Medicare Planning

The first year only you have a Special Enrollment period, and you should sign up for Medicare quickly after you quit working. Choose whether you want Medicare B and D or whether you prefer a Medicare Advantage plan. Every year thereafter, you may change Medicare plans during Medicare Open Enrollment, between October 15th and December 7th of each year.

We often recommend starting your comparison shopping with Traditional Medicare Plan G: the Good plan, the Go-anywhere plan. Compare this to the other Traditional Medicare Medigap plans. Each of the Medigap plans will remove some sort of coverage from plan G. One important benefit of Traditional Medicare Medigap plans is you can take your benefits anywhere.

Then compare your preferred traditional Medicare plan to the list of Medicare Advantage plans. Advantage plans are usually less expensive than Traditional Medicare plans. They are also a one-stop-shop, where you can get other benefits like dental, vision, and more. Many Advantage plans also provide Medicare Plan D: simplifying your decision process as well.

Finally, make sure you have medicines covered. For people with a number of prescriptions, the Advantage plans can be complicated because some plans charge more than other plans for the same medicines. We would be happy to make an introduction to an expert to help you choose between a Traditional Medicare Plan Part D or one of the Advantage plans.