Medicare Guide
Browse the Medicare guides
Find straightforward explanations of Medicare enrollment, coverage, prescriptions, and costs. Choose a topic below to get started.
- I am new to Medicare
- I already have Medicare
- Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage
- Keeping your doctors
- Prescriptions
- Paying for Medicare
- How Medicare is built
I am new to Medicare
Start with Medicare at 65. The other pages are the enrollment steps, the other windows, and what waiting can cost.
- Start hereI'm Turning 65Turning 65 gives you a 7-month window to sign up. It is separate from fall Annual Enrollment.
- The 7-month window at 65When Initial Enrollment opens and closes, and when employer coverage may let you wait.
- The enrollment stepsWhat to do once you know your dates: current coverage, Parts A and B, then prescriptions.
- The dates when you can sign up or changeThe dates when you can sign up for Medicare or change coverage. Fall Annual Enrollment and your first-time window use different rules, even when the months overlap.
- Medicare Late Enrollment PenaltiesMissing certain Medicare deadlines can create a lifetime premium surcharge. The rules differ for Part B and Part D.
I already have Medicare
Review when you can change Medicare coverage, what may change each year, and what to check before making a decision.
- Annual EnrollmentAnnual Enrollment is the once-a-year window to review Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage for the coming year. It is not the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period in January through March.
- A special time to enroll or change coverageA special time to enroll or change coverage after certain life events. Medicare calls this a Special Enrollment Period.
- Medicare 2026What is changing this year, including CMS-announced Part A and Part B figures, and what to review during Annual Enrollment.
- Common Medicare MistakesAvoid preventable problems by paying attention to enrollment timing, drug coverage, provider access, and plan changes.
Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage
Compare the two ways to get Medicare: doctors, drugs, and costs, not the premium alone.
- Medicare Supplement vs AdvantageTwo different approaches to receiving Medicare benefits. Neither is automatically better. The right fit depends on doctors, prescriptions, costs, travel, and how much structure you want.
- How to Compare Medicare CoverageUse a consistent decision framework instead of comparing only premiums or extra benefits.
- Plan G vs. Plan NTwo of the Medicare Supplement (also called Medigap) letters people compare most often after January 1, 2020. Benefits are standardized; premiums and company service are not.
- Original Medicare ExplainedOriginal Medicare is Part A and Part B. Here is how it works, what it does not cover, and how people usually complete the picture.
- Medicare Advantage (Part C) ExplainedPart C is another name for Medicare Advantage.
Keeping your doctors
Start here to check a doctor, a medical group, and a hospital, so you do not assume a plan includes the care you already use.
Prescriptions
This guide explains Part D, so drug coverage is part of the decision and not an afterthought.
- Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D)Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) is optional drug insurance from a private plan. Review the drug list and the pharmacy before you enroll, without sharing more health information than the form asks for.
- Medicare Part D in 2027The prescription coverage changes for the coming year, and what to review.
- Check drug pricesReview prescription costs with the drug-cost tool.
Paying for Medicare
These guides separate premiums from Extra Help and Medicare Savings Programs, so you know which costs to ask about. They do not decide whether you qualify.
- Find Ways to Lower My Medicare CostsThe monthly premium is not the only cost. Extra Help can lower Part D drug costs. Apply through Social Security. A Medicare Savings Program can pay the Part B premium. In California, apply through Medi-Cal. The county decides whether you qualify.
- Cost of MedicareA framework for thinking about premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance, prescriptions, and annual exposure — using 2026 CMS figures where they apply.
- Extra HelpExtra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy) may lower prescription costs for people who qualify.
- Medicare Savings ProgramsSome people with limited income and resources may qualify for help with Medicare premiums and, in some cases, deductibles and copayments.
How Medicare is built
These pages explain Parts A and B in plain English, so the other guides have a foundation. Part C is with Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage. Part D is with prescriptions.
- Medicare 101A plain-English overview of how Medicare works, who it is for, and how the major coverage pieces fit together.
- Medicare Part A ExplainedUnderstand the hospital-insurance side of Original Medicare, including what it generally covers and how 2026 cost-sharing is structured.
- Medicare Part B ExplainedLearn how Part B covers outpatient medical care, what the 2026 premium and deductible are, and why enrollment timing matters.
Want the full story? Get my book. Medicare 2026: Choose the Right Plan & Avoid Costly Mistakes walks through how Medicare is built. It does not pick a plan.