the disruption was due to Medicare Advantage Plans that were discontinued. Today’s question has been very common over the last few weeks and now in 2025. During the Annual Open Enrollment period everyone ...