Good morning. Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, which means tonight is your last chance to eat leftovers and call it a meal plan.
In this issue:
- What changes for seniors on January 1, 2026
- Worth Knowing: mobility aids, health resolutions, emergency contacts
- From the Archives: how Medicare works (and what to watch for)
- Slice of Life: a thought for the new year
Several things change for you on January 1. Here’s what’s actually happening and what to do about it this week.
Social Security: Your 2.5% COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) increase takes effect. If you were receiving $1,900/month, that’s roughly $47 more per month. Your new benefit amount should already be visible in your my.ssa.gov account. Your first increased payment arrives in January.
Medicare Part B premium: The standard monthly premium is expected to land around $190/month for 2026 (up from $185 in 2025). The takeaway: That increase comes out of your Social Security automatically, so your net raise from COLA is smaller than the headline number.
Medicare Part D: The $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap continues into 2026. If you switched plans during Open Enrollment, your new plan is active January 1.
Medicare Advantage: If you enrolled in a new MA plan, it kicks in January 1. Your old plan cancels automatically — you don’t need to do anything.
IRA contributions: The 2026 limit is $7,000, or $8,000 if you’re age 60-63 under the SECURE 2.0 catch-up provision. That’s $1,000 more than the standard catch-up.
Standard deduction: Expected to increase slightly for the 2026 tax year. We’ll have exact numbers when the IRS publishes them.
What to do this week: (1) Log into my.ssa.gov and check your new benefit amount. (2) If you switched Medicare plans, call the number on your new card to confirm it’s active. (3) Make sure your pharmacy has your updated insurance information — this is the one people forget.
Check your 2026 benefit at my.ssa.gov →
🦽 The mobility aids that actually help (and the ones that don’t). Not all walkers are created equal. Not all canes are sized right. And most people buy mobility aids without ever talking to a physical therapist first. I wrote a full guide covering everything from quad canes to power wheelchairs — including how to get Medicare to cover them. The biggest mistake? Buying online without a professional fitting.
→ Read the full mobility aids guide
📋 New Year’s health resolution that actually works: schedule everything in January. Forget the gym membership. Book all your 2026 appointments in one sitting this week: your Annual Wellness Visit (free under Medicare Part B), dental cleaning, eye exam, hearing test, and a dermatology skin check. Put them all on your calendar now. January is when appointment slots open up — by March, they’re booked out.
🛡️ Update your emergency contacts this week. New year, quick check: Is your emergency contact info current on your phone’s lock screen (that’s Medical ID on iPhone, or the emergency info screen on Android)? In your wallet? On file with your doctor and pharmacy? If anything changed in 2025 — a new phone number, someone moved, a loss in the family — take five minutes and update it everywhere.
Navigating Medicare Changes: Complete Senior Guide — by Benjamin Wells
As your new plan kicks in January 1, this is a good refresher on how Medicare actually works and what to watch for. Benjamin breaks down premiums, deductibles, telehealth expansion, Medicare Advantage network changes, and the prescription drug coverage updates that affect what you pay at the pharmacy.
One detail worth knowing: if your income crossed certain thresholds, you might be paying IRMAA (that’s the income-related surcharge on your Medicare premium) without realizing it. Benjamin explains the thresholds and how to appeal if your income has since dropped.
I keep this one bookmarked for Open Enrollment season, but it’s just as useful right now when the new year resets your coverage.
There’s something about the turn of the year that makes ordinary things feel possible again. A clean calendar. A fresh start. A jar of black-eyed peas on the stove if you’re the superstitious type.
I don’t do resolutions anymore. But I do like the feeling of January 1 — the quiet permission to try something again, or try something new, or just decide that this year you’ll call your brother more often.
Here’s to 2026 being a good one.
Happy New Year.
Until next Tuesday,
Nino
P.S. If someone you know could use a weekly rundown like this, forward it their way. And if you’ve got a question or just want to say hello — hit reply. I read every reply.
