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

An hourglass against a textured gray wall, with a sticky note reading “For life?”. Medicare COBRA does not count as employer coverage when you turn 65 Papers and envelopes spread on a wooden table, with a sticky note reading “2024 return?”. Medicare Your 2026 Medicare premium was set by your 2024 tax return An empty hospital corridor with waiting chairs, with a sticky note reading “240 days”. Debt & Credit Your hospital bill has a financial assistance line. It's near the bottom An amber prescription bottle full of pills on a dark table, with a sticky note reading “My copay?”. Medicare The $959 drug Medicare will pay $274 for starting January 1 A blank sheet of paper and a pen on a kitchen counter, with a sticky note reading “$75?”. Medicare Your 2027 raise is 3.6%. See what Part B leaves A key on a key ring in a front door lock, with a sticky note reading “60 months?”. Retirement You deeded the house to your kids. Medicaid still checks 60 months A dirt path splitting in two through a green forest, with a sticky note reading “Hard to undo?”. Medicare You can leave Medigap any fall. Coming back is a different story A desk calendar showing December 30 and 31 with an orange highlighter, with a sticky note reading “Ends Dec. 31?”. Medicare If your Medicare Advantage plan ends, you get a 63-day Medigap right An empty wheelchair under a tree on autumn leaves, with a sticky note reading “Day 101?”. Retirement Your Medicare nursing home coverage ends on day 101. Then what A hand signing a document with a fountain pen, with a sticky note reading “Sell it?”. Insurance Before you drop a life insurance policy, ask what a buyer pays