Medicare guides, in plain language
Short, practical answers to the questions people bring to a Medicare office. Each guide is reviewed by the Benefits Life team and dated. Guías en español →
- When can I enroll in Medicare or change my plan?
The Medicare enrollment periods in plain language: your Initial Enrollment Period, the Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 to December 7), the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, and Special Enrollment Periods.
- Is it free to meet with a Medicare agent?
Meeting with a licensed Medicare agent costs you nothing. How agents are paid, why your premium is the same either way, and what to expect from a free visit.
- Medicare agent, broker, or SHIP counselor: who should I talk to?
The difference between a SHIP counselor, a captive agent, and an independent Medicare agent or broker, and when to use each.
- What is a Scope of Appointment, and why do I have to sign it?
Why Medicare agents ask you to sign a Scope of Appointment before a meeting, what the form does and does not do, and why there is no longer a waiting period.
- What should I bring to a Medicare appointment?
A simple checklist for an in-person Medicare visit: Medicare card, prescription list, doctors, pharmacy, and current plan card. What to expect when you arrive.
- What questions should I ask a Medicare agent?
The questions a good licensed Medicare agent welcomes, about their credentials, the companies they represent, your doctors and drugs, and costs, plus what you should never be asked.
- I’m already enrolled. Who do I call for help?
Why the agent who enrolled you is the right first call after you have Medicare coverage, how to find your agent of record, and what they can do for you.
- My Medicare Advantage plan is ending or leaving my area. What do I do?
What to do when your Medicare Advantage or Part D plan is discontinued or stops serving your county: the notice, the Special Enrollment Period, your Medigap rights, and how to compare replacements.
- What is the Annual Notice of Change, and what should I look for?
How to read the Annual Notice of Change your Medicare plan sends every September: the five things to check, what the numbers mean, and what to do if you do not like what you see.
- I’m turning 65. When and how do I sign up for Medicare?
A turning-65 Medicare checklist: your seven-month enrollment window, automatic versus manual enrollment, when to delay Part B for employer coverage, Part D and Medigap timing, and the HSA catch.
- Medicare costs this year and next: Part A, B and D amounts
The premiums, deductibles, the Part D out-of-pocket cap and the IRMAA income brackets Medicare sets each year, with what changed and where each number comes from.
- What changed in Medicare this month
A short monthly update on enrollment dates, the amounts Medicare sets, plan availability and new rules, each reviewed by a named Benefits Life staff member with a source for every fact.
- How many Medicare Advantage plans are in my county?
Plan, company, drug-coverage and Special Needs Plan counts for every county, from the CMS Landscape file, with the change from last year.
- Medicare dates and deadlines
Every enrollment window and announcement date for the year on one page, plus the windows that depend on your own birthday.
- Medicare glossary: the terms, in plain language
Annual Enrollment Period, Medigap, IRMAA, Scope of Appointment and dozens more, each explained in a few sentences with links to the guide that goes deeper.