Ray's Retire Right Report Retire Right — Retire Smart! Raymond T. Martin, Retirement Coach and Medicare Planning
January 2026 Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were happy. Let’s begin this fresh year with the end in mind; what are you hoping to say about 2026?
January is "National Soup Month" January 24th – 30th is "Clean Out Your Inbox Week" And January 22nd is "Answer Your Cat’s Questions Day"
January 1st Reset: Medicare Deductibles and Your Budget As the new year begins, many Medicare beneficiaries notice something unexpected: higher out-of-pocket costs for medical care or prescriptions. While this can be frustrating, it’s often due to an important annual reset that happens on January 1—Medicare deductibles start over.
Medicare Part B, which covers outpatient services such as doctor visits, lab work, and preventive screenings, has an annual deductible that must be met before Medicare begins paying its share. In 1967 at Picoaza, a little coastal town of 4,100 Similarly, most Medicare Part D prescription drug in Ecuador, was holding an election for a new plans have a deductible that resets at the mayor. Few citizens were interested in the beginning of the year. Until those deductibles are proceedings. They were fed up with the establishment and protested their political choices. met, you may pay more for services or medications than you did at the end of the At the same time a foot powder company ran an previous year. advertising campaign with the slogan, “Vote for any candidate, but if you want well-being and This reset does not mean your coverage has hygiene, vote for Pulvapies.” On the eve of changed or worsened. It simply reflects how voting, they distributed a flyer around the town Medicare plans are designed to work on a calendar which said, “For Mayor: Honorable Pulvapies”. -year basis. Once your deductible is satisfied, your The result? So many people voted for the foot plan’s cost-sharing resumes as outlined in your powder’s brand name as a write-in candidate on coverage, often resulting in lower out-of-pocket their ballot that it was elected as mayor of the costs for the remainder of the year. Being aware town. The defeated candidates were furious, but of this January reset can help you plan ahead and the foot powder sold better than ever! The avoid unnecessary surprises. Budgeting for Pulvapies foot powder was notated in the Guiness slightly higher costs early in the year and world record as the “most votes for a reviewing your coverage annually can go a long pharmaceutical product in a political campaign.” way toward reducing stress and staying financially prepared. If you ever have questions about how your deductible works or what to expect in the new year, reaching out for guidance can help Which top rock group named themselves ensure you’re making informed and confident after a song by blues singer, Muddy Waters? decisions about your Medicare coverage. (See the Answer Area.)
Mayoral Madness
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