ArcaMax

Hello Toni:

My husband, Steven, has been laid off from a company he worked with for over 20 years. His employer is downsizing due to changes in the economy and May 31 will be his last day.

Steve is 68, enrolled in Medicare Part A but never enrolled in Medicare B because he had employer benefits. He is stressed, wondering how to apply for ...Read more

Dear Toni:

I am turning 65 in June, self-employed, and my income together with my wife’s is over $300,000. Recently I received a letter from Social Security telling me that my monthly Medicare Part B premium of $174.70 would double to $349.40 per month due to 2022 reported income. That was no surprise, but Social Security also said that ...Read more

Hi Toni:

I’m turning 65 in July and not receiving my Social Security check. Last week I tried to open a “My Social Security” account to enroll in Medicare online and discovered that my Social Security account is blocked. Two years ago, someone falsely filed for a tax refund with my Social Security number. Now anything that involves me ...Read more

Toni:

Why did a hospital medical claims division employee ask my husband James to sign a form stating that he is aware that he is now in his “lifetime reserve days” while he was waiting for his lung/heart transplant?

He went into the hospital in December of last year for congestive heart failure only to discover that his heart and ...Read more

Hello, Toni:

My husband, Jay, retired 6 years ago when he turned 65. He enrolled in Medicare Part A only and decided to delay Part B since I put him on my employer’s group health plan. Recently, I read an article about failure to enroll in Medicare Part B when turning 65 and the additional cost for each year that one delays enrollment.

...Read more

Toni,

I need your help because I have made a mistake enrolling in Medicare. This February, my husband Sonny was laid off and lost his employer health insurance, which I was on. He is a veteran and is receiving his health care from the VA, so he did not have to enroll in Medicare.

I have enrolled in Medicare since I am turning 65 in April....Read more

Toni,

I am concerned about a phone call I received yesterday from a representative with Medicare asking all types of personal questions and informing me that there was a new plastic Medicare card with a chip like a credit card. I told the caller what you said during your online Medicare webinar about not giving personal information over the ...Read more

Dear Readers: This week, I received a text message from a local Toni Says Medicare client that I would like to share with you:

Toni, I need to put together a 24/7 home care recovery plan after a liver transplant. The surgery is over a year out, but I would appreciate tips on how to plan for this medical event. Thanks in advance.

--name ...Read more

Dear Toni,

Recently in your Medicare column, you discussed services that are not covered by Original Medicare such as dental, vision, long-term care and other items. I thought Medicare covered long-term care but was wrong, because my mother suffered a severe stroke and her rehab facility notified me that Medicare is not paying for my mother...Read more

Hello Toni:

I am turning 65 in July and am bombarded with mail and telemarketing calls. I am not receiving Social Security and a friend who just got Medicare is receiving her Social Security check. Do I have to be receiving my Social Security check to get Medicare?

Please explain what I should do because I was waiting to apply for Social ...Read more

Dear Toni,

I will be eligible for Medicare in July and am now receiving cancer treatment. I am currently on my ex-employer’s COBRA and searching for dental care when I go on Medicare in July. The only dental/vision plans I am finding are in Medicare Advantage plans, but my cancer facility has advised me to not go in that direction because...Read more

Dear Toni,

My husband, Jason, is a Vietnam veteran and never enrolled in Medicare Part B because he uses the VA for his medical care. He is 77 years old and retired when he turned 65 about 12 years ago.

Because he is having heart issues, he wants to go to a local cardiologist that his best friend uses and must now enroll in Medicare for ...Read more

Toni,

I have a client, Joshua, who just received a bill for his mother's long-term care paid by Medicaid in the state of Texas. Her care was provided at her house instead of a nursing home during the last few years of his 80-year-old mother’s life. No one informed him that the state was running a tab of all health care expenses that ...Read more

Toni:

I was told to receive a shingles vaccination; I need to be enrolled in a Part D prescription drug plan for the vaccination to have a $0 copay or pay $200. I thought all vaccinations and immunizations are covered at no cost under Medicare Part B.

Can you explain this Medicare rule? Thank you.

--Carl from Lubbock, Texas

Carl:

On ...Read more

Toni:

Five years ago, when I was laid off, I enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B when I turned 65 in August. By November, I found a new job with benefits and terminated my Medicare Part B. In October of 2023 I finally retired. After filing my Social Security forms, I discovered that I was denied enrollment because I had a past due bill of $405...Read more

Dear Toni,

I turned 65 in November and enrolled in Medicare. I received a letter from Social Security stating that I must pay $527.50 for Part B and $70 for Part D totaling $597.50 monthly. The IRS states that my income was $375,000 in 2022.

The high income level is because my husband was working in 2022. Charlie passed away in February ...Read more

Hello Toni:

I read your article about how ignoring Medicare rules is costing Americans millions and I believe I have made a mistake because I have not enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. I need your help!

I retired in August and had a telemarketing agent help me find a Medicare Supplement which began Sept. 1. No one told ...Read more