Available Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm ET | Call 800-970-1964
Welcome to the wonderful world of Medicare!
The good news is that on Medicare you’re able to get fantastic health insurance, far better than almost every employer group health plan. The days of having a $5,000+ deductible before your insurance kicks in are now behind you.
The bad news is that it can be overwhelming and it’s hard to know who to trust. There are TV commercials promising “Free everything!”, robo-callers who just won’t go away, and piles of mail from “Medicare”.
Lets make this simple, here’s what you need to do:
If you are retiring – you should sign up for Medicare Parts A & B.
If you are continuing to work, and are self-employed / work for a small company with less than 20 employees – you should sign up for Medicare Parts A & B
If you are going to keep working for a large employer (20+ employees) – then you do NOT have to sign up for Medicare Part B!
See the page When To Enroll for more information on deciding when to enroll in Medicare.
*Note: These are guidelines only. We cannot give you advice unless we speak to you. Schedule an appointment for recommendations based on your personal situation.
How? This can be done either online or by appointment at your local social security office.
When? Ideally you sign up 3 months before the month you turn 65. It takes the government a while to start your benefits, so don’t delay.
See the page Applying for Medicare for detailed instructions on the application process.
If you are not yet receiving Social Security payments, the default payment method for your Medicare premiums is quarterly direct bill. You’ll receive a bill in the mail for 3 months worth of your Part B premiums which can be $500+!
If you are already receiving payments from Social Security, your Medicare Part B premium will automatically be deducted from that payment.
Set up Medicare Easy Pay to have your monthly premiums taken directly out of your bank account each month.
Medicare.gov and 1-800-Medicare are prohibited by law from giving out advice about Medicare insurance plans.
You need to work with a licensed Medicare broker (like us!) or directly with a private insurance company to enroll in anything beyond Original Medicare Parts A & B.
You DO NOT save any money by calling an insurance company to enroll directly. You get our service for free. How great is that?
Learn how Medicare brokers get paid and schedule an appointment to talk with us.
There are many holes in Original Medicare, so the vast majority of people choose to supplement Medicare with private insurance plans that fill in the gaps in coverage.
There are two paths:
See the page Supplement vs. Advantage to learn how they are different from each other and which type is best for which people.
Once you know which path you want, Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement, now its time to pick the right plan.
Plans are based on your zip code and vary dramatically by state. We are licensed in all states and can explain what your options are and help you decided on which plan you feel most comfortable with.
There is no “Best Plan”, but there is a best plan for your situation.
Using our Medicare software quoting system, we can enter your information to get a list of 30+ different plans available in your area. We’ll help you narrow down the list based on your doctors, medications, travel frequency and give you a recommendation based on our experience working with these companies for many, many years.
Once you choose which plan is best for you, we’ll then help you complete the enrollment process. We make it easy with a single email / text message being all that is required.
Medicare will penalize you if you go without creditable prescription drug coverage, so it’s important to get this step right!
If you chose a Medicare Advantage plan – your plan should have a drug plan built in. There are very few situations where we would recommend you to have an advantage plan without a drug plan built in.
If you chose a Medicare Supplement plan – your plan is not allowed to include prescription drug coverage, so you’ll need to get a separate policy for this. We’ll use a list of your prescriptions to find the plan that minimizes your copays and out-of-pocket expenses for the year.
See the page Medicare Part D for more details.
You’re almost done! Now you need to decide if you want additional coverage that isn’t covered yet. The most popular plans that our clients choose are:
Ta Da! Once enrolled, you can expect to receive your insurance cards in the mail along with your policy documents in roughly 10-14 days.
Your coverage will not begin until your policy effective date, so even if you start Medicare in 3 months, you can get all your plans set up in advance.
since 1980
"This was the best experience I've ever had dealing with Medicare." - Darrell P.
Schedule Your Free Consultation Below to Get Personalized Medicare Help
Get our weekly email that makes learning about Medicare & Social Security actually enjoyable. Stay informed on the issues affecting your retirement, for free.
Helping seniors find the best Medicare plans since 1980.
© 2023 The Medicare Family All Rights Reserved.
Owned by: ESG Insurance d/b/a The Medicare Family. This website is not connected with the federal government or the federal Medicare program. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800 MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.