ArcaMax

Hi Toni:

I never should have listened to my brother, who bragged about how his Medicare Advantage Plan was a great way to save money and not have to spend so much on my Medicare Supplement plan’s premium. I discovered that the eye doctor who was to perform surgery on my right eye in early January is not in my Medicare HMO plan. I should have ...Read more

Dear Toni:

I have decided to retire when I turn 65 in February and need to enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. My husband, Harry, is 74, and he enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B when he turned 65, remaining on my employer benefits with health issues.

His primary doctor’s office manager expressed concerns because of my husband’s intense lung...Read more

Dear Toni,

I am currently on COBRA with dental benefits. I will need dental insurance when I lose my COBRA benefits after enrolling in Medicare at 65 in March. The only dental plans I am finding are in Medicare Advantage HMO/PPO plans. The office manager of my cardiologist’s office advised me not to go in the Medicare Advantage direction ...Read more

Hi Toni:

Recently, you wrote an article explaining hospice. Please let readers of your column know that there are other ways hospice comforts the caregiver when a loved one passes. My mother’s hospice case manager and also her social worker made sure that I knew exactly what to do for her final needs when she finally peacefully passed away.

...Read more

Hello Toni:

In the new Medicare & You Handbook that I received about a month ago, I cannot find what the 2026 Medicare costs and premiums will be. I would like this information because I have been diagnosed with a heart condition and will need to undergo heart surgery next year. I have looked online and cannot find the costs there either.

Do ...Read more

Dear Toni,

As a certified case manager and critical care unit RN, I advise adult children who are seeking help for a parent or spouse who is having end-of-life issues. Those who have serious health care issues should be offered every option for proper planning with end-of-life care, especially hospice!

Can you explain hospice and respite care ...Read more

Toni:

I need your help! I have discovered that my mother, Sarah, who is 67, never enrolled in Medicare Part B or a Part D prescription drug plan when she turned 65. She enrolled in Medicare Part A, which doesn’t have a premium, so that she could pay her monthly bills. A friend told my mother that if she did not go to the doctor, my mother ...Read more

Hello, Toni:

You helped me sign up for a Medicare Supplement Plan G and a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan; both plans started January 2021. These two plans have served me well so far.

I just received information that my current Part D plan will no longer cover the Humira that I take twice a month as an injection for ...Read more

Dear Toni,

My husband recently fell from a ladder, shattered his hip and broke his right leg. After having emergency surgery, Jim is having a stay in a skilled nursing facility for his rehab to learn how to walk on his repaired hip.

A friend recently had a skilled nursing stay and was billed more than expected because she did not have the ...Read more

Toni:

In August, my husband and I enrolled in a Medicare Supplement, which has not paid a medical claim because we were in a Medicare Advantage plan when we applied for the Medicare Supplement. We could not leave the Advantage plan and return to Original Medicare due to Medicare rules.

I was told that Medicare’s Open Enrollment is when Sonny...Read more

Toni:

Currently, I am on a stand-alone Part D plan with a Medicare Supplement because of my serious health issues. Last week, I received information about the changes to the 2026 Medicare Part D plan I am currently enrolled in, and the premium is increasing by $50 per month, from $44.80 to $94.80 beginning January 1. The Part D ...Read more

Dear Toni,

My Medicare starts November 1, and I received my first bill, due on October 25, about a week ago. This bill is for three months, from November 1 to January 31, and it’s over $550. I currently have more than $12,000 on my Health Savings Account (HSA) debit card through my past employer, ...Read more

Toni,

My sister suggested that I send you an email because I’m confused on what to do with enrolling in Medicare since I turn 65 on Jan. 5, 2026. Please help me, Toni, because I’m overwhelmed by the marketing material received for Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period. What do I do?

I’m not sure when is the right time to ...Read more

Dear Toni:

I turned 65 in February and did not enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug plan. I have been told that I must wait until October for Medicare’s enrollment time. I need help now because I have been prescribed an expensive brand-name prescription. I thought I could enroll at any time of the year, but the application for Part D was ...Read more

Hello Toni:

When I turned 65 in May 2024, I continued to work full-time with a health savings account (HSA) as my employer benefits and use GoodRX to cover prescriptions. My employer’s human resources manager advised me to enroll in Medicare Part A when I turned 65, which was not ...Read more

Toni,

I’m enrolled in Medicare but have not received my Medicare & You Handbook. I need to make some changes, and I’m concerned about what I should do during the fall Medicare season. I need to know which options are right for me. I have some health problems, and I’m concerned that I might make the wrong change to my Medicare and Part D ...Read more

This week’s Medicare column consists of “What if” Medicare questions from Toni Says readers around the United States.

1. What if I did not enroll in Medicare Parts A and B when I should have, because I do not want to pay that extra Part B premium each month? I do not go to the doctor or take any prescriptions. Can I enroll later?

Toni ...Read more