Senior Voice -

Here's something new from Social Security, which has just launched "my Social Security account," a personalized online account people can establish at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount, beginning in th...

Senior Benefits and heating assistance If you are 65 years old or older, you might be eligible for the Senior Benefits program, depending on your income. You should call 1-888-352-4150 and ask for an...

I hope you said happy birthday to Social Security, which had its 79th birthday on Aug. 14. In a 1938 article, the director of the Bureau of Old-Age Insurance described the challenges faced by the...

To my wonderful readers, I must inform you that I may have to reboot my computer for nearly the last time, as I tell you about the inadvertent errors I made in my last column. It must have been a looo...

If you are new to Medicare, you need to know that Medicare almost always only pays 80 percent of the cost of most medical procedures. In order to be completely covered, you should buy a Medicare...

Affordable Care Act and insurance plans For those of you not in Medicare and have not yet enrolled in one of the Affordable Care Act insurance plans, you will not be able to do so until the next open...

This month I decided to delve into some Older Persons Action Group archive documents, recently discovered in an old file cabinet. At the beginning of year its 10th year, Senior Voice’s circulation w...

The calendar says that it is spring but my calendar says , “Where?” Well soon, maybe. I can’t stress this enough, because I have had so many questions about it: If you are on Medicare, you do not h...

For those of my readers who are on the Senior Benefit Program, there is some bad news. The Senior Benefits Program was established on August 1, 2007, and was the program we were given when the...

A little history today. In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that he was starting a “War on Poverty.” Several of the most forward thinking citizens of Anchorage decided that they would joi...

Well, we made it through another chaotic year and I wish you all a new and happier year to come. There is some good news to report, although it is not earth-shaking. Social Security is giving all its...

Time is running short December 7 is the last day you can change your plan for the Medicare drug program Part D, unless you are also on Medicaid or new to Medicare or need financial help. Some good...

I bring you some details about the Medicare Part D drug program for 2014. Enrollment started October 15th and will continue until Dec. 7, 2014. The lowest premium is $12.50 per month but there is a...

This month, October, is going to be a busy month for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries. October 15 through December 7, 2013, is the timeline to check out the Medicare Part D prescription drug...

I just thought you might want to know that on Wednesday, August 14, Social Security celebrated 78 years of providing retirement security to older Americans. In this time of financial uncertainty,...

This column will be an introduction to the new Health Insurance Market Place, also known as the health insurance exchange. I will be writing about Alaska and its income limits, however if you live in...

I would like to reiterate, for all the Affordable Care (ACA) skeptics, the many benefits of ACA: 1. Health care plans now must allow parents to keep their children who are under the age of 26 on their...

The Medicaid Expansion bill, which our Governor is opposing, would be a great benefit to the state for one simple reason. The Affordable Care Act is now a fact of life. It is not going away and not...

Just as many retiring baby boomers are seeking to buy long-term care insurance, the companies that provide it are making it more difficult to purchase by raising premiums, weakening coverage and...

Healing wounds in Anchorage I would like to tell you about a wonderful service I discovered in Anchorage. It is called the Wound Center and is run by registered nurses, who work under a physician’s or...

Changing drug plans allowed only in some situations I hope that everyone who is on the Medicare Part D drug program has gotten into the best plan they could find because they will not be able to...