The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (a mouthful popularly known as CMS) is the federal agency that oversees Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace. Older adults primarily interact with CMS when they enroll in Medicare or need to resolve a Medicare billing dispute. Like nearly all federal agencies, […]
Most seniors are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A when they turn 65 if they apply for or are already receiving Social Security benefits. Medicare Part A provides coverage for treatment after hospitalization. Seniors need to take the initiative to enroll in Medicare Part B. That coverage pays a large chunk of most medical treatment […]
The last White House Conference on Aging was held in 2015. It commemorated the 80th anniversary of Social Security and the 50th anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act. Those landmark laws have improved the lives of countless older Americans. At the time the Conference was held, the Older Americans Act (OAA) was […]
Updated May 2025 To avoid late enrollment penalties, seniors who are eligible for Medicare usually sign up at their earliest opportunity. Seniors rarely have a reason not to enroll. Retirees earned Medicare’s hospitalization benefits by paying FICA taxes during their working lives. They are not required to pay a monthly premium to receive those benefits. […]
Updated April 2025 High drug prices can be a problem for every American whose health condition requires medication. However, older people are disproportionately affected by high drug prices. While about half of all Americans between the ages of 30 and 49 report taking prescription medications, 89% of Americans who have reached the age of 65 […]
Retirement from a career of many years can open a open door to a new world. It may be self-employment, acquiring a franchise, or capitalizing on years of accumulated knowledge by becoming a consultant. Maybe you want a new career. Maybe you need a new career because finances demand it. The reason doesn’t matter. In […]