ArcaMax

First, an apology: I don't think there will be anything about Social Security in today's column. But after 28 years of writing these weekly articles (that would be more than 1,450 columns about Social Security), I hope you'll indulge me around this Valentine's Day as I spend one column sharing a couple funny stories from the early days of my 50-...Read more

Toni:

I am turning 65 on April 4, working part-time, and not eligible for my employer benefits, so I need Medicare. A friend gave me confusing information about enrolling, saying that the 7-month window is only for enrolling in Medicare Part A, and I have to prove that I qualify for Medicare Part B at the same time. If that is true, then how ...Read more

Poor Lyndon Baines Johnson. When it comes to Social Security, he gets blamed for something he never did. Our 36th president is often accused of being the first chief executive to tamper with Social Security financing. Well, he did tamper with it. But not in the way conventional wisdom would have you believe.

I was reminded of this when I got ...Read more

I am retiring in June when I turn 70 and my wife, Bonnie, will be 68. Our Medicare issue is that recently we applied for a long-term care plan and were both denied due to our simple health issues.

I had my prostate removed due to cancer about 5 years ago with no current issues and Bonnie has A-Fib which is under control. The agent who helped...Read more

In some columns I wrote earlier this month about the repeal of laws that affect people who spent a large portion of their careers working at jobs that were not covered by Social Security, it became very clear to me that many people wondered why that is. Even many people who work at such noncovered jobs were confused. So why are some jobs not ...Read more

MIAMI — On a recent Thursday evening, Maria Morales pulled her car into a parking lot in downtown Miami. The 75-year-old, along with dozens of others experiencing homelessness, queued for a hot meal provided by the nonprofit One World One Heart.

Shuffling through the line, Morales filled a deep plastic bowl with sausage and white bean stew. ...Read more

MIAMI — On a recent Thursday evening, Maria Morales pulled her car into a parking lot in downtown Miami. The 75-year-old, along with dozens of others experiencing homelessness, queued for a hot meal provided by the nonprofit One World One Heart.

Shuffling through the line, Morales filled a deep plastic bowl with sausage and white bean stew. ...Read more

This week, I went to see my primary care doctor, and his office manager informed me that they are no longer accepting Medicare. I recently enrolled in Medicare and will have to pay the complete bill upfront and be reimbursed by Medicare. His office is a small one, and he will be retiring soon, so I need to find a new doctor. Can you please tell...Read more

Answering Questions From Widows

I hope there is nothing in the air that is causing old goats like me to keel over. For some reason, I've been getting a lot of questions from widows lately. Here are some of them.

Q: I am 90 years old and getting widow's benefits from my first husband who died a long time ago. I also have my own Social Security,...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 some of Medicare’s personal questions. I knew my name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, etc. When ...Read more

I had originally planned to use this space to write a follow-up column to one I wrote several weeks ago about the misnamed "Social Security Fairness Act." But I've decided it's not worth it.

For decades, government retirees who worked at jobs not covered by Social Security, but who did pay into the program at jobs before or after their ...Read more