Reviewing Medicare coverage every year
Plans can change every January even when your life doesn't. Why I review every client's coverage each fall, and why a review often ends with staying put.
Article on this site
Medicare Education
Medicare made simple. Short introductions to the topics I'm asked about most, with links to the full explanations on this site and in my Medicare guide.
Start here
Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement
Two very different ways to cover what Original Medicare doesn't. Networks, costs, flexibility and who each one tends to fit.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Medicare enrollment periods
Initial enrollment, the fall Annual Enrollment Period, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period and special situations, in plain language.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Working past age 65
Still working at 65? Whether you need Part B now depends on your employer coverage. What to ask your benefits office before you decide.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Provider-network changes
Doctors and hospitals can join or leave plan networks. How I check networks during a review, including providers across the river.
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Prescription coverage
Formularies, tiers, pharmacies and restrictions like prior authorization, and why one drug changing tiers can matter more than the premium.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Maximum out-of-pocket limits
Medicare Advantage plans cap what you pay for covered in-network care each year. How that limit fits into the full cost picture.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Hospital indemnity coverage
What hospital indemnity plans pay, why some Medicare Advantage members consider them, and when they don't make sense.
Full article on JamesKauferMedicareGuide.com
Annual Medicare plan changes
What shows up in your Annual Notice of Change, and why the questions that come up after enrollment matter as much as enrollment itself.
Article on this site
How to use these resources
These pages explain how Medicare works in general. Your options depend on where you live, the plans available there, your doctors and your prescriptions. Plan details change every year, so treat any example as a starting point, not a quote.
For official information on all of your options, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE. If you'd like to talk through your own situation, contact me.
Looking for my own writing? All of it is collected under articles.