An independent reference, not a sales funnel
Retirement Equation publishes plain-English arithmetic on Medicare premiums, surcharges and penalties, with the primary sources shown so you can check every figure rather than take our word for it.
What we do not do
We do not sell insurance. We are not licensed agents or brokers, we take no commissions, and we will not pass your details to anyone who does. No tool here asks for your email before it works.
We are not advisors. Nobody here is a financial advisor, tax preparer or attorney. Nothing on this site is advice about your situation. We do arithmetic on published figures and name the tradeoffs — the decision, and any professional you want to involve in it, is yours.
We are not the government. Retirement Equation is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the U.S. government, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Social Security Administration, or the Medicare program. For decisions about your own coverage, contact Social Security on 1-800-772-1213 or see medicare.gov.
How we handle being wrong
Every figure traces to a named CMS or SSA document, listed on Sources. That is deliberate: it makes any error checkable rather than a matter of opinion, and fixable in one file rather than across a dozen pages.
Where a figure has not been published yet, we say so. We would rather show an empty column and the reason than fill it with a plausible number.
If something here disagrees with CMS or SSA, the source is right and we are wrong. Tell us and we will correct it.
How this is paid for
Display advertising, and nothing else. We do not run affiliate links, lead-generation forms, or paid placements for insurance plans or agencies. Advertising pays for a site that can afford to tell you when a tool is not worth using — a lead-generation site structurally cannot.