Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Social Security pays a late worker’s minor children until 18, up to a family maximum
When a parent who worked and paid into Social Security dies, the system does something many families never realize is possible: it can send monthly checks to that worker’s young children, month after month, until they finish growing up. These survivor benefits are among the most valuable protections Social Security offers, and they are also…
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Presbyterian Health Plan is ending most Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, affecting about 30,000 members
In New Mexico, tens of thousands of older residents are about to lose the Medicare Advantage plan they have relied on. Presbyterian Healthcare Services, one of the state’s largest health systems, is ending most of its Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, a decision that affects roughly 30,000 members and comes paired with about 150 layoffs.…
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Ozempic is one of 15 drugs getting a lower Medicare-negotiated price in 2027
The most talked-about drug in America is about to get cheaper for the people who buy it through Medicare. Semaglutide — sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus — is one of 15 medicines that will carry a new, lower Medicare-negotiated price starting January 1, 2027. For a Part D household filling one of these prescriptions,…
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New 50% tariffs on Canadian goods are lifting prices on liquor, clothing and building materials
A fresh round of steep U.S. tariffs on goods from Canada took effect on August 22, and the sting is starting to reach ordinary shopping carts and home-improvement receipts. The new duties add 50 percent to the cost of a wide list of Canadian products, from bottles of whisky to lumber and certain clothing. Because…
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Medicaid work rules reach 44 states in 2027, and state sign-up help ends this month
Nearly every state is about to attach a work test to Medicaid, and one of the deadlines has almost nothing to do with the enrollees themselves. Before the new requirement takes hold in 44 states by the start of 2027, states were handed a narrow window to warn their members that the rules are coming…
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Humana is cutting Medicare Advantage plans that cover about 8% of its members for a second straight year
About 600,000 people are about to get a letter that changes their health coverage. That is roughly 8% of the 7.2 million members enrolled in Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans, and the company is walking away from their plans for 2027. It is the second year running that Humana has pruned its lineup, and for the…
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No government agency will ever demand payment by gift card, wire, or cryptocurrency
If someone calls claiming to be from the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, or the local sheriff and tells you to pay a debt or a fine with gift cards, a wire transfer, or cryptocurrency, you can stop listening right there. It is a scam — every time, no exceptions. No real government agency collects money…
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AI voice-cloning “grandparent” scams are rising — a family code word stops them cold
The phone rings, and it is your grandchild — crying, saying there has been a car accident or an arrest, and begging you to send money right away and not to tell anyone. The voice sounds exactly right. That is the trap. Scammers are now using cheap artificial-intelligence tools to clone a familiar voice from…
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Zelle and Venmo scam losses usually aren’t refunded like credit-card fraud — here’s how to fight a wrongful transfer
Peer-to-peer payment apps like Zelle and Venmo move money the way handing over cash does: fast and, in most cases, final. That is why people who are tricked into sending money to a scammer are often shocked to learn their bank will not simply reverse it the way it would a fraudulent credit-card charge. The…
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Tariffs are adding hundreds of dollars a year to the typical household, the heaviest burden since the 1930s
Tariffs are usually discussed as a fight between governments, but the cost lands much closer to home. Independent analysts estimate that the import taxes now in place are adding hundreds of dollars a year to what a typical American household pays, and that the overall tariff burden is the heaviest the country has carried since…
