Medicare's once-a-year window is open (and the tool got easier)

Welcome to the very first issue of Steady Tap! Every Wednesday, we bring you the tech news that matters, one scam to know about, and one small thing to try, all in plain words. Today: Medicare’s yearly sign-up window, a fake “raise” scam, and how to take a picture of your phone screen.

Your free printable Scam Safety Checklist and Phone Basics Starter Pack are on our welcome page (https://steadytap.org/welcome/).

The Big Story

Medicare’s yearly window is open, and the comparison tool got easier

What happened: Medicare Open Enrollment runs from October 15 to December 7. It’s the one time each year when everyone with Medicare can change their health plan or drug plan for next year. This year, the free plan comparison tool on Medicare.gov got some helpful upgrades.

Each plan’s page now links to its drug list and its Summary of Benefits. You’ll see more detail about extra benefits, like checkups and hearing aids. If your current plan is changing or ending in 2027, a clear message tells you. And for Medicare Advantage plans, the lists of doctors now come from the plans and are checked by Medicare.

Why it matters: Plans can change their prices, the drugs they cover, and their doctors every year. Medicare expects the average Medicare Advantage premium to drop from $14.37 to $12.00 a month in 2027. But your plan may be different, so it’s worth a look.

What to do:

Read the “Annual Notice of Change” your plan sent you this fall. It lists what’s changing.
Type Medicare.gov/plan-compare into your web browser yourself. Add your drugs and your pharmacy to compare real costs.
Check that your doctors are in the plan’s network.
Want a person to help? Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), any time, day or night. Or get free, unbiased help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at shiphelp.org (https://www.shiphelp.org/).

Happy with your plan, and it’s still offered? You don’t need to do anything. Any change you make by December 7 starts January 1.

Sources: Medicare.gov: Open Enrollment: https://www.medicare.gov/health-drug-plans/open-enrollment | CMS: 2027 Medicare plans and Open Enrollment (Sept. 28, 2026): https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/medicare-advantage-medicare-prescription-drug-programs-expected-remain-stable-2027 | CMS: Medicare Plan Finder updates: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/medicare-gov-plan-finder-updates.pdf

Scam of the Week

The “pay a fee to get your raise” message

Example of a scam text (not real, do not reply):

“SSA BENEFITS NOTICE: You qualify for a 2027 benefit increase of $312/month. To activate it, confirm your bank details and pay a $49.99 processing fee today: ssa-benefit-boost-dot-com”

Why it works: Social Security really did announce a raise for 2027 (see Quick hits below). Scammers use real news like this to sound believable. Their messages and websites can look very official.

The one thing to do: Never pay to get Social Security money. The yearly raise is automatic, and Social Security never charges a fee to make your check bigger. If you’re not sure, hang up and call Social Security yourself at 1-800-772-1213.

Where to report: Tell Social Security’s Inspector General at ssa.gov/scam (https://www.ssa.gov/scam/), and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/).

Sources: SSA Office of the Inspector General: Don’t pay for promises of increased benefits: https://oig.ssa.gov/scam-alerts/2026-09-21-don%E2%80%99t-pay-for-promises-of-increased-ssa-benefits/

Quick Hits

A 3.6% raise for Social Security. Benefits go up 3.6% starting in January, about $75 a month for the average retiree. Want to see your new amount early? Sign up for paperless notices in your my Social Security account by November 18. (SSA: https://www.ssa.gov/news/en/press/releases/2026-10-14.html)
Android texts get a new scam shield. Google is adding an optional “Enhanced protection” setting to its Messages app over the coming weeks. It checks texts from unknown numbers more closely and asks you to pause before tapping their links. Not every feature will reach every phone. (Google: https://blog.google/security/new-android-scam-protections/)
Real FTC refund checks are in the mail. The FTC is mailing checks to 65,022 people who lost money through scams that used Walmart’s money transfer service. Cash yours within 90 days. The real FTC never asks you to pay a fee or share bank details to get a refund. (FTC: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-sends-more-98-million-consumers-harmed-walmarts-failure-stop-scammers-used-its-wire-transfer)
Family under 65? Their sign-up time is open too. HealthCare.gov Open Enrollment runs November 1 to January 15. Sign up by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1. (Some states run their own sites with different dates.) (HealthCare.gov: https://www.healthcare.gov/quick-guide/dates-and-deadlines/)

Try This

Take a picture of your screen (a “screenshot”)

A screenshot saves exactly what’s on your screen as a photo. It’s handy for keeping a confirmation number, or for showing a strange text to family before you reply.

iPhone without a Home button:

Press the side button and the volume up button at the same time.
Let go of both buttons right away. You’ll see the picture appear.
A preview pops up. Tap Done or the save button, then choose Save to Photos. (On older iPhones, a small picture shows in the corner and saves by itself.)

iPhone with a round Home button:

Press the side (or top) button and the Home button at the same time.
Let go of both right away.
Save it the same way as above.

Android phone:

Press the Power button and the volume down button at the same time.
Nothing happened? Hold the Power button for a few seconds, then tap Screenshot.

To find it later, open your Photos app. Screenshots are saved there with your other pictures. (Some Android phones use an app called Gallery.)

Sources: Apple: Take a screenshot on your iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102616 | Google: Take a screenshot on Android: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9075928

A Question We Hear a Lot

“My phone keeps asking me to update. Is that safe? Will I lose my photos?”

Yes, it’s safe, and it’s one of the best things you can do. Updates fix security holes. In late September, Apple fixed an iPhone flaw that it says may have been used in targeted attacks. Updates are made to keep your photos, contacts, and apps where they are, but it’s still smart to back up first if you can.

Before you start, plug in your phone and connect to Wi-Fi. It can take 15 to 60 minutes, and you can’t use the phone while it installs.

On an iPhone: open Settings, tap General, then tap Software Update. On Android: open Settings, tap System, then Software updates. (On Samsung, tap Software update near the bottom of Settings.)

One warning: real updates only come from Settings. Never update from a pop-up on a website or a link in a text.

Sources: Apple: Update your iPhone: https://support.apple.com/en-us/118575 | Apple: iOS 26.7.1 security fix (Sept. 28, 2026): https://support.apple.com/en-us/149226

From Steady Tap

How to Spot Medicare and Health Insurance Scam Calls: https://steadytap.org/guides/medicare-scams/
How to Update Your Phone (and Why It Matters): https://steadytap.org/guides/update-your-phone/
How to Make Text Bigger on Your Phone: https://steadytap.org/guides/bigger-text/
All our free guides: https://steadytap.org/guides/

Write to hello@steadytap.org to tell us what you would like help with next.

With care, The Steady Tap team

Steady Tap is general help, not personalized tech support. This issue was sent to newsletter subscribers on November 4, 2026. Questions? Write to hello@steadytap.org.