Original Medicare
Part A hospital and Part B medical coverHow the two parts fit together, what each one pays toward, and what is left for you to cover yourself.
Medicare plan guide
Understand and compare your Medicare coverage options
Tell us where you are with Medicare and a person on our team writes you a plain-English guide to your choices and your dates. It is free, and it arrives by email within two working days.
- Free, always
- Written by a person
- Nothing sold
Open Enrollment
October 15 to December 7. Changes start January 1.
What your guide includes
- Your enrollment dates, worked out for you
- The parts of Medicare that apply to you
- A checklist for comparing plans
Medicare, in plain words
We help you understand your Medicare choices, compare them side by side and choose with confidence.
Medicare arrives as a stack of letters and a deadline. We turn it into a short guide written for you, with the dates that apply to you and the questions worth asking.
Text reminder
Open Enrollment starts October 15. Your review checklist is in
your guide.
Your checklist
My doctorsMy
prescriptionsMy pharmacy
Free
no fees, now or later
4
parts of Medicare, explained one by one
1
short form, and a person writes back
Two windows in the Medicare year that most people need to know
Your guide adds your own dates, such as the seven months around your 65th birthday.
- Medicare Advantage Open EnrollmentJanuary 1 to March 31
- Open EnrollmentOctober 15 to December 7
What your guide covers
Every part of Medicare, explained for your situation
Your guide only covers the parts that apply to you. These are the topics it draws on.
Medicare Advantage
Part C plans from private companiesHow these plans bundle your hospital, medical and usually drug cover, and how their networks and referrals work.
Part D drug plans
Prescription coverage, plan by planWhy every plan has its own drug list, and how to check yours before you choose one.
Medigap
Supplement policies for Original MedicareWhat these policies pick up, why they only work alongside Original Medicare, and the easiest time to buy one.
Enrollment dates
When you can join, switch or dropYour first chance at 65, the fall window every year, and the special windows that open when life changes.
How it works
From a pile of Medicare mail to a choice you understand
Fill out the sign-up form
Tell us where you are with Medicare, your ZIP code and the coverage you have today. It takes about two minutes, and we never ask for your Medicare number or your Social Security number.
1 of 4 Start with step one
Read your personal Medicare guide
Within two working days a person on our team emails you a guide written for your situation: the dates that apply to you, the parts that matter to you and the choices you actually have.
2 of 4
Compare your options side by side
Use the checklist in your guide to line up plans on cost, doctors, prescriptions and travel. If a line in it does not make sense, email us and we will explain it.
3 of 4
Choose and enroll the official way
You make the choice and enroll through Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, Social Security or the plan itself. We show you which one applies to you, and we stay out of the decision.
4 of 4Who it is for
A guide for wherever you are with Medicare
Initial Enrollment
Turning 65 this year
Your first window to sign up opens three months before the month you turn 65. Your guide sets out what to sign up for, and when, so nothing starts late.
Open Enrollment
Reviewing the coverage you have
Plans change their drug lists, networks and costs every year. Your guide shows you what to check in the letter your plan sends each fall.
Family and caregivers
Helping a parent or partner
Sign up on their behalf, with their permission, and we write the guide around their situation. Mention in the form that the guide is for them.
Special Enrollment
Working past 65
Coverage from a current job can change when you need Part B. Your guide explains how your work coverage and Medicare fit together, and what to ask your employer.
Questions
Questions people ask before they sign up
A free information service that explains Medicare in plain English. You sign up, tell us where you are with Medicare, and a person on our team writes you a guide to your options and the dates that apply to you.
No. We are a private company and we are not connected with Medicare or any part of the government. The official site is Medicare.gov and the official helpline is 1-800-MEDICARE. Your guide points you to both.
No. We do not sell insurance and we do not pass your details to agents, brokers or insurance companies. The only calls and texts you get from us are the ones you asked for.
No. You enroll through Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, Social Security or the plan you pick. Your guide tells you which route applies to your situation.
No. The guide is free, now and later, and we never ask for a card number.
Yes, as long as they agree. Put your own email address on the form, and mention in the notes that the guide is for them. If you both need one, send the form once for each of you.
Official sources
Where your guide sends you for official answers
Your guide points you to the places that run Medicare and the free counselling around it. We are not connected with any of them; we just show you which one to call for which question.
1-800-633-42271-800-MEDICARE, open 24 hours a day, every day.
TTY 1-877-486-2048.
shiphelp.orgFind your State Health Insurance Assistance Program
for free one-to-one help.
Medicare.govPlan Finder and the official handbook
1-800-MEDICAREThe official helpline, 24 hours a day
SSA.govSigning up for Parts A and B
SHIPFree local counselling at shiphelp.org
Medicare.govPlan Finder and the official handbook
1-800-MEDICAREThe official helpline, 24 hours a day
SSA.govSigning up for Parts A and B
SHIPFree local counselling at shiphelp.org
Medicare basics
Start with the basics, then sign up for your own guide
GuideParts A, B, C and D in plain words
What each part of Medicare covers, which ones come from the government and which from private plans.
GuideOriginal Medicare or Medicare Advantage?
The real differences between the two routes: doctors, drug cover, costs and travel.
GuideThe dates that matter in your Medicare year
When you can sign up, when you can switch, and what happens if you miss a window.