SRIG Medicare & Senior Benefits Advisors

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SRIG Medicare & Senior Benefits Advisors Medicare Benefits Increase Guide:
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Medicare. Retirement. Social Security. Family Planning. The complex made simple.

11/03/2026

A new supplement company shows up with a premium well below everyone else's. It sounds like a great deal. Here is the pattern to watch for before you switch.

Every Plan G is identical by law, so a much lower price does not mean you are getting a different plan. It usually means the company is pricing to attract new customers quickly.

Here is how that can play out over the first few years. A new block of policies is filled with people who just passed health questions, so claims are low. As those policyholders age and start using their coverage, claims rise. If the starting price was set too low, larger rate increases can follow. Industry observers have pointed to cases where newer supplement brands held low rates for a few years and then filed increases of 20 percent or more.

And here is the trap. If you switch to that company to save money, and your health has changed since, you may not be able to qualify to leave when the increases come.

So how do you evaluate a new supplement company for 2027? Ask four questions. How long has this company sold Medicare Supplements in my state? What have its rate increases been on its older policies? Is the premium priced by issue age, attained age, or community rating? And what is the company's financial strength rating?

An established company with steady, moderate increases is often worth more than a newcomer with a low first-year price.

A client I will call Dennis, 69, in Indiana, switched for a $40 monthly savings. Three years later, his rate had passed what he paid before, and a new heart condition meant he could not move.

The cheapest supplement this year is not always the cheapest supplement for the next 10 or 15 years. Look at the track record, not just the price tag.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

11/02/2026

If you get Extra Help paying for your Medicare drug costs, you may receive a letter on orange paper. It is not a cancellation. It is a warning that what you pay at the pharmacy is about to change. Here is what to do with it.

Extra Help sets your drug co-pays at fixed levels based on your situation. Some people pay nothing. Some pay a small co-pay for generic drugs and a slightly higher co-pay for brand-name drugs. Those levels can change when your income, your Medicare status, or your living situation changes, for example moving into or out of a nursing home, or a change in your Medicare coverage.

When your co-pay level is changing for the new year, Medicare mails the orange notice in early October. It tells you that you will still have Extra Help, but your co-pay amounts will be different starting January 1.

Why does this matter right now? Because Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. If your co-pays are going up, the drug plan you have today may not be the best fit for next year. Different plans place drugs on different tiers, use different preferred pharmacies, and have different premiums. Premiums matter for Extra Help members, because some plans are fully covered by the premium subsidy and others are not.

It also matters because 2027 brings other drug plan changes. The temporary premium stabilization program for standalone drug plans ends after 2026, and many plans are changing premiums and drug lists.

So when the orange letter arrives, note your new co-pay level, gather your list of medications and your pharmacy, and compare plans before December 7. If you help a parent with Medicare, check their mail for orange paper this month.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

11/02/2026

If you get SSI, you may see two deposits in October. Social media calls it a bonus check. It is not. Here is what is really happening, and how to keep it from hurting your November budget.

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a needs-based program separate from Social Security retirement benefits. It normally pays on the 1st of each month. When the 1st falls on a weekend or a federal holiday, the payment is sent on the business day before.

November 1, 2026 falls on a Sunday, so the November SSI payment will arrive on Friday, October 30. That means two deposits in October, one on October 1 and one on October 30, and no deposit on November 1. The same thing happens a few times every year. It is not new money. It is your November payment arriving early.

Now let me separate SSI from regular Social Security, because people mix them up. Most retirement, survivor, and disability benefits are paid on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on your birthday. If your birthday is between the 1st and the 10th, it is the second Wednesday. The 11th through the 20th, the third Wednesday. The 21st through the 31st, the fourth Wednesday. People who started benefits before May 1997, or who get both SSI and Social Security, are often paid on the 3rd of the month.

So if you get two deposits this October, set that second one aside for November. And if you help a parent who receives SSI, make sure they know this ahead of time. Please share this with anyone it could help.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any government agency.

11/01/2026

Before you ever saw a letter about your 2027 Medicare plan, the insurance companies had already explained their plans to Wall Street. And the message was surprisingly consistent.

On their earnings calls this summer, several of the largest Medicare carriers said some version of the same thing. Medical costs are running higher than expected. They are focused on profit margins. And for 2027, that means exiting some plans and counties, trimming some extra benefits, and being more selective about where they offer Medicare Advantage.

One carrier said its plan exits would affect about 600,000 members. Another told investors it expected its Advantage enrollment to shrink by more than a million people. Industry analysts expect another year of benefit reductions across many plans.

We see this every day in the calls we receive from people asking about the options and timing for moving from a Medicare Advantage plan to a Medicare Supplement for 2027.

So what does that mean for you? If you are on an Advantage plan, read your Annual Notice of Change carefully this year. Look at your premium, your maximum out of pocket, your drug list, and whether your doctors are still in the network.

Now here is what those earnings calls do not touch. Original Medicare does not have a profit margin target. It does not exit counties. And a Medicare Supplement is guaranteed renewable. The company can raise rates, but it cannot cancel your policy because of your health, and it cannot drop your county from a network, because there is no network. Plan G, Plan N, and High Deductible Plan G all work with any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare.

A client I will call George, 72, in Tennessee, saw his Advantage plan drop its dental allowance and two specialists from the network in the same year. That was the year he started asking about supplements.

Medicare Advantage is always one of the tools in our toolbox. But we understand the path of a supplement client is oftentimes less bumpy, more enjoyable, and better for them overall, because of the flexibility a supplement brings.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

11/01/2026

Plan G is the most popular Medicare Supplement. There are good reasons why, and one thing people get wrong when they buy it.

Reason one is predictability. After the Part B deductible each year, Plan G covers your share of Medicare-approved costs. You are not guessing what a hospital stay or a surgery will cost you. You already know.

Reason two is freedom. Plan G works with Original Medicare, so you can see any doctor and use any hospital in the country that accepts Medicare. No network, and generally no referrals. That matters if you travel, spend winters somewhere else, or have family in another state.

Reason three is fewer surprises. With Original Medicare, many services do not require prior authorization, and Plan G covers Part B excess charges, which some doctors who do not accept Medicare assignment are allowed to bill.

Now here is what people get wrong. They assume the brand name on the card is what makes their Plan G good. But every Plan G is standardized by federal law. The benefits are identical no matter which company sells it. What is different is the price, how that price is set, and how fast it has gone up over time.

So when you compare Plan G for 2027, the questions are about the company, not the coverage. How is the premium priced: issue age, attained age, or community rating? What do the last few years of rate increases look like? Is there a household discount if your spouse also enrolls?

A client I will call Carl, 66, in Florida, almost paid $40 more a month for a well-known name. Same Plan G, same benefits, different price. Choose Plan G for what it covers. Choose the company based on the numbers.

We review every client's supplement every year to see if we can lower the premium. If no one is doing that for you, reach out to me directly. Clients are sometimes surprised that it is my face in the meeting and my voice on the call. I have been personally helping clients since I started over 17 years ago, and that will never change.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

10/31/2026

The High Deductible Plan G deductible goes from $2,950 in 2026 to $3,050 in 2027. Why does it move every year? Because the deductible is tied to inflation by law. Medicare adjusts it each year based on the consumer price index, and the new amount takes effect January 1.

This is very important. I receive questions weekly asking whether the insurance companies can manipulate the deductible each year. That is not how it works. It is tied to a government number, and as the consumer price index increases, so will the deductible. But it cannot go from about $3,000 in 2027 to $5,000 in 2028. It is set and regulated by the federal government.

Now let me explain what that $100 increase does and does not change. It does not change how the plan works. Original Medicare still pays its share of every approved bill first. Your share, things like the Part B deductible and the 20 percent co-insurance, counts toward the $3,050 deductible. Once your share reaches that amount in a calendar year, the plan pays like regular Plan G for the rest of the year. It does change your worst-case year by $100. If you are already on High Deductible Plan G, update the amount you keep set aside for health care to at least $3,050.

Who tends to like this plan? People who are healthy, rarely see the doctor, and want the lowest supplement premium. People who travel and want the freedom of Original Medicare without paying a full Plan G premium. And people who would rather keep the premium savings in their own pocket and carry a known maximum.

Some people pair it with hospital indemnity, cancer, and heart attack and stroke protection, which may offset part or all of the deductible if they are admitted or diagnosed. The cancer and heart attack and stroke protection can include recurrence riders that may pay again in a later qualifying year. None of it is required. Every client has a different, personalized blueprint. Some prefer the added protection, and others pay the deductible from an HSA or savings in the years they reach it.

A client I will call Linda, 68, in Florida, compared her High Deductible Plan G premium with regular Plan G over a year. The premium difference was more than enough to cover most of the deductible increase.

The deductible is one number. The premium you pay every month is the other. Look at both together before you decide.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

10/31/2026

If you get a call, text, or email offering to help you activate your 2027 Social Security raise, that message is a scam. Here is how to recognize it, and what Social Security actually does.

First, the facts. Your cost-of-living increase, 3.6 percent for 2027, is automatic. You do not apply for it. You do not confirm it. You do not pay a fee to receive it. Social Security calculates it and adds it to your benefit, starting with your January payment. You will get a notice in the mail in December, and if you have a my Social Security account, you can see the new amount online, usually in late November or early December.

Scammers time their calls around the announcement because everyone is already talking about the raise. Here are the most common scripts. Your increase is on hold until you verify your information. Your benefits will be suspended unless you act today. Your Social Security number has been linked to a crime. Or you are owed a larger back payment, and there is a small processing fee.

Here is what Social Security will not do. It will not threaten you with arrest or suspension. It will not demand immediate payment. It will not ask for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or cash by mail. And it will not ask you to confirm your full Social Security number or bank information on an unexpected call.

Scammers can also fake caller ID so it looks like a real government number, so caller ID is not proof.

The rule is simple. If anyone contacts you about your benefits, hang up and call Social Security directly at 1-800-772-1213, or log in yourself at ssa.gov. You can also report it to the Social Security Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.

Share this with a parent or neighbor before the calls reach them.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any government agency.

10/30/2026

If you have Plan G, stay with me, because this next part is not a knock on it. For a lot of people turning 65, Plan G is the right answer.

Here is what it does. After you pay the Part B deductible each year, Plan G covers your share of Medicare-approved costs: the 20 percent, the hospital deductible, and excess charges. You can see any doctor who accepts Medicare anywhere in the country, with generally no referrals. It is about as predictable as health coverage gets.

So why talk about anything else? Because of what has happened to Plan G premiums. In 2026, many companies filed Plan G rate increases between about 12 and 26 percent. When increases like that repeat year after year, a premium can climb a long way over a decade, especially on top of age-based increases.

That does not make Plan G a bad plan. It means Plan G deserves the same thing every financial decision deserves: a look at the long run.

Here are the two plans worth comparing against it. Plan N usually has a lower premium. You trade that for co-pays of up to $20 at some office visits and up to $50 at the emergency room, and it does not cover excess charges, which most doctors do not bill anyway. High Deductible Plan G has an even lower premium, with a $3,050 deductible for 2027, and then it works exactly like Plan G.

All three keep the same freedom. Same doctors. Same hospitals. Same Original Medicare.

A client I will call Barbara, 71, in Pennsylvania, loved her Plan G but watched her premium jump two years in a row. She stayed healthy, compared all three, and moved to Plan N. Same doctors, lower bill.

The goal is not to talk anyone out of Plan G. It is to make sure Plan G is still the best fit for you in 2027.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. Client names are changed and stories are illustrative.

10/30/2026

Your own Social Security benefit and a spousal benefit look alike on paper, and couples lose real money because they assume both work the same way.

Here is how a spousal benefit works. If you are married, you may be eligible for a benefit based on your spouse's work record. At your own full retirement age, it can be up to 50 percent of your spouse's full retirement amount. Social Security compares it with your own benefit and pays the higher amount, not both added together.

Now here is the key difference. Your own retirement benefit earns delayed retirement credits if you wait past full retirement age, about 8 percent more for each year, up to age 70. A spousal benefit does not earn those credits. Fifty percent at your full retirement age is the ceiling, and waiting longer does not raise it. So if the spousal benefit is the larger of your two options, every month you wait past full retirement age is a month of benefits you simply do not collect.

There is also a reduction on the front end. Start a spousal benefit before your full retirement age and it is permanently reduced, as low as about 32.5 percent of your spouse's amount at 62.

And there is a timing rule couples miss. Your spouse generally has to have filed for their own benefit before you can collect a spousal benefit. So if the higher earner is waiting until 70, the lower earner may be waiting too, unless they start their own benefit in the meantime.

The best strategy for a married couple is a household decision. Sit down together and model both of your filing ages with a qualified advisor before either of you files.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

Educational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. Model your options with a qualified advisor before you file.

10/29/2026

Can a Part B increase shrink your Social Security check? For most people, the answer is no, because of a protection called the hold harmless rule. Here is how it works and who it does not cover.

The rule is simple. If your Part B premium is deducted from your Social Security check, the increase in your Part B premium generally cannot be larger than the dollar increase in your Social Security benefit. In other words, your net check cannot go down from one year to the next because of a Part B increase.

Here is an example. Say your cost-of-living raise is $20 a month, and the standard Part B premium goes up $30. Under hold harmless, your Part B increase is limited to $20. Your net check stays about the same instead of dropping $10. This mostly protects people with smaller Social Security checks, because their dollar raise is smaller.

Now the fine print, because not everyone is covered. You generally must have been receiving Social Security and had Part B deducted from your check for November and December of the prior year.

You are not protected if you pay the IRMAA surcharge because of higher income. You are not protected if you are new to Medicare or new to Social Security that year. And you are not protected if your Part B premium is paid by Medicaid or a Medicare Savings Program, because in that case the state absorbs the increase.

So if your check is small, this rule may already be protecting you. And if you pay IRMAA, plan as though it does not. Share this with anyone watching their Social Security raise this year.

🌐 New or existing client? Start here:
🔗 srigbenefits.com/srig-new-existing-client

📞 Book your Blueprint call:
🔗 https://calendly.com/sterling-river-medicare-advisors/medicare-plan-review

Educational only. Not legal, tax, or financial advice. Model your options with a qualified advisor before you file.

Address

2131 Woodruff Road STE: 2100/353
Greenville, SC
29607

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 9pm
Tuesday 8am - 9pm
Wednesday 8am - 9pm
Thursday 8am - 9pm
Friday 8am - 9pm
Saturday 8am - 9pm

Telephone

+17048067730

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