Weekly News Quiz

Updated vaccines for the 2025-2026 season from Pfizer and Moderna are already in pharmacies and doctors’ offices throughout the country or making their way there, and an updated COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax is expected to be available in early fall, according to a spokesperson from Sanofi, the company that markets the vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved this year’s COVID-19 vaccine for two groups: All adults age 65 or older, and individuals 6 months through 64 years of age with at least one underlying condition that puts them at higher risk for complications from a coronavirus infection. 

This year, Part B enrollees pay a standard monthly premium of $185, the exact amount that the trustees estimated last year. That’s up $10.30 from $174.70 in 2024. The 2025 Part B annual deductible is $257, up from $240 in 2024.

But next year, the Part B premium is projected to jump 11.6 percent, $21.50, to $206.50, the Medicare trustees reported in July. That would raise the Part B annual deductible by 12 percent, $31, to $288 in 2026.

Nearly half (48 percent) of people over 40 are confident or somewhat sure about what they should be eating for optimal health. Only 18 percent think it’s easy to maintain a healthy diet, and 25 percent find it difficult.