Social Security COLA 2026 and the New $200 Boost Bill: What Retirees Need to Know Today (November 17, 2025)
Published: November 17, 2025 Overview Social Security is heading into one of its most consequential years in recent memory. A 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for 2026 is now official, and Democrats in the Senate are pushing a new Social Security Emergency Inflation Relief Act that could temporarily add $200 a month to millions of benefit checks in the first half of 2026. At the same time, Medicare Part B premiums are jumping, and new data today highlights how much of that COLA will be swallowed by health costs. SSA+2MarketWatch+2 Here’s a detailed breakdown of what’s already locked in, what’s still