Senior Living

/

Health

/

ArcaMax

The Veterans Administration Health Care Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Bruce Vanloon/Dreamstime/Tribune Content Agency)

Toni Says: America’s veterans should enroll in Medicare on time to avoid a costly penalty

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Dear Toni,

My husband, Jason, is a retired veteran and never enrolled in Medicare because he uses the VA for his medical care and does not have to pay the Medicare premium. He is having heart issues and wants to go to a local cardiologist. The doctor’s office advised that he enroll in Medicare since this office will not bill the VA facility ...Read more

Social Security and You: Retroactive Benefits Not a Big Deal

I just don't get people's fascination with retroactive Social Security retirement benefits. I can understand that on the surface, the idea of getting a big retroactive check from the government might sound like a financial windfall. But when you think it through, or at least when I do, it just doesn't make much sense.

Before I get to today's ...Read more

Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group/TNS

California ranks among worst states to retire in. Here’s why

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Maureen Spranza marked her retirement with a party in August 2024. By December of 2025, the 60-year-old was back at work, “un-retiring” as rising costs made retirement unaffordable. She now holds three jobs.

Moving from celebration to working six days a week was difficult and disappointing, she said, and meant putting ...Read more

Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America/TNS

Is Maryland ready for the aging boom? Lawmakers push major senior care reforms

BALTIMORE -- Maryland lawmakers are considering an unprecedented number of bills addressing the quality and nature of elder care as the state grapples with a growing senior population.

With the number of Marylanders 65 or older growing at more than 3% per year — more than four times the rate of the rest of the population — and costs for ...Read more

Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America/TNS

Is Maryland ready for the aging boom? Lawmakers push major senior care reforms

BALTIMORE -- Maryland lawmakers are considering an unprecedented number of bills addressing the quality and nature of elder care as the state grapples with a growing senior population.

With the number of Marylanders 65 or older growing at more than 3% per year — more than four times the rate of the rest of the population — and costs for ...Read more

Americans without health issues need to realize that a health care crisis can happen when you least expect it. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: The cost of my Medicare Supplement has exploded! What can I do?

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Toni:

When I first enrolled in Medicare in 2019, I picked Medicare Supplement Plan F. In February of 2024 I was approached by a telemarketer on my cell phone who talked me into a Medicare Supplement Plan K because this plan had lower premiums than Plan F. I could change because I was in good health at that time.

March of 2025, I was ...Read more

Social Security and You: Disability Claims Get Reviewed

For a couple of different reasons, a claim for Social Security disability benefits may be reviewed. One is what the Social Security Administration calls a "quality assurance review." The other is what the agency calls a "continuing disability review." I've gotten a couple of emails about this issue recently. Answering them will explain the ...Read more

Kathy Witt/Kathy Witt/TNS

Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Epicureans find their home aboard Princess Cruises’ gorgeous new Star Princess

She’s big, bold and beautiful, with elegant, contemporary lines; modern statement art bringing color, movement and a sense of joy to public rooms, stairwells and corridors; and a gastronome’s dream scenario of options, flavors and indulgences when it comes to food, from seafood and steak to teppanyaki and hot pot and more.

Star Princess. ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

How to keep your bones strong and healthy in midlife and beyond

LONDON — As we move into midlife, issues such as joint pain, osteoporosis and stress fractures become increasingly common, making this a crucial time to take a more proactive approach to bone health.

Hormonal changes during menopause, along with a natural decline in activity levels, can all contribute – but the good news is that simple ...Read more

For those who are locked out of their Social Security account due to fraud, the quickest way to enroll is to visit in person at the closest local Social Security office. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: Help, my Social Security account is locked! How do I enroll in Medicare?

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Hi, Toni:

I’m turning 65 in May and having an issue trying to enroll in Medicare since my Social Security account is locked. Two years ago, someone falsely filed a tax refund with my Social Security number. Now anything that involves me or my spouse’s Social Security number, credit report or IRS information is locked and cannot be accessed....Read more

Social Security and You: Social Security Benefits Rarely Cut

In prior columns, I gave readers a brief history of Social Security by highlighting the major changes to the program brought about by annual amendments to the original Social Security law. Every once in a great while, there is a dramatic change, such as the addition of the disability program in 1956. Most years, these amendments are minor and ...Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

How to retire on less than $1 million and never run out of money

Many people strive to achieve $1 million in savings before they reach retirement, but the reality is that most Americans struggle to meet that savings threshold. Average retirement account balances for those aged 55-64 averaged about $271,000 at the end of 2024 in plans administered by Vanguard, according to the asset management giant.

There’...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

As Californians age, more people are becoming caregivers for loved ones

SAN JOSE, Calif. — For Deo Agustin, 54, caregiving doesn’t stop when her workday as an in-home childcare provider ends — it simply shifts. Agustin cares for her 79-year-old mother, a job she’s proud of but that she said has worn on her sense of well-being.

“Mentally, it’s definitely taking a toll,” she said.

An increasing number...Read more

On Feb. 5, 2026, TrumpRx, the new federal direct-to-consumer Web platform for discounted prescription drugs, was officially launched by the Trump administration. TrumpRx.gov aims to provide prices for many popular medicines similar to the lowest paid by other developed nations. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: What is TrumpRx and how does it work with Medicare Part D?

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Hello, Toni:

I am a 68-year-old male on a Medicare Advantage plan through my last employer. How does the new TrumpRx plan fit into Medicare? Currently, Express Scripts manages my Part D plan.

Thank you, Toni.

—Mike from Cypress, Texas

Hi, Mike:

On Feb. 5, 2026, TrumpRx, the...Read more

Social Security and You: Questions About Spousal Benefits Never Stop

I've been saving up questions I've gotten from readers about benefits for spouses. It's an issue I've covered a hundred times in this column. But the questions still keep coming. So, here is column No. 100 -- one about benefits paid to wives and widows -- and occasionally, husbands and widowers.

Q: I am about to turn 63 and am thinking of ...Read more

Sudok1/Dreamstime/TNS

When the doctor needs a checkup

He was a surgical oncologist at a hospital in a Southern city, a 78-year-old whose colleagues had begun noticing troubling behavior in the operating room.

During procedures, he seemed “hesitant, not sure of how to go on to the next step without being prompted” by assistants, said Mark Katlic, director of the Aging Surgeon Program at Sinai ...Read more

Christin Klose/dpa/Christin Klose

Study: Grandparents who babysit defend themselves against dementia

GENEVA — Regular reading, having a command of more than one language, remaining fit or at least physically active, healthy eating, and sleeping well earlier in life have all been linked in recent years to preventing dementia or at least delaying its onset among those whose family history implies susceptibility.

According to researchers at ...Read more

Social Security and You: Some Oddball Questions

As I've pointed out before, I usually find myself answering the same questions over and over again. But I've saved up a couple of oddball questions -- and here they are. But first, I want to make it clear I am not calling the people who emailed me the questions "oddballs." However, I am saying the questions they asked were odd -- or at least out...Read more

Hapag-Lloyd/Hapag-Lloyd/TNS

Travel Trending with Kathy Witt: Hapag-Loyd’s Europa 2 coddles with luxury and bilingual cruises

Hapag-Lloyd’s 500-passenger luxury ship MS Europa 2 knows the devil is in the details.

Pots of fresh orchids grace the suites, all of which are outside and with private verandas. The bank of closets, stocked with robe, bedroom and spa slippers, beach towel and branded tote bag, rivals the space found inside a large home. Not only does the ...Read more

Many Americans retiring after 65 and leaving their employer health insurance plan are discovering that they have to prove they had “creditable drug coverage” when enrolling in their new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. (Dreamstime/TNS)

Toni Says: How to avoid Medicare’s Part D penalty

Senior Living / Toni Says /

Hello Toni,

I delayed enrolling in Medicare Part B because I was working with employer benefits. Recently I turned 70 and am retiring effective Jan. 1. I have enrolled in a Medicare Supplement Plan G and Part D prescription drug plan that also begin Jan. 1.

Now my Medicare stress has started, because I have ...Read more

 

Related Channels

Amy Dickinson

Ask Amy

By Amy Dickinson
R. Eric Thomas

Asking Eric

By R. Eric Thomas
Billy Graham

Billy Graham

By Billy Graham
Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris

By Chuck Norris
Abigail Van Buren

Dear Abby

By Abigail Van Buren
Annie Lane

Dear Annie

By Annie Lane
Dr. Michael Roizen

Dr. Michael Roizen

By Dr. Michael Roizen
Rabbi Marc Gellman

God Squad

By Rabbi Marc Gellman
Keith Roach, M.D.

Keith Roach

By Keith Roach, M.D.
Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin

Miss Manners

By Judith Martin, Nicholas Ivor Martin and Jacobina Martin
Cassie McClure

My So-Called Millienial Life

By Cassie McClure
Marilyn Murray Willison

Positive Aging

By Marilyn Murray Willison
Scott LaFee

Scott LaFee

By Scott LaFee
Harriette Cole

Sense & Sensitivity

By Harriette Cole
Susan Dietz

Single File

By Susan Dietz
Tom Margenau

Social Security and You

By Tom Margenau
Toni King

Toni Says

By Toni King

Comics

Rhymes with Orange Dustin Dave Granlund Drew Sheneman Christopher Weyant Hagar the Horrible