Medicare articles
Choose a question. Each article explains the topic, then points you to a tool if one will help.
Try keep my doctor, October 15, or still working.
What to check
- How to prepare for the Annual Enrollment PeriodPreparation article. Annual Enrollment is open through December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage. Doctors, drugs, and the notice come before a plan list.
- Which enrollment window am I in?Initial Enrollment, fall Annual Enrollment, and a Medicare Supplement (also called Medigap) window are not the same date.
- Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Supplement?Three questions about doctors, travel, and how coverage is put together. No plan name.
- Can I keep my doctor with Medicare?Write down the doctor, ask the office, then check the same names on Medicare.gov.
Start here
- Medicare worries: cost, doctors, and complexityThree questions people ask before December 7, and the guide or tool that matches each one. Not a plan recommendation.
- What you can do on this websiteCompare a plan, check a doctor or a drug, write the questions for the office, and estimate a penalty or the Part D cap. Each one has an example.
Check My Doctors and Hospitals
- Can I keep my doctor with Medicare?Write down the doctor, ask the office, then check the same names on Medicare.gov.
- How a Medicare Advantage plan is builtRequired medical care, extras everyone in the plan gets, extras you can add, and small items that are not plan benefits.
- Medicare HMO vs PPOReferrals, out-of-network care, and why a PPO is not Original Medicare. Neither type is automatically better.
- Your plan and your medical groupIn California, the plan provides the benefits. The medical group often handles referrals and which specialists you can see.
- Medical groups in a Los Angeles ZIPNames observed in a ZIP are a starting list for the front desk, not a plan network.
Los Angeles County
Advantage or a Supplement
- Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Supplement?Three questions about doctors, travel, and how coverage is put together. No plan name.
- California Medicare Supplement guideHow Medigap letters work with Original Medicare in California — not a pick of a company.
- What does Medicare Supplement Plan G cover?Standardized letter benefits, the Part B deductible, and what Plan G does not include. Not a company pick.
- California Medigap Birthday RuleA 60-day window starting on your birthday to apply for equal or lesser Medigap benefits, without underwriting.
- When can I change Medigap without underwriting?Medigap Open Enrollment, the Birthday Rule, and when health questions may still apply. Education only.
Enrollment dates
- Which enrollment window am I in?Initial Enrollment, fall Annual Enrollment, and a Medicare Supplement (also called Medigap) window are not the same date.
- How to prepare for the Annual Enrollment PeriodPreparation article. Annual Enrollment is open through December 7, 2026, for 2027 coverage. Doctors, drugs, and the notice come before a plan list.
- Month by month around 65The 7-month Initial Enrollment window, month by month — not the same as fall Annual Enrollment.
- Do I need Medicare at 65 if I’m still working?Employer size, HSAs, and coverage from current work decide whether you can delay Part B. Get it in writing.
- COBRA vs Medicare at 65COBRA is not current employer coverage. Delaying Part B for COBRA can mean a lifetime penalty.
- HSAs and Medicare Part AThe last month you can contribute is usually the month before Part A. Social Security can pull Part A backward.
- Why you need to read your Medicare Annual Notice of ChangeLast year’s doctors, drugs, and premium are not a promise for January 1. The ANOC is how you find out before AEP ends.
- Protect personal information when an AI explains a Medicare letterWhich tool to use, what not to paste, and why these educational tools are not a promise of HIPAA protection.
- How to read a Medicare plan listAdvantage, Part D, and Supplement lists show what was filed. They do not pick a plan.
Costs and Extra Help
- What is Medicare IRMAA?An income-related extra amount on Part B and Part D. 2026 uses 2024 MAGI. Not a plan premium.
- What does Medicare Part B cost in 2027?2026 premium is official. 2027 is not — CMS announces in the fall. Trustees estimate is not a bill.
- Extra Help copay levels in 2026Partial Extra Help is gone. Copay levels still differ — including $0 after the $2,100 cap.
- Medicare and Medi-CalTwo programs. Dual eligibility, Extra Help, and why this site cannot say you qualify.
- What Does a D-SNP Cost When You Have Full Medi-Cal?How to read a D-SNP premium, Medi-Cal cost-sharing, Extra Help, and dental or ride benefits when you have full-scope Medi-Cal.
- Medicare with other coverage: Medi-Cal, VA, and TRICAREMedicare often sits next to Medi-Cal, VA, or TRICARE. Each program coordinates differently. This page points to the longer explanations.
- Medicare for California retireesEmployer size, HSAs, coverage from current work, and what to confirm before you drop a retiree plan.
- FEHB and Medicare for federal retireesHow retiree FEHB works with Medicare Part A and Part B, including the five-year rule, the Part B premium, and why you suspend FEHB instead of canceling it.
- Medicare changes for 2027: what you need to knowPart D’s $2,400 out-of-pocket threshold, a $700 deductible, negotiated drug prices, Advantage benefit changes, and what is not final yet.
- Can I pay less for Medicare?Extra Help, Medicare Savings Programs, and Medi-Cal are three different programs.
- Late Part B and Part D penaltiesThe penalty is added to the monthly premium. The estimates are not a bill.
Drugs, dental, glasses, and hearing
- Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: spreading Part D costsIt does not lower what you owe. It changes when you pay remaining Part D costs.
- Why the lowest Part D number may not be your costA low premium can miss a noncovered drug. The same check applies to a Medicare Advantage plan with drugs. Drug costs are not part of the medical maximum.
- Does Medicare cover dental care?Original Medicare generally does not cover routine dental. Advantage extras vary by plan and ZIP.
- Does Medicare cover eyeglasses?Routine glasses are generally not covered. A limited exception can apply after cataract surgery.
- Does Medicare cover hearing aids?Original Medicare generally does not. Some Advantage plans add a hearing extra. Confirm on Medicare.gov.
More Medicare questions
- 2027 Annual Enrollment PeriodFor 2027 coverage, Annual Enrollment is October 15 through December 7, 2026. January through March is a different window.
- Hoag groups leaving SCANSCAN’s notice: Hoag Medical Group and Hoag Physician Partners leave the network effective December 31, 2026.
- UCI faculty group leaving SCANSCAN’s notice ends UCI University Physicians & Surgeons on December 31, 2026. UCI Health Plan Network is a different group.
- Medicare ACCESS for chronic careOptional chronic-care support for some people with Original Medicare. Not a Medicare Advantage plan, and not a replacement for your doctors.
- Chronic care models, services, and plansA CMS model, a doctor’s care-management service, and a Medicare plan are three different things.
- PACEA program for some people 55 or older who need a nursing-home level of care and can live safely at home. Not a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Medicare Advantage Special Needs PlansC-SNP, I-SNP, and D-SNP are Medicare Advantage plans with an enrollment rule. Meeting a description here is not an approval.
- Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically IllThe federal test, the ten SSBCI categories, how a shared card works, and the 2027 limits filed for every Medicare Advantage plan in Los Angeles County.
- Medicare Advantage transportation benefitsSome plans offer a set number of rides to scheduled appointments. Not an ambulance, and not every plan.
- Medicare Part D 2027The 2027 cap is $2,400 and the standard deductible is $700. Neither number is the premium you pay.
- Can I switch from Medicare Advantage to Medigap?Leaving Advantage and buying a Medicare Supplement are two steps. The Birthday Rule is not this path.
- What doctors are in the SCAN Medicare Advantage network in 91006?91006 is Arcadia. A SCAN network is by plan and doctor, not by ZIP. This page does not list one.
- How much does Part B cost if I missed enrollment?The 2026 standard premium plus 10% for each full year you delayed. An estimate, not a Social Security bill.
- Medicare Advantage vs Medigap for frequent travelersRoutine care away from home is not the same as an emergency. Neither structure is automatically better.
- Medicare skilled nursing: the 3-day stay and benefit periodsObservation nights usually do not count. Days 21–100 have a daily coinsurance under Original Medicare.
- Medicare with VA, TRICARE, or FEHBWho pays first depends on the program and whether you are still working. A checklist of what to confirm.
- Medicare Advantage vs MedigapDoctors, drugs, travel, and cost-sharing — two structures, not two names for the same plan.
- How Medicare Part D worksFormularies, pharmacies, the late-enrollment penalty, and Extra Help — without the jargon.
- Does Medicare cover you outside the United States?Usually no. Narrow exceptions, some Medigap foreign-travel benefits, and plan-specific Advantage rules.
- Medicare Special Enrollment Periods explainedMoving, losing coverage, and other windows besides Initial Enrollment and Annual Enrollment. Confirm the one that matches your facts.
- What can I change during Annual Enrollment?AEP is October 15–December 7. Read the Annual Notice of Change. Switching is not automatic.
- Medicare Supplement Plan G vs. Plan NThe difference is copays and excess charges — not a mysterious extra layer of Medicare.
- Medicare mistakes that are expensive to undoMissed windows, skipped Part D, and assuming last year’s plan still fits.