Resources
Everything in this section, on one page
Sixteen guides, eight calculators, a glossary of the words that do the most damage, and the official places to check a figure. No email wall on any of it.
- No email required
- Plain English
- Official sources listed
Guides
Every page in the Medicare section
Written to be read in any order, though the first two make the rest easier.
Medicare forms
The forms people actually need, with notes
Read the pageMedicare & You 2027
What changed in the handbook this year
Read the pageMedicare basics
What Part A, B, C and D each cover, and what they cost
Read the pageNew to Medicare
Turning 65, month by month, from a year out
Read the pageEnrolment windows
Five windows, and the two penalties that never go away
Read the pageMedicare Advantage (Part C)
Networks, copays and a cap on your bills
Read the pageMedicare Supplement (Medigap)
Plan letters, pricing methods and the six-month window
Read the pagePart D prescriptions
Formulary tiers, the annual cap and the 1%-a-month penalty
Read the pageIRMAA surcharges
The income surcharge that looks back two years
Read the pageMedicare and your HSA
Why to stop contributing six months early
Read the pageMedicare with Medicaid
Dual eligibility, Savings Programs and Extra Help
Read the pageChronic condition plans
C-SNP, D-SNP and I-SNP, and when they fit
Read the pageMedicare when you travel
Service areas, snowbirds and cover abroad
Read the pageMedicare for veterans
How VA benefits and Medicare sit side by side
Read the pageVeteran resources
Free, accredited help and what to bring
Read the pageCalculators
Eight tools, no sign-up
Estimates for planning, not quotes. Medicare and the Marketplace set your real figures.
ACA qualifying event finder
Open the toolFamily glitch calculator
Open the toolIRMAA calculator
Open the toolMedicare enrolment window finder
Open the toolMedigap cost comparison
Open the toolPart A premium calculator
Open the toolPart B penalty calculator
Open the toolPart D penalty calculator
Open the toolGlossary
Ten words worth knowing
These ten cause most of the confusion in a Medicare conversation. The insurance translator covers another thirty.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Assignment | A provider agreeing to accept the Medicare-approved amount as full payment. Most providers here do. |
| ANOC | Annual Notice of Change — the September letter listing what your plan is changing on 1 January. |
| Benefit period | The Part A counting unit. Starts on admission, ends after 60 days out of hospital and skilled nursing. |
| Creditable coverage | Drug cover expected to pay at least as much as standard Part D. It prevents the late-enrolment penalty. |
| Formulary | A plan's list of covered drugs, sorted into tiers. |
| Guaranteed issue | A situation in which a Medigap insurer must sell to you without health questions. |
| IRMAA | The income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D premiums, based on your tax return from two years earlier. |
| MOOP | Maximum out-of-pocket — the annual ceiling an Advantage plan puts on your Part A and B cost sharing. |
| Observation status | Being in hospital without being admitted. It does not count towards the three-day rule for skilled nursing. |
| Prior authorisation | Plan approval required before a service is covered. |
Official sources
Where to check a number
We would rather you verified a figure than took ours on trust. These four are the places to do it.
Medicare.gov
The official site. Plan finder, coverage rules, and your own account with your enrolment record in it.
1-800-MEDICARE
Entitlement, enrolment records and complaints about a plan. Open around the clock, every day of the year.
Social Security
Part A and Part B enrolment, IRMAA determinations, Extra Help applications and Form SSA-44.
SHIP counselling
Free, unbiased Medicare counselling in every state, funded to have no product to sell.
- We do not offer every plan available in your area. Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE can show you all of your options.
- SHIP counselling is free and has nothing to sell. We recommend it even to people who then work with us.
Using this section
Questions about the guides
If you are turning 65, start with New to Medicare and then the enrolment windows. If you already have Medicare and something has gone wrong, start with the page for the part that is causing it — basics for a hospital bill, Part D for a pharmacy surprise, IRMAA for an unexpected premium.
Every dated amount on this site is labelled as a sample for the 2026 plan year and exists to demonstrate the arithmetic. Medicare resets premiums, deductibles, brackets and caps every year — take the method from these pages and the numbers from Medicare.gov or your plan's Annual Notice of Change.
The starter kit collects the checklists and the timeline in one place, and we will post it or hand it over at an appointment. Ring (912) 555-0148 and ask.
Our help costs you nothing. We are paid by the carrier you choose, and your premium is the same whether you enrol with us or on your own.
Read everything and still have a question?
That is normal, and it is the point at which a conversation beats a web page. Ring, text, email or book a time.
- No cost to you
- No pressure
- A person answers
Get a free plan review
A licensed, local advisor — usually the same day.
(912) 555-0148Mon – Thu 8:30 am – 6:00 pm