All Medicare guides
Every guide on the site, grouped the way most people think about Medicare: what to decide, when to enroll, what it costs, who qualifies, and what each term actually means.
Decide
Compare the choices that shape every other Medicare decision.
Advantage vs Medigap
The core tradeoff: low fixed cost with copays, or higher fixed cost with very little variable spending.
Medigap Plan G vs Plan N
The two most popular Medigap plans, side-by-side, with when each one wins on total cost.
Medicare Advantage HMO vs PPO
Networks, referrals, and out-of-area care for the most common Advantage plan types.
Special Needs Plans (SNPs)
D-SNP, C-SNP, and I-SNP plans built for dual eligibles, chronic conditions, and institutional residents.
Leaving Medicare Advantage
How to switch back to Original Medicare and pair it with Medigap before underwriting becomes a problem.
Plan
Time your enrollment to avoid penalties that follow you for life.
Turning 65 Medicare checklist
A month-by-month checklist starting 6 months before your 65th birthday.
Working past 65
When to take Part B, when to delay, and how HSAs and COBRA fit into the decision.
Retiring at 67
The 8-month Special Enrollment Period and how to coordinate Part B's effective date.
Losing employer health coverage
The SEP rules when group coverage ends, plus the COBRA trap that costs people thousands.
Enrollment deadlines by state
Federal windows plus state-specific Medigap rules for all 50 states.
Switching Part D plans
Why auto-renewing your Part D plan is expensive and how to re-check every October.
Costs
Understand what you'll actually pay each year.
What Medicare costs
Every line item: Part A, B, D premiums, deductibles, IRMAA, Advantage, and Medigap.
Part B premium explained
Standard premium, IRMAA tiers, hold-harmless, and what to do if you miss a payment.
IRMAA brackets and SSA-44 appeals
How the income surcharge works and how to appeal after a life-changing event.
Out-of-pocket maximum
Original Medicare has none. Advantage caps it. Medigap solves it differently.
Part D late enrollment penalty
How the lifetime drug penalty is calculated and how to avoid it.
Eligibility
Paths into Medicare beyond turning 65.
Medicare under 65: disability, SSDI, ALS
The 24-month SSDI rule, immediate ALS eligibility, and state-by-state Medigap rights.
Medicare and End-Stage Renal Disease
When Medicare starts for ESRD, the 30-month employer coordination, and post-transplant rules.
Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles)
How the two programs work together, MSPs, D-SNPs, and long-term care coverage.
Buying Part A without 40 quarters
Spousal eligibility, lawful-resident rules, and when buying Part A makes sense.
Medicare after divorce
Part A through an ex-spouse, IRMAA filing changes, and SEPs when coverage ends.
Learn
Plain-language coverage and reference.
Not sure where to start?
Most people start with their enrollment deadline. From there, the rest of the decisions fall into place.
Educational resource. Not legal, tax, or insurance advice.