Straight answers to real insurance questions
Insurance companies speak insurance. We translate. Each page below answers exactly one question, answer first, with current 2026 numbers and a named source for every figure. 38 answers and growing. Last updated August 17, 2026.
Medicare
Enrollment windows, penalties, IRMAA, Medigap, and what Medicare does and does not cover — with 2026 numbers.
- Can I get Medicare without 40 work credits?
- Can veterans have both VA benefits and Medicare?
- Do I have to enroll in Medicare at 65 if I have an HSA?
- How much is the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty?
- How much is the Medicare Part D late enrollment penalty?
- What are the IRMAA income brackets for 2026?
- What does Original Medicare not cover?
- What is a Medicare Special Enrollment Period?
- What is the difference between Medigap Plan G and Plan N?
- When is the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period?
Social Security
Claiming ages, the earnings limit, taxes, and spousal benefits. Kate is a Registered Social Security Analyst® (RSSA®), and claiming is a decision you get one chance to get right.
- Are Medicare premiums deducted from my Social Security check?
- Can I work and collect Social Security at the same time?
- How does the Social Security spousal benefit work?
- How is Social Security taxed?
- How much does Social Security increase if I wait until 70?
- How much is the 2026 Social Security COLA?
- What is my Social Security full retirement age?
- What is the Social Security earnings limit for 2026?
ACA & Marketplace
Open Enrollment, qualifying life events, subsidies, and what income actually counts on HealthCare.gov.
- Can I buy health insurance outside Open Enrollment?
- Do I have to pay back ACA subsidies?
- How long do I have to get new coverage after losing job-based insurance?
- What counts as a qualifying life event for health insurance?
- What income counts for ACA subsidies?
- What is an HSA-eligible health plan?
- When is ACA Open Enrollment?
Self-Employed & DPC
Health coverage when you are your own employer: 1099 options, the self-employed premium deduction, and direct primary care.
PEO & Business
What a PEO is, what it costs, and when co-employment beats traditional group health insurance for a small business.
Life & Annuities
Term vs whole life, final expense coverage, life insurance after 65, and how fixed annuities work.
Every page here gets the same test Kate uses in person
Does it answer a real question, accurately, in plain English, with a source? Kate Spilsbury is a Registered Social Security Analyst® and Certified Medicare Insurance Planner, and this library is how she answers when you're not in the room.
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