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It depends. If you meet the requirements you're OK to delay. It's important to keep in mind that failure to enroll in Medicare on time is one of the most costly mistakes that working Medicare-age seniors make. You can wind up getting hit with late enrollment penalties that you'll have to pay every year for the rest of your life. Those penalties could drain thousands in extra Medicare costs from you and your wife's savings and income..The high cost of healthcare and the significant cost of serious illness or dementia is climbing at one of the most rapid rates in years. Last year TSCL's annual Senior Survey found that 29% of survey respondents spent up to one-half of their Social Security benefits on healthcare costs, up from 25% the previous year. Another 18% spent more than one-half of their benefits on healthcare, up from 13% the previous year..Annual cuts to healthcare providers. The Affordable Care Act provided for a number of cost-cutting mechanisms that cut government spending on hospitals and other healthcare providers. Medicare's Chief Actuary and the Congressional Budget Office have raised doubts that the savings targets can be achieved over a prolonged period of time, without providers dropping out of Medicare. Media reports already suggest that a growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are left with significant uncovered costs as hospitals keep patients listed as outpatients rather than inpatients due to new rules that penalize hospitals for frequent readmissions. TSCL is concerned that these sorts of problems may escalate as provisions of the Affordable Care Act are implemented..In a controversial political maneuver, Members of the House passed a bill on Friday that would keep federal agencies funded through December 15th, but withdraw spending for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The bill is now in the hands of the Senate, where leaders will likely attempt to strip it of the language that defunds the health care law. When asked how he plans to move forward with the House bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said: "Any bill that defunds Obamacare is dead. It's a waste of time." The bill has also received numerous veto threats from the White House..In last week's update we told you about the pending retirement of Senator Lamar Alexander, who has been a champion of legislation to end surprise medical billing. We feared the effort to end the practice would now be more difficult in Alexander's absence..In addition Senator John Barrasso, the third ranking Republican in the Senate, has stated that members of his party have "brought it up with President Trump, who has talked about it being a second-term project.".Note any other relevant information and then hang up..Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced S. 62 on January 9, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Finance..How To Increase Medical Tax Deductions for Older Taxpayers