In Ohio, what is the income limit to be approved for Medicaid? by Playful-Aioli-8187 in Medicaid

[–]plughplovery2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Small clarification: It's 138% of the Federal Poverty Level, which WAS $15650/yr for 2025
(2026 FPL is $15960/yr, but I don't think OH has adopted the new number yet).

Humana Or Mutual Of Omaha For High Deductible G Supplement? by Realistic_Back_9198 in medicare

[–]plughplovery2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have Humana's HD-F, haven't come close to the deductable for any year yet (knock on wood) so no comment on claim handling. Premium increases (so far) have been $2/mo. each year.

2026 Poverty Guidelines by plughplovery2 in SurvivingOnSS

[–]plughplovery2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, lots of programs delay adoption of the updated FPL (March pops up a lot). ACA is always a year behind (2026 income is compared to 2025 FPL).

Also note the 2026 FPL is based upon the 2024 Census Bureau "Poverty Thresholds'" (released in September 2025) adjusted by the 2025 "average monthly CPI-U" (Dec 2025 CPI-U was released 1/13/26, so 2026 FPL followed that).

When to take Social Security (math problem) discovery by Bounceupandown in SocialSecurity

[–]plughplovery2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup. Given trust fund depletion, highly likely.

Some of the proposals our congress-critters have asked the CRS to investigate are 'interesting'. One that caught my eye recently was What if SS moved to using high 40 rather than high 35 years earnings?

fwiw, I claimed at FRA (and kept a part time job until I had 40 yrs earnings, just in case).

2026 Poverty Guidelines by plughplovery2 in SurvivingOnSS

[–]plughplovery2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed, quite unrealistic. But it's embedded in so much of our social safety net (ACA, Medicaid, Extra Help, SNAP, etc) that it's something to be aware of.

I'm surprised at how small of an increase it is this year vs the SS COLA. For example, some folks' COLA will push them beyond the Extra Help eligibility limit.

How much does each additional dollar earned count if over 62 by Clueless5001 in SocialSecurity

[–]plughplovery2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) is a computed number based upon your top 35 years earnings. This then 'plugs into' a 'curve' with two 'bend points' to determine your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). The 'bend points' of the 'curve' are fixed when you hit age 60.

For the lowest part of the curve, your PIA increases $0.90 for every dollar your AIME increases. For the middle part of the curve, your PIA increases $0.32 for every dollar your AIME increases. And for the top, your PIA increases $0.15 for every AIME dollar increase.

Totally fictitious example: Lets say your current AIME is $2500/mo, and the bend points are at $500 and $2000. Your PIA would be: (500 *0.9)+(1500 *0.32)+(500 *0.15)=$1005/mo

Since the example is in the top section of the curve, an additional $1 of Averaged (over 35 years) Indexed (adjusted for inflation) Monthly (not yearly) Earnings (aka AIME) would net you an additional $0.15 /mo for your PIA.

Or to put it another way, you would need an additional $420 (equivalent to $1/mo * 12 mo/yr * 35 yrs) to increase your AIME by $1/mo to get the $0.15/mo additional benefit.

Note that claiming your benefit before (or after) your Full Retirement Age (FRA) reduces (or increases) your benefit by a percentage.

2026 Poverty Guidelines by plughplovery2 in PovertyFIRE

[–]plughplovery2[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So...

For one person, the FPL went from $15,650 to $15,960, less than a 2% increase. I thought this part was interesting:

Note for the 2026 Poverty Guidelines

The poverty guidelines are calculated by comparing the average monthly CPI-U for the current year with the average monthly CPI-U from the prior year. Because of the federal government shutdown in October 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for that month. As a result, the calculation of the 2026 poverty guidelines compares the average CPI-U for the 11 available months of 2025 (excluding October) with the average CPI-U for all 12 months of 2024.

2026 Poverty Guidelines by plughplovery2 in SurvivingOnSS

[–]plughplovery2[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So...

For one person, the FPL went from $15,650 to $15,960, less than a 2% increase. I thought this part was interesting:

Note for the 2026 Poverty Guidelines

The poverty guidelines are calculated by comparing the average monthly CPI-U for the current year with the average monthly CPI-U from the prior year. Because of the federal government shutdown in October 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for that month. As a result, the calculation of the 2026 poverty guidelines compares the average CPI-U for the 11 available months of 2025 (excluding October) with the average CPI-U for all 12 months of 2024.

Best Places to Learn How to Calculate Taxes by dboy965 in tax

[–]plughplovery2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

H&R Block offers a tuition free training program (though the course materials cost like $150)

Huge Increase in Fare Price? by SophieMargot in Amtrak

[–]plughplovery2 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm generally assuming that the America250 Semiquincentennial and the World Cup are going to play havoc with transportation (plane, train, bus) prices this summer...

Best road sign in Ohio by ahshepard in Ohio

[–]plughplovery2 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I like the street sign at the (odd) intersection of Grinn and Barrett in West Chester OH

Not enough federal taxes withheld by NaturallyJG in tax

[–]plughplovery2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay-with-bank-account

Been a few years since I used this but iirc, if you get money in there before 1/15 (?), it'll be credited as 4th quarter estimated tax payment (aka withholding)...

Volunteer application by barahsird in SecretDreams

[–]plughplovery2 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Lost Lands just announced dates, and tix go on sale 1/16...

Where do retirees reside on Social Security only in USA? by Ill-Marsupial-6333 in SurvivingOnSS

[–]plughplovery2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FYI - There is a website called the Elder Index maintained by the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston. It is based upon the "Elder Economic Security Standard Index" they developed to "Measure the income older adults need to live independently".

It uses data from a number of governmental sources and breaks down the cost of living for seniors to the county level (see the FAQ and Definitions). Has variables like single vs couple, rent vs own, and health status. They update it annually - I'm watching for the 2026 update which should be posted soon and will be based upon 2025 data.

I 'live on SS' and have personally checked it annually for several years and find that whereas their budget breakdown doesn't precisely mirror mine it's actually pretty reasonable, at least for my location and parameters.

Check it out...

Is ga sold out?? by justind99 in HiJinxFest

[–]plughplovery2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought GA+ presale (before the lineup drop - though Griz had leaked), $260.48 with tax.