Ask Phil
Since the initial Get What’s Yours book was published in 2015, answering reader questions has become my major day job. At first, the questions were exclusively about Social Security. Topics broadened into aging and retirement after the “Ask Phil” column began appearing on the PBS website, “Making Sen$e.” When Get What’s Yours for Medicare was published in 2016, its complexity and confusion generated still more queries. And yet a new vein of questions was mined when Get What’s Yours for Health Care was published in early 2021.
You can review the links listed here to a Q&A archive of the most common “Ask Phil” topics, which I try to update as needed. If you’re looking for something else, use the adjacent search bar. It will trigger a scan of all Ask Phil content. The results page will include links to articles I wrote from 2008 to 2018 for U.S. New & World Report, Money magazine, and PBS. You’ll also see a link to my Get What’s Yours newslettter on Substack.
If you need additional information, I’m here to answer your questions. And if you encounter something you think is wrong, please let me know. Infallibility is not part of my job description! These are complex and ever-changing topics. Web links and program rules change. Your help is central to keeping “Ask Phil” accurate and up to date.
Thanks!
Phil
Medicare
Basics
Phil’s Invaluable List of Medicare Web Links
2024 Part B Premium up 6% to $174.70
Accountable Care Organizations May Dominate Original Medicare
Making the transition from employer insurance to Medicare
Select Medicare coverage for the “future” you
Social Security’s role in Medicare
Medicare’s low-income support programs
Medicare does not require prepayment
Withholding payments for Medicare Part A and Part B
When it makes sense to decline Part A of Medicare
The benefits of Part A of Medicare
Non-working spouses and Part A of Medicare
Medicare costs for divorced spouses who never worked
Do you need a Part D drug plan?
COBRA limitations and Medicare
Medicare and out-of-state care
Understanding Medicare’s impact on health savings accounts
When it makes sense to decline Part A of Medicare
Concierge health practices and Medicare
Outside the U.S.
Medicare coverage outside the United States
Medicare decisions for ex-pats
Ex-pats returning to U.S. for health care
Medicare enrollment for ex-pats still working
Non-U.S. group health plans meet Medicare deferral standard
Enrollment, Eligibility, Appeals
It’s Getting Easier to Open Medicare Enrollment Windows
Medicare Part D 2024 drug plan rules
Basics of Medicare annual open enrollment
Non-working spouses and Medicare
Appealing improper Medicare premium payments
Reversing incorrect Medicare enrollment
Use Plan Finder to shop for Medicare
Part D drug plan choices are too complicated
Part D drug coverage can change during the year
Penalties, Surcharges
Medicare late enrollment penalties
The logic behind Medicare late-enrollment penalties
Medicare drug plan late enrollment penalties
Medicare’s high-income surcharges – called IRMAA, for short
Medicare premium surcharges and tax filing status
Avoiding improper high-income Medicare surcharges
Coverage
Medicare’s “medical necessity” requirement
Make sure you understand your Medicare coverage
Medicare coverage of vision, hearing, and dental needs
Dental Benefits Expanding in Original Medicare
Who oversees Medicare medical equipment benefits?
Medicare coverage for drug addiction
Medicare coverage of at-home care
Medicare rules for in-home care
Insuring yourself against future drug needs
Tips about using doctors who don’t accept Medicare
How to compare Part D drug prices with buying retail
Medicare rules involving kidney failure
Workplace Issues
Employee health insurance and Medicare choices at age 65
Can my employer pay my Medicare premiums?
Medicare enrollment penalties for working people turning 65
Dropping Medicare when obtaining employer health coverage
Medicare secondary coverage of high-deductible, employer health plans
Should disabled Americans drop Medicare for employer insurance?
Medicare Advantage
The difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage
How to compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage
Changing Medicare Advantage plans when you move
Medicare Advantage dental benefits are modest
Medigap Supplement Policies
Understanding different Medigap underwriting approaches
Medigap coverage works anywhere in the U.S.
How to pick a Medicare supplement plan (also called Medigap)
Federal Plans
Federal Health Employee Benefits (FEHB) versus Medicare
Medicare choices for vets with VA coverage who turn 65
The basics of TRICARE military insurance
Medicaid
People dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
Medicaid eligibility lookback rules
Can selling your home affect your Medicare or Medicaid?
Lottery winnings can boost Medicare premiums
Social Security
Retirement Benefits
2024 Social Security Benefits to Rise 3.2%
The consequences of taking Social Security benefits early
The impact on retirement benefits of different Social Security claiming ages
Weighing different Social Security claiming options
Changing your mind about claimed Social Security benefits
Losing Social Security benefits by waiting to claim?
Spousal Benefits
Social Security spousal benefits
How to calculate Social Security spousal benefits
How your Social Security claiming age affects spousal benefits
Survivor Benefits
Rules for Social Security survivor benefits
Social Security survivor versus retirement benefits
How to compare Social Security survivor vs. retirement benefits
Comparing Social Security survivor vs. ex-spousal benefits
Social Security survivor benefits and “deeming” rules
Social Security survivor benefits and earnings credits
Social Security household benefits often cut when a spouse dies
Divorce Benefits
Access to Social Security divorce benefits
Social Security ex-spousal survivor benefits
Social Security rules for ex-spousal benefits
Do I have to wait for my ex- to file for Social Security to get my benefits?
Social Security spousal benefits are hers, not his
Former spouse does not control your Social Security benefits
Additional ex-spousal benefits may be elusive
Social Security survivor benefits from a former spouse
Supplemental Security Income and Social Security divorce benefits
Social Security benefits and multiple divorces
Child, Family Benefits
Children’s Social Security benefits
Social Security family benefits
Social Security rules for family maximum benefits
Social Security child benefits for grandparents
Disability and Illness
Social Security benefit decisions and terminal illness
Social Security disability benefits for children
Marriage and disability benefits
Social Security benefits for a disabled child
Social Security disability and Medicare
Social Security survivor benefits for disabled claimants
Income Tips
Social Security may return earnings test benefit reductions
Social Security income may affect Medicaid eligibility
Important Rules
Social Security Windfall Elimination Provision
Public pensions can reduce Social Security benefits
Social Security’s “hold harmless” rule
Social Security work credits for employment outside the U.S.
Social Security benefits based on top 35 years of work earnings
Social Security’s deemed filing rules
Only one Social Security benefit can be collected at a time
Related Topics
Aging
What does successful aging look like to you?
Research about strategies for successful aging
Combatting loneliness in our later years
Planning for frailty and future health needs
10 questions to ask before hiring an elder care attorney
Health care is moving into your home
At-home care for aging parents
Medicare’s home-care benefits are limited
Retirement
How much do I need to save for retirement?
Investment “spend-down” help is hard to find
Medicare and employer retiree health benefits
Will you still hire me when I’m 64?
Health Care
Medicare enrollment and the Affordable Care Act
Employers are helping clear the haze on health care prices
Finding health care on the open road
Why Medicare needs to be fixed before it works ‘for All’
