Senior citizens who receive Social Security benefits cannot refuse their entitlement to Medicare Part A benefits, the D.C. Circuit ruled in a strange case in which citizens sued the government seeking fewer benefits. They said their private insurers limit their coverage because they are eligible for Medicare.

The U.S. Treasury and Labor Departments will ask for public comment as soon as next week on ways to promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams, according to Assistant Labor Secretary Phyllis C. Borzi and Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Mark Iwry, who are spearheading the effort.