Margaret Linwood

Pen name · Medicare & Health Costs

Margaret Linwood is the pen name our editorial team uses for articles on Medicare, Social Security, long-term care, life insurance, estates and the cost of health care after 60. These pieces start from the paperwork people actually get: the Annual Notice of Change, the COLA letter, the itemized hospital bill. Every article is edited by a human editor on the Moneystretching team, who checks its figures, dates and rules against the sources before it is published. Those sources are primary wherever possible, such as CMS, the Social Security Administration and Medicare.gov, along with research from KFF, and each article links them in the text and lists them at the end. Articles published under this name never recommend specific plans or companies, and we do not sell insurance.

Covers
Medicare, Social Security, long-term care, life insurance, estates and health care bills after 60
Edited by
The Moneystretching editorial team. A human editor checks every figure, date and rule against the sources before an article is published. How we check articles
Sources
Primary sources such as CMS, the Social Security Administration and Medicare.gov, plus research from KFF. Each article links its sources.

47 articles · Contact: margaret@moneystretching.com · Editorial policy

Stories by Margaret Linwood

Two blank hang tags, one white and one black, on a sage-green background, with a sticky note reading “Up to 3.7x?”. Insurance Your MRI price depends on where you get it. Check before booking An older person seen from behind in a wheelchair beside an empty bed in a nursing home room, with a sticky note reading “Who owes this?”. Debt & Credit You signed as 'responsible party.' Read what that line commits you to An older woman's hands holding a younger woman's hand against a bright white background, with a sticky note reading “3 programs?”. Retirement You care for your mom daily. Three programs can pay family caregivers An apple pie with one slice cut out on a white plate, the slice on a side plate, with a sticky note reading “78% after 2032?”. Retirement Your check after 2032: taxes still cover 78%. See the math Hands opening an empty brown leather wallet, with a sticky note reading “50% withheld?”. Retirement Your overpayment letter starts a clock. One form can pause the withholding Two hands holding a blank white card over a dark wooden table, with a sticky note reading “65 days”. Medicare Your plan said no. Most appeals filed were at least partly reversed A stack of U.S. quarters on a white surface, with a sticky note reading “$202.90 a month?”. Medicare Your state may pay your Part B premium. Check one income line A blank sheet on a black clipboard with a yellow pencil on a wooden desk, with a sticky note reading “7 checks?”. Medicare Your Medicare plan can change January 1. Seven checks, in order A pen resting on a blank personal check, with a sticky note reading “POA refused?”. Retirement Your parent's bank won't take the power of attorney. Check one rule An older person's folded hands resting on blue fabric, with a sticky note reading “Pay more?”. Insurance Your long-term care premium went up. Compare the options in the letter