Millions losing private Medicare plans and facing higher costs

A large number of people on Medicare Advantage must find new coverage this year, making careful comparison during open enrollment more important than usual.

Medicare open enrollment starts next week — shop carefully this year

Experts stress that staying on your current plan without checking could cost you, because options and prices have changed for 2027.

CMS releases 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D star ratings

The new quality ratings rose for some insurers and dropped for others, which affects the plans you can choose and how they are funded.

Why you might get a $90 check from Social Security

Millions of seniors are receiving a one-time $90 Medicare-related rebate this month, so it helps to know why the money is arriving.

State finds violations at assisted living facility after a resident's death

Regulators cited safety failures following a death, a reminder to ask facilities about staffing, inspections, and how they handle emergencies.

Health & Wellness

Today's health news highlights new technology that monitors older adults' well-being at home while safeguarding privacy, along with a University of Maine study examining how music may support brain health. Another report notes that older residents in Hawaiʻi need higher incomes to cover basic living costs.

AI-powered home monitoring tracks older adults’ health while protecting privacy · News-Medical

UMaine study explores whether music can help older adults maintain brain health · The University of Maine

Older adults in Hawaiʻi need higher incomes to afford basic needs · University of Hawaii System

Caregiving & Family

Today's caregiving news spans a troubling case in Livonia, where a caregiver was charged with embezzling from a vulnerable adult, alongside a support group session on Capgras syndrome and a story about how AI helped match one man with the caregiver he needed.

Livonia caregiver charged with embezzlement from vulnerable adult · ClickOnDetroit | WDIV Local 4

Caregiver Support Group "Capgras Syndrome" · Lenawee County, MI

He Needed a Caregiver As His Body Shut Down. AI Found Him the One. · Business Insider

Travel & Leisure

Today's travel stories highlight the best countries abroad and the most affordable, welcoming small towns for retirees, along with practical tips on the three security mistakes TSA agents say older travelers often make.

TSA Agents Say Senior Travelers Make These 3 Major Mistakes at Security—and What to Do Instead · Travel + Leisure

10 Best Small Towns in the U.S. for Retirees Seeking Affordability, Charm, and a Sense of Community · Travel + Leisure

These Are the 20 Best Countries for Senior Travelers and Retirees to Visit · Travel + Leisure

Technology & Online Safety

Several programs are helping older adults build technology confidence, with San Antonio seniors learning AI skills to stay connected and guard against scams, and Houston seniors assisting university researchers developing AI robots.

San Antonio seniors learn AI skills to stay connected, avoid scams targeting older adults · KSAT

Bridging the digital divide: Sprightly seniors gain confidence through tech training · Rising Sun Newspapers

UH researchers want to build AI robots for older adults — and Houston seniors are helping · KHOU

Medicare, Social Security & Benefits

A one-time $90 Medicare rebate is being deposited this month through Social Security, though the benefit reaches only a portion of recipients. Roughly 40 million seniors do not qualify, and some critics question the timing and purpose of the payment.

Social Security extra deposit of $90: Millions of seniors receive one-time Medicare rebate this month · Clarin.com

Why you just got a $90 Social Security check, and why 40 million seniors didn't · CBS News

Trump's $90 Medicare rebate rolls out, but millions aren't eligible. Critics see a political stunt · PBS

Food & Nutrition

Several reports today highlight food insecurity among older adults and the local nutrition programs working to address it, including a county effort to improve a senior nutrition program's efficiency and a Philadelphia Corporation for Aging initiative expanding access to healthy foods.

Get the Facts on Food Insecurity and Older Adults · The National Council on Aging (NCOA)

County IT Team Helps Senior Nutrition Program Improve Efficiency · Santa Clara County (.gov)

Art of Aging: PCA's senior nutrition programs provide access to healthy foods for older adults · 6abc Philadelphia

Money & Retirement

Today's headlines offer tips for making retirement savings last a lifetime, examine California's troubled public pension system, and look at how costly new GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are complicating some people's savings decisions.

5 Essential Financial Tips to Help You Avoid Outliving Your Retirement Savings · Investopedia

California’s pension crisis is a political machine’s retirement plan · New York Post

GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs Create Retirement Savings Dilemma · 401k Specialist

Senior Living & Housing

Several assisted living communities brought moments of joy this week, with pets blessed at a Southfield facility and a blues performance turning into a dance party in Lexington. In Massachusetts, state inspectors reported violations at one facility following a resident's death.

Dogs, lizard get petted, blessed at Southfield assisted living facility · The Detroit News

Blues artist sparks dance party at Lexington assisted living. ‘Music can be a healer’ · Lexington Herald Leader

State finds violations at Mass. assisted living facility after resident’s death · MassLive.com