Your daughter is giving you good advice. It is time to sign up for Medicare. If you are still working, and you aren't yet getting Social Security, then you won't get Medicare automatically, and you need to apply by your Initial Enrollment deadline. It's important to pay attention to Medicare's enrollment deadlines in order to avoid permanent late enrollment penalties or a lapse in your health insurance coverage, but there is excellent free unbiased help available to steer you through this, as near as your local agency on aging or senior center. .Having a plan that covers Part D deductible generally is the better choice if you must take a lot of monthly prescriptions or if you have high drug costs. If you only require a few prescriptions or low cost generics, you might find that by going ahead and paying the deductible you recover that cost in much lower premiums. The only way to tell is by using Medicare's Drug Plan Finder to compare plan costs based on the prescriptions you take. .This is good news. While we have disagreements with some doctors over things like surprise medical billings, this year has taught us how critical and valuable to us all are our medical personnel. This certainly was no time to try to balance the budget on the backs of those who have borne the weight of so many of us this year. .COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic. .Meanwhile, some of the highest-priced drugs in the United States are brand-name drugs that can cost thousands of dollars per dose and are used to treat life-threatening illness such as hepatitis C or cancer, the researchers said. .First, re-shop your Medicare prescription drug coverage every fall during Open Enrollment season -- and the same goes for Medicare Advantage if you're in one of these plans. Insurance companies often change their offerings year-to-year in ways that can increase drug costs by hundreds of dollars, or make it more difficult to get certain drugs. At the same time, your drug needs may have changed since the last plan selection period in ways that make a plan less beneficial for you. .The Medicare Trustees estimated that the base monthly Medicare Part B premium in 2012 would be 6.60. For seniors who became eligible for Medicare in 2010, that may be a modest savings. Those seniors are probably paying a base premium of 0.50 for Part B. But most seniors will pay more. You should plan accordingly as well since any increases in your Medicare supplemental plan and drug coverage and out-of-pocket costs, would very likely offset what little savings you may get on Part B. .Not thoroughly reviewing the contracts. Make sure you understand what your fees cover and understand built - in price "escalators." For example, cost-of-living adjustments have only increased Social Security benefits by an average of 1.1% over the past 8 years, but rental units may come with automatic price escalators of 5% per year. Facilities often have charges for room and board and separate fees for care. In addition to care fees, there may be medical supplies, medication delivery, laundry and other fees. It's a good idea to have an attorney review the contracts with you. .In the Senate, Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (IA) has also prioritized this critical issue. His first hearing as chairman was titled "Drug Pricing in AmericA Prescription for Change" and, in his opening statement, he vowed to get to the bottom of the growing problem. Following that hearing in January, Chairman Grassley called upon seven of the most profitable pharmaceutical companies to testify before the committee, saying: "Patients and taxpayers deserve to hear from leaders in the industry about what's behind this unsustainable trend."