Medicare & Social Security: Turning 65 and Retiring After 65 - Paperback

Turning 65 means the two biggest decisions of your retirement arrive at the same time. Medicare and Social Security. Both on a deadline. Both permanent. This book was written to fix that. Christine Ames brings 20 plus years in the Medicare industry; the Social Security chapter was written with Michelle Oakley, RSSA. No sales pitch attached - just straight answers on Parts A, B, C, and D, when and how to claim Social Security, and how the two work together.

Updated for 2026 - and the first 2027 numbers are already in. Covers the Inflation Reduction Act drug changes (the "donut hole" was permanently eliminated in January 2025, with a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap in 2026), the 2026 IRMAA brackets, the landmark Social Security Fairness Act of 2025, and the 2027 Part D parameters CMS finalized in April 2026 - Books still explaining the old "donut hole" are two years out of date.

The Medicare questions everyone asks
- Do you actually have to enroll - and what are the deadlines?
- Will you be penalized for signing up late? (Some penalties never go away.)
- What if you're still working past 65?
- How do you move from employer coverage to Medicare?
- Are your group benefits really better than Medicare?
- What happens to your spouse?
- And wasn't Medicare supposed to be free?

The Social Security questions you can't afford to get wrong
- Should you claim at 62, at Full Retirement Age, or at 70?
- How much do you lose by claiming early - or gain by waiting?
- Can you work and collect at the same time?
- How do spousal, ex-spousal, and survivor benefits actually work?
- What the 2025 Fairness Act changed for teachers and government workers (WEP and GPO repeal)
- Do you have to start Social Security to enroll in Medicare?

Credentialed on the Social Security side - not guesswork. Most Medicare books treat Social Security as an afterthought. This one didn't. Chapter 2 was written with Michelle Oakley, RSSA - a Registered Social Security Analyst, a professional credential specifically for claiming strategy, held by only a few thousand people nationwide. She works from your actual earnings record, not a rule of thumb.

You get one shot at Social Security. The month you file, and the month your spouse files, sets your household income for the rest of your lives - and once you file, that's the decision. Readers of this book receive a $100 coupon toward a personalized Social Security Filing Plan: every filing month, for both spouses, mapped side by side with lifetime totals, covering retirement, spousal, ex-spousal, and survivor benefits. The coupon is printed inside.

Why this book is different
- Current, not reprinted - 2026 rules plus confirmed 2027 figures
- Plain English - real examples, a full claiming walkthrough, and an employer-benefits worksheet
- No upselling, no commission angle - sourced from Medicare.gov, CMS, and the Social Security Administration

About the author

Christine Ames has spent 20 years in the Medicare industry, working her way from sales to Senior Vice President. She's helped thousands of people through these decisions and puts that same clear, no-nonsense guidance into your hands.

Whether you're approaching 65, helping a parent, or coming off employer coverage - read this before you talk to anyone selling you something.

Individual results vary. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Social Security Administration, CMS, or any government agency.