Crystal Clear Medicare

10/14/2026

The Social Security Administration on Wednesday announced a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2027. That's well above both this year's COLA and the 2.6% average over the past two decades.
Starting in January, the increase will add an average of $75 per month for roughly 75 million retired seniors and disabled workers.
The 2027 COLA will be the highest in four years — but still not enough for millions of retirees to keep up with rising food, energy, and healthcare costs.
The COLA is "supposed to offset inflation, but it under-measures it," Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, a nonprofit advocacy organization, told Yahoo Finance. "Thanks to the war in Iran and the tariffs, we've got raging inflation and the COLA, as important as it is, will not fully offset the inflation seniors are experiencing."
The annual cost-of-living adjustment is many retirees' only source of retirement income that is not subject to inflation risk. That inflation protection is crucial because Social Security is also the largest source of income for many retirees.

10/12/2026

Many Medicare Advantage plans are making cuts or discontinuing plans. Many in my local area again this year need to find a new plan or even a new carrier. Many prescription companies have also chosen to eliminate prescription plans. Also, carriers prefer to go to the Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) option.

Summary --

UnitedHealthcare plans to reduce its presence in areas where it has a larger concentration of PPO plans. PPO products generally allow members to access providers outside the network and are more expensive for carriers to administer.
Aetna is expanding its use of HMO plans, which typically limit members to a smaller provider network and offer carriers greater cost control.
Carriers cite:
Rising medical costs
Higher drug spending
Increased healthcare utilization
Government reimbursement pressure
as the primary reasons for these changes.

Aetna is expected to exit certain markets and reduce its footprint from 43 states to 41 states, with analysts estimating the company could lose roughly 950,000 Medicare Advantage members as a result.
Humana is also narrowing its geographic presence, offering plans in just over 80% of U.S. counties, down from 85% in 2026.


See the latest Report from Reuters

UnitedHealthcare, Aetna say 2027 Medicare Advantage plans to offer more limited provider networks

NEW YORK, Oct 1(Reuters) - US health insurers including UnitedHealthcare and CVS Health's Aetna will shift to offer more Medicare Advantage plans that limit provider access for enrolled users, the companies said on Thursday.
"We can't ignore the realities facing the healthcare system," said Bobby Hunter, president at UnitedHealthcare. "Funding pressures, rising medical costs, rising drug costs, and increased utilization are affecting every part of healthcare."
UnitedHealth, Aetna and other insurers operate Medicare Advantage plans for adults aged 65 and older and people with disabilities, on behalf of the government.
About 34 million people are expected to be covered by the plans in 2027, a decline of 6%, the government said earlier this week based on feedback from insurers.
Hunter said UnitedHealth ⁠will exit locations next year where it currently offers a higher proportion of preferred provider organizations, or those that give members an option to see ⁠providers outside of the plan network. Such plans cost insurers more to operate.
Aetna said in a Thursday news release it is expanding health maintenance organization plans, or plans that limit coverage to a small network of typically low-cost providers.
Rival Humana will offer plans in over 80% of US counties next year, down from 85% in 2026, the company said in a press release.
The nonrenewal notices should have been received by enrollees by October 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) deadline for most Medicare Advantage plans' contracts with CMS ending December 31, 2026, the Center for Medicare Advocacy confirmed.
UnitedHealth and Humana account for most of the Medicare Advantage non-renewals
UnitedHealthcare confirmed to Bloomberg on October 1, 2026, that it is discontinuing plans covering about 390,000 members for the 2027 plan year.

Retirees may be ignoring a Medicare blind spot before 2027

Humana disclosed on its July 29, 2026, earnings call that its non-renewals with CMS will affect approximately 600,000 members. The insurer retained slightly more than 40% of the members affected by its 2025 non-renewals, and it expects a similar rate this cycle, Humana Chief Financial Officer Celeste Mellet said.
Mark Meiselbach, lead author of a February 2026 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study on the non-renewals and an assistant professor and health economist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the American Journal of Managed Care that Medicare Advantage insurers are being forced to drop plans in markets where they can no longer operate at a profit.
The distribution is not going to be even, and enrollees in some markets may be left without any Medicare Advantage plans to choose from,
Meiselbach's study found roughly 2.9 million Medicare Advantage enrollees, about one in 10, were forced out of their plans heading into 2026, and the 2027 non-renewals signal a continuation of that pattern.

06/21/2026

Natural disasters can strike with little or no warning. Medicare is here to help you get care if an emergency is declared and you must evacuate to a safe area. Visit Medicare.gov/emergency to find resources and plan ahead.

Get Care in an Emergency

Prescription Drugs: You can transfer most prescriptions to another in-network pharmacy during an emergency, then return to your regular pharmacy afterward. If you need an out-of-network pharmacy, contact your Medicare drug plan.



Seeing a Doctor: With Original Medicare, you can see any doctor who accepts Medicare. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, contact your plan about temporary options, such as using an out-of-network provider.


Critical Care & Equipment: Need access to cancer treatments, dialysis, or a replacement wheelchair or walker? Visit Medicare.gov/emergency to learn more about getting the care and equipment you need during an emergency.

Sincerely,

The Medicare Team

Rules for getting health care may change for a short time if there is a disaster or emergency in your area.

06/03/2026

Good advice to remember!
The calls are coming more often now... STOP AND ASK

Someone you don't know calls, emails, or texts you offering free medical equipment or services. What should you do? Hang up. Delete it. Only you and your doctor should decide what care and services are right for you.
Scammers want your Medicare information so they can bill Medicare for services you don't need — like hospice (end-of-life care), home health care, or durable medical equipment (like a brace or cane).
Hospice scams are particularly harmful. If a scammer signs you up for hospice care without your knowledge, you could lose access to your regular Medicare benefits.
Remember: Never give out your Medicare Number and don't sign anything for free services — it's a scam. If you think you may have experienced fraud, call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report it online at Medicare.gov/fraud.

04/14/2026

Urgent reminder!

The Social Security Administration has issued an urgent warning about an increase in scams impersonating their officials to steal personal information and benefits.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Social Security Administration reports a significant uptick in these scams, which aim to obtain individuals' information and benefits.
Government imposter scams
Known as government imposter scams, these fraudulent emails pretend to be from the Social Security Administration, claiming to provide access to recipients' Social Security statements.
The bogus emails claim to include a statement of benefits and a link to click on to get that statement.
To make the scam even more convincing, the scammers are now using the names of actual employees from the Social Security Administration and sometimes attach a picture of the real employee to prove the email is legitimate.
Warning signs
• Warning signs to watch for include messages claiming your Social Security statement is ready to download.
• You can download your statement, but only if you have already established a login on the real Social Security website.
• Also, watch for embedded links or attachments labeled as statements or documents, messages telling you to act immediately, and sender addresses that do not end in ".gov."
For many older adults, their Social Security benefits are a true
lifeline.
Do not take any chances of putting those benefits in danger.

Feel free to contact me at 412-716-4942 or my daughter Dvonya Sedlacko-Stephens 412-657-3889 for questions or concerns.

04/05/2026

10/24/2025

Social Security Administration TODAY

Services are still available with your online My Social Security account.
As Congress works to pass a new federal budget, the government is currently shut down. We know this raises questions. We have answers to the most commonly asked questions about how the shutdown impacts you.

Will the Shutdown Affect Payments?

No, it will not affect payments. If you receive benefits, payments will continue without interruption. You will receive your benefits on time, with no changes to payment dates.

What Services Are Available Online?

We are constantly expanding our online services to give you freedom and control when conducting business with Social Security. Today, you can use your personal my Social Security account to:

Request a replacement Social Security or Medicare card
Access benefit verification letters
Apply for benefits
Check your application or appeal status
Access your Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) notice up to three weeks earlier than by mail (if you sign up for digital notices before November 20)
Change your address
Set up or change direct deposit
Print your 1099
View your latest statement
Review your earning history
Are Local Offices Open?

Offices are open, but not all in-person services are available. We encourage you to use your personal my Social Security account to easily access SSA services and benefits online. Log in to your existing account to access these services.

For more information, please check out this helpful blog post or visit our website for shutdown information.

Federal Government Shutdown Information