ArcaMax

Dear Toni,

My wife, Joyce, who is not yet 65, was released from her job in February and our joint income has changed because she is no longer earning $230,000 per year. My Social Security check for 2026 is $4,000 monthly. I began taking my Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from my 401(k) when I turned 73 last October. For 2026, Medicare ...Read more

Dear Toni,

I need your help! I made a big mistake and enrolled in Medicare when I turned 65 in January due to the marketing phone calls I received, telling me it was time to.

My company’s HR department advised me to disenroll from Medicare because I am still employed with employer benefits. Please explain how to disenroll properly. Thanks, ...Read more

Dear Toni,

I had no problem opening the “My Social Security” account to enroll in Medicare because I knew those answers. When it came to filling out the application for Medicare, that was another story.

I had a problem with Medicare’s personal questions. I knew my name, address, date of birth, and Social Security number; when it came to ...Read more

Hello Toni,

I’m retiring January 1, 2027, and beginning to research what is the right Medicare option for me and my wife, Jennifer, who is receiving breast cancer treatment. Jennifer’s cancer drugs are expensive, and I am concerned about the Medicare Part D out of pocket. I am a diabetic, use a flex pen and take high blood ...Read more

Toni:

On March 5, I received a Medicare.gov newsletter by email, and I am worried that I may have fraud on my Medicare.gov account. I received my current Medicare summary by mail with a Medicare claim from a medical office that I am not aware of visiting. I’m ...Read more

Toni:

Why did a hospital medical claims employee ask my husband Steven to sign a form stating that he is aware that he is now in his “lifetime reserve days”? He is waiting for a lung-heart transplant.

Steven went into the hospital in December of last year for congestive heart failure and discovered that his heart and lungs could no longer ...Read more

Dear Toni:

I retired from my employer in July when I turned 67 and enrolled in COBRA, which began August 1, instead of enrolling in Medicare. I was told that COBRA protected me from the Medicare penalty for 18 months.

My sister showed me a topic about Medicare’s Special Enrollment Period in her 2026 Medicare & You Handbook ...Read more

Dear Toni,

My husband, Jason, is a retired veteran and never enrolled in Medicare because he uses the VA for his medical care and does not have to pay the Medicare premium. He is having heart issues and wants to go to a local cardiologist. The doctor’s office advised that he enroll in Medicare since this office will not bill the VA facility ...Read more

Toni:

When I first enrolled in Medicare in 2019, I picked Medicare Supplement Plan F. In February of 2024 I was approached by a telemarketer on my cell phone who talked me into a Medicare Supplement Plan K because this plan had lower premiums than Plan F. I could change because I was in good health at that time.

March of 2025, I was ...Read more

Hi, Toni:

I’m turning 65 in May and having an issue trying to enroll in Medicare since my Social Security account is locked. Two years ago, someone falsely filed a tax refund with my Social Security number. Now anything that involves me or my spouse’s Social Security number, credit report or IRS information is locked and cannot be accessed....Read more

Hello, Toni:

I am a 68-year-old male on a Medicare Advantage plan through my last employer. How does the new TrumpRx plan fit into Medicare? Currently, Express Scripts manages my Part D plan.

Thank you, Toni.

—Mike from Cypress, Texas

Hi, Mike:

On Feb. 5, 2026, TrumpRx, the...Read more

Hello Toni,

I delayed enrolling in Medicare Part B because I was working with employer benefits. Recently I turned 70 and am retiring effective Jan. 1. I have enrolled in a Medicare Supplement Plan G and Part D prescription drug plan that also begin Jan. 1.

Now my Medicare stress has started, because I have ...Read more

Good morning, Toni:

I have been reading your Medicare column, and now I need your Medicare help. I am retiring when I turn 65 in April. I was hospitalized in November of 2025 with a triple bypass surgery. Last week I talked with the office manager at my cardiologist’s office about enrolling in Medicare and what I should do. She said for me ...Read more

Toni:

On November 6, when the government was still shut down, I turned in my Medicare enrollment forms signed by my employer to the local Social Security office. I never received anything from Social Security about being enrolled, so I went back to the office and found out that my paperwork was lost. I refiled a copy of the forms...Read more

Morning, Toni:

Recently, you wrote a Medicare column about various life policies available after 65, and I have a retirement insurance question.

In June, I’m retiring when I turn 70 and my wife, Anna, will be 68. Our retirement insurance issue is that recently we applied for a long-term care plan and were both denied due to our health issues...Read more

Hi Toni:

I recently enrolled in Medicare. This week, I went to see my primary care doctor and his office manager informed me that they are no longer accepting it. Instead I will have to pay the complete bill up front and be reimbursed by Medicare. His office is small, and the doctor will be retiring soon. I will need to find a new doctor.

Toni...Read more