0:04 2.8% 9.6 and 10.1% increases along with
0:07 the major impacts from millions upon
0:09 millions of social security
0:11 beneficiaries as it all starts right
0:13 now. I want you to be very aware of this
0:16 because unfortunately I think a lot of
0:19 people out there are not aware of this
0:21 and it's going to impact your money,
0:24 your benefits, your finances as well as
0:26 your monthly benefit from social
0:29 security in a major major major way
0:31 starting now. And I'm not just talking
0:34 about a few dollars here or there. I'm
0:36 talking about significant changes that
0:38 are going to affect how much money you
0:40 actually have left over at the end of
0:42 every single month. And if you're on a
0:45 fixed income, if you're living on social
0:47 security, if you're trying to make ends
0:49 meet month after month, these changes
0:52 are absolutely critical for you to
0:54 understand. And I want to talk you
0:56 through the details because a lot of
0:59 things are changing as of 2026. And
1:02 these are a few more on our list. So you
1:04 can be very prepared and I think we're
1:06 going to have another very very very
1:09 interesting year upon us. You know,
1:11 every year I think to myself, okay,
1:13 maybe this year will be a little bit
1:15 calmer. Maybe this year there won't be
1:18 quite as many changes. But no, here we
1:20 are again with a whole bunch of new
1:22 adjustments, new increases, new things
1:24 to keep track of. And of course, I'll be
1:26 here for you by your side every single
1:28 day as this new information is hitting
1:31 the wire. That's my commitment to you.
1:33 I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be
1:36 here breaking down every single change,
1:38 every single update, every single piece
1:41 of news that could possibly affect your
1:43 benefits. Anyway, let's talk about the
1:46 details of these three percentages that
1:47 I just threw out there for you right now
1:49 and what you need to know about this.
1:51 And again, it's going to impact your
1:54 monthly benefit in a massive way. And uh
1:57 I don't use the word massive lightly. I
1:59 really mean it. These changes are
2:01 substantial and they're going to be felt
2:03 by tens of millions of Americans all
2:06 across the country. So whether you're
2:08 already receiving social security,
2:09 whether you're about to start receiving
2:11 it or whether you're just planning ahead
2:13 for the future, you need to understand
2:16 what's happening here. All right. So
2:19 let's first off talking about in order
2:20 here that I presented them just a minute
2:23 ago. Obviously the 2.8% I think you know
2:26 what that is, but it is on my list here.
2:29 So, I'm going to mention it super fast
2:30 because I know I've talked about this
2:32 before. I know you've probably heard
2:34 about this from other sources, but it's
2:36 important that we start here because
2:38 this is the baseline. This is what
2:40 everything else is measured against.
2:44 Yes, the 2.8% cola. Yes, that happens to
2:45 be the smallest of all the percentages
2:49 here. Huge shock, right? I mean, isn't
2:52 it funny how that works? the COLA, the
2:54 cost of living adjustment, the thing
2:56 that's supposed to help you keep up with
2:58 inflation, that's the smallest number,
2:59 but the other numbers, the numbers where
3:02 they're taking money from you, oh, those
3:04 are much bigger. Interesting how that
3:06 always seems to work out, isn't it? But
3:09 anyway, yes, that goes into effect right
3:13 here, right now. The 2.8% cola impacting
3:16 about 75 million beneficiaries and their
3:19 monthly benefits. And when I say 75
3:20 million, I want you to really think
3:22 about that for a second. That's not a
3:25 small number. That's 75 million people,
3:28 75 million families, 75 million
3:31 Americans who are counting on this cost
3:33 of living adjustment to help them pay
3:36 their bills, to help them afford their
3:39 groceries, to help them keep up with
3:42 rising costs. And 2.8% is what they're
3:45 getting. Now, is that enough? Well,
3:46 we'll talk about that in a minute when
3:48 we get to the other numbers. Again, all
3:50 beneficiaries. I get this question all
3:52 the time is who's going to be included
3:55 for that? Who qualifies for the COLA?
3:57 Who gets this increase? Everybody.
3:59 Literally every single person that gets
4:01 a benefit from Social Security,
4:04 including VA and RRB. Yep. Everybody out
4:06 there. Again, nearly 100 million people
4:09 when you add it all up. Actually, about
4:12 75 million people from Social Security
4:15 specifically. And then again a few
4:17 million other people from other benefits
4:20 as well like veterans benefits, railroad
4:22 retirement benefits, supplemental
4:24 security income, all of those programs.
4:26 That's the 2.8%.
4:28 Obviously, you know about that. That was
4:30 announced a couple months ago back in
4:33 October when the consumer price index
4:34 numbers came out and they calculated
4:37 what the cola was going to be, but it
4:39 was on my list and I wanted to point it
4:42 out. Okay? So, you should already know
4:44 what that's going to be for you and your
4:45 monthly benefit. You should have already
4:47 done the math. You should have already
4:49 figured out, okay, if I'm getting X
4:52 amount of dollars per month, 2.8%
4:53 increase means I'm getting Y amount
4:57 more. And for a lot of people, that 2.8%
5:00 might work out to, I don't know, maybe
5:03 $50, maybe $60, maybe $70 a month,
5:05 depending on what your benefit is. For
5:07 some people, it might be less. For some
5:09 people, it might be more. But that's
5:11 roughly what we're looking at with a
5:14 2.8% cost of living adjustment. But
5:16 let's talk about the other major ones
5:18 that we need to pay attention to. And
5:20 this is where things get really
5:22 interesting. This is where things get a
5:24 little bit frustrating, a little bit
5:26 annoying, and honestly a little bit
5:29 infuriating when you really sit down and
5:31 think about what's happening here. The 9.6%.
5:33 9.6%.
5:34 What is this one? What am I talking
5:37 about with 9.6%.
5:39 This one is now the new Medicare Part B
5:42 premium increase for 2026. And right
5:44 away, do you see the problem here? The
5:47 COLA is 2.8%.
5:50 The Medicare premium increase is 9.6%.
5:52 Does that math work? Does that make
5:54 sense? No, it doesn't. It doesn't make
5:56 sense at all. Okay, we talked about this
5:58 a little bit in the middle of November
6:00 and the middle of December when this
6:02 information was released in the middle
6:03 of November. I was out with you with
6:06 information at that time pointing out
6:08 that hey, this was just announced and
6:11 it's not quite as bad as they originally
6:14 proposed because originally when they
6:16 first floated the numbers, they were
6:18 talking about an even bigger increase.
6:20 So, I guess we're supposed to be
6:23 grateful that it's only 9.6%.
6:24 I don't know. That's what they want us
6:26 to think anyway. But, nonetheless, it
6:30 still is a massive, massive increase.
6:33 Remember, we got a 2.8% 8% cola. They're
6:36 raising the premium by 9.6%. Wow. Figure
6:39 that one out, right? Figure that out. I
6:41 mean, how does that work exactly? You're
6:44 getting a 2.8% raise and they're taking
6:47 9.6% more from you. So, you're actually
6:49 losing ground. You're actually worse off
6:52 than you were before. That's the reality
6:54 of the situation. Interesting how that
6:56 works. But anyway, so here's what it is.
6:59 Let me break down the actual dollar
7:01 amounts because the percentages are one
7:03 thing, but when you see the actual
7:05 dollars, that's when it really hits
7:08 home. The Medicare PartB premium is
7:12 going up by $17.90 from 2025 through
7:17 2026. Okay, $17.90 a month or 9.6% is
7:20 how much that's increasing. Now, $17.90
7:23 might not sound like a ton of money when
7:25 I just say it like that, but think about
7:26 it over the course of a year. That's
7:30 over $200 a year. That's $200 that could
7:31 have gone to groceries, that could have
7:33 gone to utilities, that could have gone
7:34 to gas, that could have gone to your
7:37 grandkids. But instead, it's going to
7:40 Medicare premiums. Okay? So, in 2025,
7:43 remember, it was $185 a month is the
7:45 Medicare Part B premium. That's what it
7:49 was last year. However, for 2026, right
7:52 here, right now, it is now $22.90
7:55 a month. $17.90
7:57 more per month that they're going to ask
7:59 and take. Well, I was going to say
8:01 they're going to ask. No, they're not
8:03 going to ask. They're going to take
8:04 they're going to take they're not going
8:06 to ask you. They're not going to write
8:09 you a letter and say, "Dear valued
8:11 beneficiary, would it be okay with you
8:13 if we took a little bit more money out
8:15 of your check this month?" They're not
8:17 going to call you. They're not going to
8:18 text you. They're not going to send you
8:20 an email. They're not going to say,
8:23 "Hey, can we please take another $179.90
8:25 out of your check?" No, they don't even
8:27 ask. They just take it. They just
8:29 automatically deduct it. That's the
8:31 worst part about this. They don't even
8:33 ask. They just take with their greasy,
8:36 sticky fingers. They just take it right
8:38 out of your benefit. Anyway, just be
8:39 prepared for that. Obviously, you can
8:42 tell how much I love it, right? Nada. I
8:44 don't love it at all. I think it's very
8:46 annoying. I think it's frustrating. I
8:48 think it's unfair and I think a lot of
8:50 you watching this right now feel the
8:52 same way. But anyway, that's right here,
8:54 right now. So, please be very aware of
8:57 that. That is the 9.6%
8:59 increase of how much it went up from
9:05 last year 2025 to now from 185 to 202.
9:07 That's the new number you need to
9:10 remember. 2290 is your Medicare Part B
9:14 premium for 2026. So, when you get your
9:16 social security checks, the first couple
9:19 payments you get here for 2026, you
9:21 might be thinking, "Hey, this doesn't
9:23 look right." Right? You might look at
9:25 your bank account. You might look at
9:26 your direct deposit and you might think,
9:29 "Wait a minute. I was supposed to get a
9:31 raise. I was supposed to get a COLA.
9:32 Where's my extra money? I don't think
9:35 they paid me the COLA." Oh, they did.
9:37 Yeah, they're paying you the COLA. They
9:39 absolutely are paying you the cost of
9:41 living adjustment. the Medicare Part B
9:44 premium is taking most of it from you.
9:46 That is the problem. That's the whole
9:48 issue right there in a nutshell. Let me
9:49 give you an example so this makes more
9:52 sense. Let's say you're getting $2,000 a
9:56 month in Social Security. A 2.8%
9:59 increase on $2,000 is 566. So you're
10:02 getting $56 more per month. But wait,
10:05 your Medicare premium just went up by
10:09 $17.90 per month. So out of that $56
10:11 increase, you're losing $179.90
10:14 immediately to the Medicare premium
10:16 increase. So your net increase, the
10:18 amount of money you actually get to keep
10:22 is only 38 out of 10, not 56x, but 38
10:26 out 10. You just lost almost a third of
10:29 your COLA to the Medicare premium
10:31 increase. And that's assuming you don't
10:32 have any other increases, which we'll
10:34 talk about in a second. Okay, that's
10:37 that. Now, let's talk about the 10.1%
10:40 really quickly here. And yes, there's
10:42 another increase because why would there
10:44 be just one increase when they can hit
10:46 you with multiple increases all at the
10:49 same time? This is the Medicare Part B
10:51 deductible. Yeah, the deductible as
10:53 well. They're asking for more money out
10:55 of you. So, it's not just the monthly
10:58 premium that's going up. The deductible
11:02 is going up, too. So, in 2025, it was
11:05 $257 was the deductible. That's the
11:06 amount you have to pay out of pocket
11:08 before Medicare starts covering your
11:12 part B expenses. It's now $283.
11:16 It went up by $26 or 10.1% again. Right?
11:19 Look at that percentage. 10.1%. The colo
11:22 was 2.8%. The Medicare premium went up
11:26 9.6%. The deductible went up 10.1%. Do
11:28 you see a pattern here? Everything is
11:30 going up faster than your social
11:32 security benefit. That's what's
11:34 happening. So there you go. That's what
11:37 that is. So as you use your Medicare
11:40 Part B coverages, as you go to the
11:42 doctor, as you get medical services, as
11:45 you need care, just recognize you're
11:49 going to be on the hook for that 283 ya
11:52 of the deductible upfront as well. Okay?
11:55 So just be aware of that. And uh again,
11:58 it's $26 more for the entire year. Now,
12:01 you might be thinking, okay, $26 for the
12:03 whole year. That's not too bad. That's
12:06 only like $2 a month, but nonetheless,
12:08 it's another $26 that you know, you got
12:10 to come out of pocket for to pay that
12:13 deductible along with the premium of
12:16 $17.90 a month on top of that. So, all
12:18 in all, let me do the math for you here.
12:20 17.90 a month. That's about what is the
12:25 math on that? Let's see. 1790* 12 months
12:29 uh 2 and480. Let's call it $215
12:32 roughly more per year. $215 per year
12:35 just in premium increases plus the $26
12:38 deductible increase. So what is that?
12:40 $241 more that they're asking from you
12:43 for what? Nothing. A whole lot of
12:45 nothing is what you get from that.
12:47 You're not getting better coverage.
12:48 You're not getting more services. You're
12:50 not getting faster service. You're not
12:52 getting anything extra for that money.
12:54 They're just charging you more for the
12:55 same thing you had last year. But that's
12:57 what they're going to ask from you. Oh,
12:59 and by the way, they're going to raise
13:02 your benefit by 2.8. 8%. Yeah. So,
13:04 figure that out, right? Let me do that
13:07 math for you. If you're getting $2,000 a
13:12 month, that's $24,000 a year. A 2.8%
13:16 increase on $24,000 is $672 for the
13:20 year, but you're paying $241 more in
13:22 Medicare cost. So, your net increase is
13:24 really only $430.
13:27 You're losing over a third of your COLA
13:29 just to Medicare. And that's not even
13:31 counting if your metagap premium went
13:33 up, if your Part D premium went up, if
13:35 your other health care costs went up.
13:38 This is just part B. But maybe by the
13:39 end of the year, you might maybe if
13:41 you're lucky, you may break even based
13:44 on the 2.8% COLA and how much they've
13:47 raised the deductible and the premium.
13:48 You might actually break even at the end
13:51 of the year. We'll see about that. But
13:53 either way, I want you to be very aware
13:55 of this because I think we all recognize
13:58 every single dollar counts right now.
14:01 And if you're living on a fixed income,
14:03 if you're trying to make your social
14:05 security check stretch from one month to
14:07 the next, if you're trying to figure out
14:09 how to pay for everything, every single
14:12 dollar absolutely matters. And this, if
14:14 you're somebody that plans and you look
14:15 at your budget and you look at your
14:17 monthly benefit that comes in and your
14:18 monthly expenditures and things like
14:20 that, you need to be aware of this
14:22 because at the end of the day, it's a
14:24 bunch of extra money on a percentage
14:27 basis coming out of your monthly benefit
14:28 check that you know you're going to have
14:30 to pay out that's going to be coming
14:32 right out of your benefit. It's not
14:34 optional. You can't say no. You can't
14:37 opt out. You have to have Medicare Part
14:38 B if you want to keep your Medicare
14:40 coverage. And if you have Medicare Part
14:43 B, you have to pay the premium. There's
14:45 no choice in the matter. So, it's going
14:47 to impact your money, your benefits,
14:49 your finances. As I mentioned earlier,
14:51 just want you to be very aware of this.
14:54 It's all fully in effect as of now.
14:57 Yeah. Thank you very much. Right. Not I
15:01 mean, happy new year, right? Happy 2026.
15:04 Here's your cola increase. And oh, by
15:05 the way, here's a bunch of increases
15:07 that are going to eat up most of that
15:09 cola. That's basically what just
15:11 happened. That's what we're dealing with
15:15 right here in January 2026. Anyway, just
15:16 want you to be aware of all this stuff.
15:19 And again, I'm here for you in any way
15:21 that I possibly can be. I want you to
15:23 know that. I want you to understand that
15:26 I'm not just making these videos to make
15:28 videos. I'm making these videos because
15:31 I genuinely care about what's happening
15:33 to Social Security beneficiaries, to
15:36 Medicare beneficiaries, to seniors, to
15:38 people on fixed incomes. I see what's
15:41 happening. I see the struggles. I see
15:43 the challenges. And I want to make sure
15:45 you have the information you need to
15:47 navigate all of this. Remember, I'm on
15:50 your team. I'm here to advocate for you.
15:52 I'm here to represent for you. I'm here
15:54 to do whatever I can for you right now.
15:57 I get it. It's a rough time out there.
15:59 Costs are going up on everything.
16:01 Groceries are more expensive. Gas is
16:03 more expensive. Utilities are more
16:04 expensive. Housing costs are more
16:06 expensive. Everything is more expensive.
16:08 And meanwhile, your social security
16:11 benefit is going up by 2.8%.
16:12 Which doesn't even come close to
16:14 covering all of those increases. Got to
16:16 stick together. That's what we have to
16:19 do. We have to support each other. We
16:21 have to share information with each
16:22 other. We have to make sure that
16:24 everyone understands what's happening
16:26 and what their rights are and what their
16:27 options are. And that's what I'm trying
16:29 to do here with this channel. I'm trying
16:31 to create a community where we can all
16:32 support each other and help each other
16:35 get through this. And again, I imagine
16:38 2026 is going to be another very busy,
16:41 chaotic year like 2025 was. I mean,
16:42 think about everything that happened in
16:45 2025. We had debates about Social
16:47 Security reform. We had debates about
16:50 Medicare reform. We had debates about
16:52 the debt ceiling. We had debates about
16:54 government funding. We had debates about
16:57 everything. And I expect 2026 is going
17:00 to be more of the same, maybe even more
17:02 intense because we have midterm
17:05 elections coming up. So stay tuned. I'll
17:08 be here for you every step of the way,
17:10 bringing you every update, every piece
17:13 of news, every change that you need to
17:15 know about. That's my commitment to you.
17:17 I'll be here for you as much as I
17:18 possibly can be. I'll keep making these
17:20 videos. I'll keep breaking down the
17:22 information. I'll keep making it as
17:25 clear and understandable as possible so
17:27 that you know exactly what's happening
17:29 and how it affects you. Now, let me give
17:31 you a few more details about what you
17:34 should be looking for in your Social
17:36 Security check and your Medicare
17:37 statements over the next few weeks.
17:39 First of all, if you're already
17:41 receiving Social Security, you should
17:43 have received a notice from the Social
17:45 Security Administration telling you what
17:47 your new benefit amount is going to be
17:50 for 2026. That notice should have been
17:52 mailed out in December. If you didn't
17:54 get that notice, you can always check
17:57 online. You can go to ssa.gov. You can
18:00 create a My Social Security account if
18:01 you don't already have one, and you can
18:03 see exactly what your new benefit amount
18:05 is. Second, you should also receive a
18:08 notice from Medicare about your new part
18:11 B premium. Now, for most people, this is
18:13 automatic. If you're already having your
18:16 Medicare premium deducted from your
18:18 Social Security check, they'll just
18:19 automatically start deducting the new
18:21 amount. You don't have to do anything.
18:23 It just happens. But you should get a
18:25 notice telling you that this is
18:27 happening. If you don't get that notice,
18:29 again, you can check online or you can
18:33 call Medicare at 1 800 Medicare. Third,
18:36 keep an eye on your first few Social
18:38 Security payments of the year. Make sure
18:40 the amounts look right. Make sure they
18:41 match what the Social Security
18:43 Administration told you they were going
18:46 to be. Sometimes there are errors.
18:48 Sometimes things get messed up. It
18:50 doesn't happen often, but it does
18:52 happen. And if you notice something that
18:54 doesn't look right, you need to contact
18:57 the Social Security Administration right
18:59 away and get it straightened out.
19:01 Fourth, if you're on Medicare Advantage
19:04 or if you have a Part D prescription
19:07 drug plan, your premiums for those plans
19:09 might have changed, too. The Medicare
19:11 Part B premium is what we've been
19:13 talking about. But if you have
19:15 additional Medicare coverage through a
19:17 private insurance company, those
19:20 premiums could have gone up as well. So,
19:22 make sure you check all of your
19:24 insurance statements and make sure you
19:26 know what you're paying for everything.
19:28 Fifth, this is a good time to review
19:30 your overall Medicare coverage and make
19:32 sure you're in the right plan. Every
19:35 year during the fall, there's an open
19:36 enrollment period where you can change
19:39 your Medicare coverage. But a lot of
19:40 people don't take advantage of that.
19:43 They just stay in the same plan year
19:45 after year after year, even if it's not
19:47 the best plan for them anymore. So, if
19:50 you didn't review your Medicare coverage
19:52 during the last open enrollment period,
19:54 make a note to yourself to do it during
19:58 the next one in the fall of 2026. And
20:00 sixth, if you're struggling to pay for
20:02 your Medicare premiums, there are
20:04 programs that might be able to help you.
20:06 There are Medicare savings programs that
20:09 can help low-income individuals pay for
20:11 their Medicare premiums, deductibles,
20:14 and co-pays. There's also the extra help
20:15 program that can help with Part D
20:18 prescription drug costs. Not everyone
20:20 qualifies for these programs, but if
20:22 you're having trouble making ends meet,
20:24 it's worth looking into to see if you
20:26 might be eligible. Now, I want to talk
20:28 for a minute about what all of this
20:30 means in the bigger picture. Because
20:33 yes, we're talking about a 2.8% COLA and
20:37 a 9.6% Medicare premium increase and a
20:40 10.1% deductible increase. And those are
20:42 the numbers we have to deal with right
20:45 now in 2026. But this is part of a
20:47 larger trend that's been happening for
20:50 years. Medicare costs have been rising
20:53 faster than Social Security COLA for a
20:55 long time. This isn't new. This has been
20:59 going on for years and years and years.
21:01 And the result is that Social Security
21:03 beneficiaries are slowly losing
21:06 purchasing power over time. Even with
21:08 the annual cost of living adjustments,
21:10 even with the raises that are supposed
21:13 to keep up with inflation, the reality
21:15 is that Medicare and other health care
21:18 costs are eating up more and more of
21:20 people's social security checks. And
21:22 that's a real problem. That's something
21:25 that policymakers need to address.
21:26 That's something that Congress needs to
21:29 address. But in the meantime, we have to
21:31 deal with the reality of the situation
21:34 as it is right now. And the reality is
21:37 that your Social Security check in 2026
21:39 is going to be a little bit bigger
21:41 because of the COLA, but a lot of that
21:43 increase is going to be eaten up by
21:46 higher Medicare costs. That's just the
21:48 way it is. I wish I had better news for
21:50 you. I wish I could tell you that your
21:54 Social Security check is going up by 10%
21:56 and your Medicare costs are staying the
21:58 same. But that's not reality. Reality is
22:02 a 2.8% COLA and a 9.6% 6% Medicare
22:04 premium increase. So, what can you do
22:07 about this? Well, unfortunately, there's
22:09 not a whole lot you can do about the
22:12 Medicare premium increase if you want to
22:14 keep your Medicare Part B coverage. You
22:16 have to pay the premium. That's just how
22:18 it works. But, uh, there are some things
22:20 you can do to try to manage your overall
22:23 health care costs. You can shop around
22:25 for the best Part D prescription drug
22:27 plan. You can look for generic
22:29 medications instead of brandame
22:32 medications. You can ask your doctor if
22:34 there are lowerc cost alternatives for
22:36 your medications. You can use mail
22:39 orderies which sometimes offer lower
22:41 prices. You can take advantage of
22:43 preventive care services that are
22:46 covered by Medicare at no cost to you.
22:48 And beyond health care costs, you can
22:50 look for ways to reduce your other
22:52 expenses as well. You can look for
22:54 senior discounts on things like
22:56 groceries, restaurants, entertainment.
22:58 You can look into programs that help
23:01 with utility costs or property taxes.
23:02 You can look into downsizing your
23:04 housing if that makes sense for your
23:07 situation. You can look for ways to earn
23:09 some extra income if you're able to work
23:11 part-time. There are a lot of different
23:13 strategies you can use to try to make
23:15 your money go further. But at the end of
23:16 the day, the fundamental issue is that
23:19 Social Security benefits are not keeping
23:22 pace with the actual cost of living for
23:25 seniors. The COLA formula is based on
23:27 the consumer price index for urban wage
23:30 earners and clerical workers, which
23:32 doesn't necessarily reflect the spending
23:35 patterns of seniors. Seniors spend a
23:37 much higher percentage of their income
23:38 on health care than the general
23:41 population does. And health care costs
23:43 are rising faster than the overall
23:46 inflation rate. So the cola that seniors
23:48 get doesn't really keep up with the
23:50 costs that seniors are actually facing.
23:52 There have been proposals over the years
23:55 to change the COLA formula to use a
23:57 different index that better reflects
23:59 senior spending patterns. There's
24:01 something called the CPIE, the consumer
24:05 price index for the elderly that tracks
24:08 inflation specifically for seniors. If
24:10 Social Security used that index instead
24:12 of the current index, seniors would
24:15 probably get higher COLA. But Congress
24:17 hasn't made that change. It's been
24:18 proposed many times, but it hasn't been
24:21 enacted. So, in the meantime, we're
24:22 stuck with the current system. And the
24:26 current system gives us a 2.8% COLA for
24:29 2026 and a 9.6% Medicare premium
24:32 increase and a 10.1% deductible
24:33 increase. And that's what we have to
24:35 work with. That's the hand we've been
24:37 dealt and we have to figure out how to
24:39 make the best of it. I know this isn't
24:41 the most uplifting message. I know this
24:42 isn't the kind of news that makes you
24:44 feel great, but I think it's important
24:46 that you understand exactly what's
24:48 happening. I think it's important that
24:50 you have the facts. I think it's
24:52 important that you know what to expect
24:54 so you can plan accordingly. And that's
24:56 what I'm trying to provide here. I'm
24:57 trying to give you the information you
25:00 need so you're not surprised, so you're
25:02 not caught off guard. So you know
25:03 exactly what's coming and you can
25:05 prepare for it. So here's what I want
25:07 you to do. First, check your Social
25:09 Security statement and make sure you
25:11 know exactly what your new benefit
25:13 amount is for 2026.
25:15 Second, check your Medicare statements
25:16 and make sure you know what you're
25:18 paying for Medicare. Third, sit down and
25:20 do a budget. Figure out exactly what
25:22 your income is and what your expenses
25:24 are and make sure everything balances.
25:26 And if it doesn't balance, figure out
25:28 where you can make adjustments. Fourth,
25:30 if you're struggling, look into programs
25:32 that might be able to help you. There
25:34 are resources out there. You just have
25:36 to know where to look. And you have to
25:39 be willing to ask for help. And fifth,
25:41 stay informed. Keep watching videos like
25:43 this. Keep reading articles about Social
25:45 Security and Medicare. Keep up with
25:47 what's happening in Washington because
25:49 things are always changing and you need
25:51 to stay on top of it. And I'll be here
25:53 to help you do that. I'll keep making
25:55 these videos. I'll keep bringing you the
25:57 latest news and updates. I'll keep
26:00 breaking down what it all means in plain
26:02 English so you can understand it. All
26:04 right, that's everything I wanted to
26:07 cover today. I hope this was helpful. I
26:08 hope this gave you a clear understanding
26:11 of what's happening with Social Security
26:14 and Medicare in 2026. If you found this
26:16 video helpful, please give it a thumbs
26:17 up. Please share it with your friends
26:19 and family who might benefit from this
26:22 information, and please subscribe to the
26:23 channel if you haven't already so you
26:26 don't miss any future updates. I've got
26:28 a lot more content coming your way in
26:31 2026, and I don't want you to miss any
26:33 of it. Thanks for watching. Take care of
26:35 yourself. And remember, I'm here for
26:37 you. We're all in this together. Stay tuned.
