Medicare premiums are tax deductible, but Part B’s $202.90 a month rarely clears the 7.5% floor — and clearing it is only the first of two hurdles.

HSA and Medicare rules hinge on seven months, not six: your last legal contribution month sits one month before Part A backdates six months.

Medicare Savings Program income limits are built from one figure nobody shows you: the $1,330 monthly poverty guideline, plus a $20 disregard.

Extra Help’s asset limit hinges on one answer: tell Social Security some savings are for burial, and a single person’s $16,590 limit becomes $18,090.

A discontinued Medicare plan opens a Medigap window that closes 63 days after
your coverage ends. Most people track the wrong deadline entirely.

Switching Medicare Advantage plans takes four steps, and you never cancel the old plan yourself — joining the new one ends the old coverage automatically.

Medigap Plan G vs Plan N: nearly every guide says a doctor can bill 15% above Medicare’s approved amount. CMS’s own fee schedule puts the cap at 9.25%.

Switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap is two decisions, not one. Only four states make insurers accept you regardless of health history.

Medicare Advantage vs Medigap looks like a premium question until the year goes badly. The 2026 in-network cap is $9,250. Here’s that year priced twice.

Medicare open enrollment dates are the easy part. Nearly 7 in 10 beneficiaries don’t compare their options — and the window excludes Part B entirely.