Your Medicare Moves

09/02/2026

These are two separtate paths to Medicare coverage. If you are in California and have questions on these two options, set up a free consultation. Each can be a viable option but which is best for you? The one that covers your doctors, hospitals, drugs, and risks. The office number is 831-423-8542

09/01/2026

Today I launched the annual letter to clients to start preparing for the Medicare Annual Open Enrollment. If you are a client, check your email, click on the link to complete the Medicare intake form which gets you in the Cue for assistance. If you don't have an agent to help you shop your Medicare plans, click here to get started. https://app.retireflo.com/dcd

08/31/2026

**Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement are NOT the same thing. Do you know the difference?**

According to eHealth’s 2026 Medicare Knowledge Gaps study, only **45% of current Medicare beneficiaries could correctly identify the basic definitions of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement (Medigap).**

They work very differently.

With **Medicare Advantage**, you receive your Medicare Part A and Part B benefits through a Medicare-approved private insurance plan. Many plans also include Part D prescription drug coverage and may include additional benefits.

A **Medicare Supplement (Medigap)** works alongside Original Medicare to help pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind. If you want prescription drug coverage, you generally add a separate Part D plan.

There are other important differences too, including provider access, out-of-pocket costs, plan availability, enrollment rules and how your coverage may work when you travel.

This is why choosing Medicare coverage based on a commercial, a friend's plan, or one benefit that sounds good can be a mistake. **The two paths work differently, and the right choice depends on you.**

A knowledgeable local Medicare insurance agent is trained and certified annually to understand these options and can help you compare them based on your doctors, prescriptions, healthcare needs and budget.

This is #4 in Trusted Healthcare Alliance’s 10-part series, **What Medicare Beneficiaries Don’t Know.** We want you to understand your choices before you make them.

trustedhealthcarealliance.org

*Source: eHealth, Medicare Knowledge Gaps Report, 2026*

08/27/2026

In November, the new Social Security increase and Medicare rates will be sent to you. This is a great little flyer on what and how to look at that. Remember that Medicare rates differ by income. If you had higher income 2 years ago and now you dont, you may need to update that information with Social Security to avoid or reduce an IRMAA (Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount).

📊 The current projection for the 2027 Social Security COLA is 3.6%, which would be the largest increase since 2023.

On a $2,000 monthly benefit, 3.6% works out to about $72 more a month.

That number is still an estimate, and it can move: the official COLA is built from July, August, and September inflation, and two of those three months are not in yet.

August inflation data arrives September 11, when the Senior Citizens League is expected to update its projection, and Social Security announces the real number on October 14.

One catch to plan around: Medicare Part B premiums come out of most Social Security payments, and the Trustees project the 2027 premium at $209.50, up $6.60 from this year.

If both projections hold and you pay the standard Part B premium, roughly $65 of that $72 increase actually reaches your check.

Your personal 2027 amount arrives in December, by mail and in your my Social Security account, and shows up in your January payment.

Which date are you circling on the calendar, October 14 or the December notice?

P.S. Once a week, I email the best money article I read, with my take on this week's top Facebook posts and what's new on the Ways to Wealth blog. It's free, and you can sign up on the Ways to Wealth home page.

R.J. Weiss, CFP®



The content shared here is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not personalized investment, tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult a licensed professional before making decisions based on your specific situation.

08/18/2026

Are you getting priced out of your Medicare Supplement F, G, or N? There is a little discussed plan that is a small fraction of the premium. Many of my older Medicare clients will save more in premiums than the maximum they could have to pay in the deductible even in a worst case scenario. If you live in California, and you want to know the cost for you in comparison to the plan you currently have, set up a free appointment to chat by phone. 831-423-8542 of book online at https://mytime.com/lowcostcahealth

06/25/2026

The largest certification I need to do to offer Medicare Advantage and Drug plans is done for another year.

06/17/2026

Medicare Fraud has run rampant and unchecked for decades. Here are some recent settlements. These alone total $953.05 MILLION. Medicare Fraud hurts all of us. What can you do? If you see claims that don't seem right, maybe for services you didn't get, let Medicare know.

In addition to these there were 800 Hospice's in Los Angeles that were found to be fraudulent. LA is big but it didn't need 800 Hospice groups.

Six recent Medicare Advantage fraud settlements:

1. Matrix Medical Network, HealthFair, and founder James Ekbatani agreed June 3 to pay a combined $56.5 million to resolve allegations they submitted false diagnosis codes to inflate Medicare Advantage payments. The government said Matrix caused MA plans to submit unsupported diagnoses including atrial fibrillation, rheumatoid arthritis, and COPD between 2014 and 2019, while HealthFair’s alleged conduct from 2015 to 2017 involved diagnoses such as HIV/AIDS, metastatic cancer, and congestive heart failure. HealthFair was acquired by Matrix in 2018 and shut down by 2020.

2. Aetna agreed March 10 to pay $117.7 million to resolve allegations it submitted or failed to withdraw inaccurate diagnosis codes to inflate its MA payments. The largest portion, $106.2 million, stems from a 2015 chart review program, while $11.5 million resolves allegations tied to morbid obesity codes submitted between 2018 and 2023. A whistleblower who worked as a risk-adjustment coding auditor at the company will receive about $2 million.

3. Kaiser Permanente agreed Jan. 14 to pay $556 million, the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, to resolve allegations it submitted unsupported diagnosis codes to boost risk-adjusted payments. The government alleged that from 2009 to 2018 in California and Colorado, Kaiser pressured physicians to add diagnoses to patient records after visits had already occurred. The five Kaiser affiliates did not admit wrongdoing, and the whistleblowers will receive roughly $95 million.

4. Seoul Medical Group and Renaissance Imaging Medical Associates agreed March 26, 2025 to pay a combined $62.85 million to resolve allegations they submitted false spinal diagnosis codes to inflate Medicare Advantage payments. Prosecutors said that from 2015 to 2021, Seoul submitted diagnoses for spinal enthesopathy and sacroiliitis that patients did not have, and that Renaissance created false radiology reports to support them.

5. Independent Health and DxID agreed Dec. 20, 2024 to pay up to $100 million to resolve allegations that the now-defunct DxID retroactively mined medical records to add diagnoses that inflated MA risk scores. The case closed a roughly 12-year whistleblower lawsuit, and Independent Health did not admit wrongdoing.

6. Oak Street Health agreed Sept. 18, 2024 to pay $60 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to third-party insurance agents to recruit seniors to its primary care clinics. Through a program called the Client Awareness Program, the company paid agents roughly $200 per MA beneficiary referred between September 2020 and December 2022. CVS Health purchased Oak Street in 2023.

Send a message to learn more

05/17/2026

Just about all the Medicare Supplement Insurance policies are showing double digit increases each year. Are you starting to wonder if there is a way to thwart some of that increase. The little discussed High Deductible Plan G could be a solution. This makes the most sense for my older Medicare clients who see the most dramatic rate increases. A sample client who is 90 plan G premium is $365/mo, That same person on the High deductible G is $100/mo. Doing the mathe with $265/mo premium savings, in one year you have saved $3,180. That is more than the $2,950 deductible.

If you want to look at options, give me a call 831-423-8542. Remember in California, we can change to an equal or lessor plan with no health questions or pre-existing conditions within 30 days of our birthday. (Only for those on an existing Medicare Supplement, not a Medicare Advantage)

05/14/2026

I put together a quick video on the rarely discussed High Deductible plan G. In light of the recent year after year double digit rate increases on Medicare Supplements, the High Deductible plan is something many should really look at. Don't let the name scare you. Watch this video.

Medicare Supplement rates are increasing at an alarming rate. Would you like to have a Medicare Supplement that caps your costs and doen't cost you an arm and a leg? Watch this video for information on the High Deductible G option. Often you save more in annual premiums than the deductible exposure....

05/05/2026

Our government is based on the "you make more, we take more" progressive tax system. While Medicare Income Related Monthly Adjustments are not a "tax", they sure feel like one. If you do a Roth conversion, take funds from your 401K or IRA after age 63, this can trigger you getting a surcharge on your Medicare premiums. To learn more, book you free consult at 831-423-8542 if you live in California.