The Hanh Brown Show

A new Medicare pay cut for doctors raises a quiet question at the front desk: will this office still take your coverage? Learn what changed, what is still unsettled, and the one question to ask.

You're at the front desk of your doctor's office, clipboard in hand, while a news story about doctors' pay plays in the waiting room. A quieter question starts in the back of your mind: will this office still take your coverage?

The episode explains what changed in the yearly pay rule, what is still unsettled, and the one question to ask your doctor's office.

Takeaways:

• Call your doctor's office and ask whether they accept Medicare assignment.
• Watch whether lawmakers change the pay rule before it starts.
• If your doctor accepts assignment, the program's price is payment in full.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

Being laid off late in your career can mean a longer search and lower pay. Plan your money for the long search from the start, even if you feel sure the next job is close.

Gil walks the dog on a weekday morning, with no job to rush to. He knows his trade and expects to find work soon, but his money plan needs room for a longer wait.

You will hear why the next job can take longer, what that means for your money, and how to add up savings, severance and benefits.

Takeaways:

• Plan for a long search rather than counting on a quick return to work.
• Add up savings, severance and benefits to see how many months they cover.
• Work out the lowest paycheck that would still meet your needs.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

A short-term weight-loss drug program in Medicare gives some people a new reason to ask their doctor for help. Learn who it is for, what it costs, and how to start that talk.

Your brother leaves the clinic with a question he did not ask in the exam room. He wants to know whether his drug plan would ever help pay for these medicines.

The episode explains the short-term program, the health and plan rules, and words you can use with your doctor. It is not a promise that anyone will qualify.

Takeaways:

• Ask your doctor whether you meet the program's health and plan rules.
• Bring a list of your health conditions, medicines, and drug plan.
• If the answer is no, ask why and whether any information was missed.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

When a spouse dies, survivor benefits can start with a phone call, and a letter may say you owe money back. Learn who may qualify, how to start, and what to do if that letter arrives.

Irene holds her husband's reading glasses, still warm from the morning sun, and does not know which call to make first.

The episode explains who may get survivor benefits, how to start them with a phone call, and what to do if a letter says you were paid too much.

Takeaways:

• Start survivor benefits with a phone call, not online.
• If a letter says you were overpaid, you can repay, appeal, ask for a waiver, or set up a plan.
• Write the agency's number in a notebook and keep it by the phone.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

A notice can put Medicare at risk for some lawfully present immigrants whose files don't yet show they qualify. Learn what the notice means, and what to gather and send before the deadline.

Nadia keeps her Medicare card in her purse, behind a photo of her grandson. A letter arrives, and her daughter asks quietly whether it's about the card.

The episode explains what the notice is asking for, who the new law covers, and how to respond before the deadline. Getting a notice does not mean your coverage has already ended.

Takeaways:

• Read the notice carefully and respond by the deadline it gives.
• Gather your citizenship or status documents and send or bring what the notice asks for.
• Call the help line if you need help, and keep a folder with copies and a list of every step.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

The income line for premium help can turn a large retirement withdrawal into a second bill. Learn what crossing it costs, and how to plan your income before you choose a health plan.

Wes holds a cracked shingle from his roof. He can pay for the repair from his retirement account, but taking the money all at once could change what he pays for his health plan.

You will hear how to check the line for your household, plan a large withdrawal, and keep your income estimate current.

Takeaways:

• Add up the year's income before you choose a health plan.
• Ask a tax preparer how a large withdrawal could change your premium help.
• Keep your income estimate current when your plans change.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

Estrogen patches are harder to find right now, but they are still being made. This episode shows what to ask the pharmacist, what to ask your doctor, and why you shouldn't stop the medicine on your own.

The episode opens with the thin crackle of an empty foil pack in the bathroom drawer, and the pause when you realize there isn't another one.

You'll hear why estrogen patches may be hard to find even though they are still being made, what to ask the pharmacist and your doctor, and why you shouldn't stop the medicine on your own.

Takeaways:

• Estrogen patches are harder to find right now, but they are still being made. Call before you run out.
• Ask the pharmacist to check other stores and approved makers, and talk with your doctor about other options.
• Don't stop or change the medicine on your own. If it's your last box, call the pharmacy today.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

Family emergency scam callers can use a cloned voice that sounds exactly like a grandchild. This episode shows why a voice you love isn't proof, what to do before you send money, and how a family code word helps.

The episode opens when you pick up the phone, and before you can say hello, a voice you'd know anywhere says, It's me. I'm in trouble.

You'll hear why a voice you love isn't proof, what to do before you send money, how a family code word helps, and what to do if money already went out.

Takeaways:

• A voice you love isn't proof anymore. Hang up, and don't press redial.
• Call back on a number you already have, or call someone else in the family, and send nothing until you reach the real person.
• Before the holidays, pick a family code word together, and write your callback numbers on one card that lives by the phone.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

New Medicaid work rules may soon apply to some working-age adults with expansion coverage. This episode explains who the rules cover, what counts, who doesn't have to meet them, and how to help keep your coverage.

The episode opens as Inez cuts her husband's toast into small squares, the way she does every morning now, and a worry comes back about her own health coverage.

You'll hear what happened, who it affects, what's still unknown, and the steps that help you keep your coverage.

Takeaways:

• Work, volunteering, school, job training, or enough income can count.
• Many people don't have to meet the requirement, including caregivers for someone with a disability and people who are medically frail.
• Keep your contact details current, open every notice, and ask questions early.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.

Gray divorce can split a lifetime of savings. This episode walks through the money steps that protect your retirement, including when a workplace plan may need a special court order, and when you may still get benefits on an ex's Social Security record.

The episode opens with Mira at the closet, looking at the empty side where his shirts hung until he moved out, and the bare hangers that sway when she opens the door.

You'll hear how a late divorce can split a lifetime of savings, when a workplace plan may need a special court order, what to update once the divorce is final, and the questions to write down for the lawyer, the plan, and the agency.

Takeaways:

• Know what you have before you negotiate a late divorce.
• A workplace plan or a pension may need a special court order before any of it can go to you.
• If you were married at least ten years, ask Social Security whether your ex's record may pay you.

Follow the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify.

Hanh D. Brown (https://hanhdbrown.com/) — Read my essays on AI, aging, Medicare, caregiving, and the policies shaping our lives.

Second Half (https://secondhalf.news/) — Explore practical guides to life after 50, including retirement money, health, caregiving, work, and staying connected.

Medicare Brief (https://medicarebrief.news/) — Get plain-language explanations of Medicare coverage, costs, enrollment, financial help, and your rights.

AI50 (https://ai50.ai/) — Discover AI services built and managed for small businesses, helping with customer inquiries, lead follow-up, and everyday tasks.

The AI Brain (https://theaibrain.ai/) — Find answers in your company’s own information, with sources you can check.