ArcaMax

MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota is on a top 10 list no one wants to be a part of, with the second-highest rate of deadly falls for people age 65 and older, after Wisconsin.

The deadly falls are twice the national average and rising.

Nearly 142 Minnesota seniors per 100,000 died from injuries sustained in a fall in 2021, according to recently released...Read more

Dear Readers: Recently, I received a text message from a Toni Says Medicare client that I would like to share with you. The text reads Toni: I need to put together a 24/7 home care recovery plan after a liver transplant. The surgery is over a year out, but I would appreciate your advice on how to plan for this medical event. Thanks in ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Forty-two stories above ground, Jon Gottlieb traced his bicycle route. From his vantage point by the pool, on his building’s roof, he could see the stop sign where he turns right, the road he hates crossing, the park he rides through and the tunnel that leads to the Lakefront Trail bike path.

Gottlieb, 75, rode this route at least ...Read more

CHICAGO -- Forty-two stories above ground, Jon Gottlieb traced his bicycle route. From his vantage point by the pool, on his building’s roof, he could see the stop sign where he turns right, the road he hates crossing, the park he rides through and the tunnel that leads to the Lakefront Trail bike path.

Gottlieb, 75, rode this route at least ...Read more

NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- Earl Weinmann makes a decent dog using locally sourced beef, sauerkraut, onions and a homemade secret sauce for the more adventurous. At $5 each, it’s the best fast-food deal this side of Taco Tuesdays.

But the main draw to his Weinmann’s Weenies, the hot dog-shaped cart at Northfield’s Riverwalk Market Fair, is the ...Read more

DENVER -- Aurora, Colorado, resident Alex Vukovich is officially back from the dead, after months of trying to fix a mistake that held up his monthly Social Security checks.

Vukovich first found out the federal government had him listed as dead when his January payment disappeared from his bank account. He notified the Social Security ...Read more

Hello Toni,

My sister has collected your articles on Medicare for years and suggested that I contact you about my Medicare issue. I turn 65 on October 20 and am preparing to retire next February. I have a question about my enrollment timing.

I plan to work through January 2026 to help with the transition of my job...Read more

Dear Toni:

I recently had a hospice agent knocking on the doors in my neighborhood who said he represented Medicare. He was giving away free hospice gifts and told me that I could receive these Medicare services at no charge for me and my husband. I told him that I did not give out personal information to anyone that I do not know because I ...Read more

Toni:

I have just enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B because I turned 65 in June. I am still working, and my husband, James, and I are on my employer health insurance plan. I recently received a letter from Social Security saying that I am being charged a much higher premium for Part B because of my 2023 tax return showing higher earnings. Now ...Read more

Hello Toni:

Thank you for teaching my husband Charley and me the value of finding the right Medicare option for him since he retired at age 70 a few months ago. Charley wanted to pick a Medicare Advantage PPO plan because it had a $0 monthly premium and he could still keep his doctors even though many of the offices were out of network. He ...Read more