Share the basics
Fill in the signup form with your start date, the doctors you see and the medicines you take.
Medicare Services, Explained
The main paths through Medicare, what each one covers, and how I help you pick the one that suits you.
The pieces of Medicare
Four paths I walk through with you
Original Medicare
The federal program itself, with a hospital side for inpatient stays and a medical side for office visits, tests and equipment.
I check which of your doctors accept it.
Medicare Advantage
A private plan that bundles the hospital and medical sides together, often adding extras while asking you to use its network.
I test your doctors against each network.
Drug Coverage
Stand alone prescription coverage that sits beside Original Medicare, with a drug list and pricing that differ from plan to plan.
I price your exact refills on each list.
Medigap
Supplement policies that pair with Original Medicare and pick up costs it leaves behind, such as coinsurance and deductibles.
I compare what each policy fills in.
Timing matters
The windows that decide when you can act
Your first chance
Initial enrollment
It opens a few months before your Medicare birthday and closes a few months after. Missing it can mean a lasting penalty.
Every fall
Open enrollment
Once a year you can switch plans, add drug coverage or return to Original Medicare. I review your plan before it opens.
After a life change
Special enrollment
Moving, retiring from a job plan or losing other coverage can open a window of its own. I help you spot it in time.
After you reach out
The path from signup to a decision
Get a short rundown
I sort through the options open to you and send a summary with the trade-offs noted.
Decide in your own time
Ask follow-up questions by email, then enroll when you feel ready or keep what you have.
Before I compare
What to have handy when you sign up
None of this has to be perfect. A rough list gets me started, and I can fill gaps with a quick question by email.
Get Started- Your Medicare card Or the date your coverage begins if the card has not arrived yet.
- Your medicine list Names and doses for every prescription, including ones you fill only now and then.
- Your doctors Primary care, specialists and any clinic or hospital you prefer.
- Current coverage Any job, retiree or private plan you have today, even if it ends soon.
Plain language
Words you will see on every plan
Premium
The amount you pay each month to keep a plan active, whether or not you use care.
Deductible
What you pay out of pocket before a plan starts sharing the cost of covered care.
Copay
A set amount you pay for a visit or a refill, printed right on the plan summary.
Coinsurance
Your share of a bill shown as a portion of the cost rather than a flat amount.
Network
The doctors, hospitals and pharmacies a plan has agreed to work with at its best rates.
Drug list
The medicines a plan covers, sorted into tiers that set how much each refill costs.