Health
Medicare
The federal health insurance program for people 65 and older: what Parts A, B, C, and D cover, 2026 costs, what Medicare leaves out, and the Medigap versus Medicare Advantage decision.
RetiredWiki topic guide
Health & wellbeing
Medicare, movement, preventive care, mental health, and living well in your own body.
A clearer way through
Health guides by next step
Start with the essentials, then move through the comparisons, transitions, and actions that apply to this topic.
Start here
Build the foundation before getting lost in details.
Compare choices
See the tradeoffs, costs, and questions that make similar-looking options different.
Health
Dental, vision, and hearing coverage
Original Medicare pays for almost no routine dental, vision, or hearing care. Here is what the exceptions cover, what Medicare Advantage extras really include, and the cheaper routes to teeth, glasses, and hearing aids.
Caregiving
Hospice and palliative care
Palliative care relieves symptoms at any stage of serious illness, alongside curative treatment. Hospice is comfort care for the final months. How Medicare's hospice benefit works and how to choose a good program.
Money
Long-term care insurance
More than half of people turning 65 will need long-term care, and Medicare does not pay for most of it. What traditional and hybrid policies cover and cost, who qualifies, and the alternatives.
Health
Medicaid for seniors
How Medicaid works for people 65 and older: help with Medicare costs, paying for nursing home and home care, 2026 income and asset limits, spousal protections, the five-year look-back, and estate recovery.
Health
Medicare Advantage
More than half of Medicare beneficiaries now choose Part C plans. How Medicare Advantage differs from original Medicare, what the extra benefits really include, and what to check before enrolling.
Health
Medicare Part D
Medicare's prescription drug benefit: how stand-alone and Medicare Advantage drug plans work, the $2,100 out-of-pocket cap for 2026, the late enrollment penalty math, Extra Help, and why comparing plans every fall pays off.
Health
Medigap (Medicare Supplement)
How Medicare Supplement insurance fills the cost gaps in original Medicare, what the standardized Plans A through N cover, typical premiums, and why the timing of your purchase matters more than almost anything else.
When life changes
Find a steadier starting point for a transition, loss, care need, move, or safety concern.
Health
Arthritis
Arthritis is not one disease. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout have different causes and different treatments, and what helps the most common form is often movement, not medication.
Health
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease
Dementia is a group of diseases, not a single one. This covers the main types, how normal aging differs from warning signs, how diagnosis works now, what the new drugs actually do, and where caregivers can turn.
Health
Hearing loss
Age-related hearing loss is common, gradual, and easy to ignore. This covers how it is tested, over-the-counter versus prescription hearing aids and their costs, why Medicare does not pay for aids, and the link to thinking and mood.
Health
Mental health in older adults
Depression and anxiety are not normal parts of aging, and they respond to treatment at any age. Spotting late-life depression, what Medicare covers, and where to get help, including the 988 lifeline.
Health
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis thins bones silently until one breaks. Who should get a bone density test, what T-scores mean, an honest look at the medications, and what calcium, vitamin D, and exercise really do.
Health
Vision and eye health
Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy account for most age-related vision loss. This covers symptoms, treatments and their results, exam schedules, and what Medicare does and does not pay for.
Take action
Turn what you know into a practical conversation, checklist, or next decision.
Health
Exercise for seniors
What the CDC and WHO activity guidelines ask of adults 65 and older, what exercise actually changes in trials, how to restart safely after years of sitting, and where to find free or cheap programs.
Health
Fall prevention
More than one in four adults 65 and older falls each year. Why falls happen, which programs have real evidence behind them, a room-by-room home safety checklist, and what to do after a fall.
Health
Make a preventive-care calendar you can actually use
Bring screenings, vaccines, medicines, vision, hearing, dental care, and questions into one reviewable plan with your clinicians.
Health
Medicare enrollment periods
Medicare has strict signup windows: the initial enrollment period around 65, special periods for people working longer, annual open enrollment, and lifelong penalties for missing them.
Health
Nutrition for seniors
How nutrition needs change after 65: more protein and vitamin B12, enough vitamin D, calcium, and fiber, what the MIND and Mediterranean diet trials really found, and where to get help with meals.
Health
Sleep and aging
Sleep gets lighter and earlier with age, but chronic insomnia and daytime sleepiness are not normal. What changes after 65, why CBT-I beats sleeping pills, and how Medicare covers sleep apnea care.