Medicare guides
Medicare, in plain English
Every guide here answers one question people ask me in the office, with the current numbers and the year they apply to. Read what you need, skip what you do not.
Medicare basics
Medicare Basics · 7 min readWhat Is Medicare? A Plain-English Starting PointMedicare explained simply: who qualifies, the four parts, what it costs in 2026, how to sign up, and where Nebraskans can get unbiased help.Read- Medicare Basics · 6 min readMedicare Parts A, B, C and D ExplainedWhat each part of Medicare covers, what it costs in 2026, who runs it, and how the parts fit together, with Nebraska plan counts for 2027.Read
Original Medicare · 6 min readMedicare Part A: What It Covers and What It Costs in 2026Part A explained with 2026 numbers: the $1,736 deductible, daily hospital and nursing home coinsurance, benefit periods, observation status and hospice.Read
Original Medicare · 6 min readMedicare Part B: Coverage, Premium, Deductible and IRMAA (2026)Part B in 2026: the $202.90 premium, $283 deductible, 20% coinsurance, IRMAA surcharges, how the bill works, and what the 2027 premium will be.Read
Coverage Gaps · 5 min readWhat Medicare Doesn't Cover: Dental, Vision, Hearing, Long-Term Care and MoreOriginal Medicare skips routine dental, eye exams for glasses, hearing aids, long-term custodial care and most care abroad. Here is each gap and how to fill it.Read
Plan Quality · 5 min readMedicare Star Ratings Explained, and the 5-Star Special Enrollment PeriodWhat Medicare Star Ratings measure, when the 2027 ratings come out, how the 5-star special enrollment period works, and what a star rating can't tell you.Read
Enrollment and deadlines
Enrollment · 6 min readEvery Medicare Enrollment Period Explained, With a TableEvery Medicare enrollment window in one place: IEP, GEP, AEP, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, Special Enrollment Periods and Medigap.Read
Enrollment · 5 min readYour Initial Enrollment Period: When to Sign Up at 65 and When Coverage StartsYour 7-month Medicare Initial Enrollment Period explained: a table of windows by birthday month, when coverage starts, the 1st-of-the-month rule, and how to apply.Read
Enrollment · 6 min readSpecial Enrollment Periods: The Common Ones and How to Prove ThemThe Medicare Special Enrollment Periods people use most, how long each lasts, the forms and paperwork that prove them, and what 2027 plan exits mean in Nebraska.Read- Enrollment · 5 min readMedicare Advantage Open Enrollment (January 1 to March 31)How the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period works: the one change you get, what you cannot do, when changes start, and the Medigap catch in Nebraska.Read
- Medicare Supplement · 7 min readMedigap Open Enrollment, Guaranteed Issue Rights and Underwriting in NebraskaWhen Nebraskans can buy Medigap with no health questions, the guaranteed issue rights that reopen the door, the under-65 rule, and why there's no birthday rule.Read
Medicare Costs · 6 min readPart B and Part D Late Enrollment Penalties, With Worked ExamplesHow the Part B, Part D and Part A late penalties are calculated, with worked 2026 and 2027 examples, the rounding rules, and the exceptions that avoid them.Read
Changing Plans · 5 min readHow to Switch Medicare Plans, and When You're Allowed ToWhen you can change Medicare Advantage, Part D and Medigap plans, how each switch works, and the steps that keep you from losing coverage in between.Read
Costs and saving money
Medicare Costs · 5 min readIRMAA: The 2026 Brackets, the 2-Year Lookback, and Appealing With Form SSA-44IRMAA explained: the 2026 Part B and Part D income brackets, why 2024 income sets your 2026 premium, worked examples, and how to appeal after retirement with SSA-44.Read
Help Paying Costs · 5 min readMedicare Savings Programs in Nebraska (QMB, SLMB, QI): Limits and How to ApplyNebraska's 2026 income and resource limits for QMB, SLMB and QI, what each program pays, a worked example, and how to apply through Nebraska DHHS and iServe.Read
Drug Costs · 6 min readExtra Help (Low-Income Subsidy) for Part D: Limits and How to ApplyWho qualifies for Extra Help in 2026, what it pays in 2027, who gets it automatically, and how Nebraskans apply through Social Security.Read
Part D · 5 min readThe Part D Out-of-Pocket Cap: 2026 and 2027 Amounts, and What CountsHow the Medicare Part D cap works: $2,100 in 2026, $2,400 in 2027, the $700 deductible, what counts toward the cap, what doesn't, and a worked example.Read
Part D · 5 min readThe Medicare Prescription Payment Plan: Spreading Drug Costs MonthlyHow the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan turns big pharmacy bills into monthly payments, who it helps, who should skip it, and what happens in 2027.Read
Special situations
Turning 65 · 5 min readWorking Past 65: When You Can Delay Medicare (the 20-Employee Rule)Still working at 65? How the 20-employee rule decides who pays first, when you can safely delay Part B, what COBRA changes, and how to sign up when you retire.Read- Working Past 65 · 5 min readHSAs and Medicare: The 6-Month Part A Lookback and When to Stop ContributingWhy HSA contributions must stop when Medicare starts, how Part A's 6-month backdating creates surprise excess contributions, and a worked 2026 example.Read
- Under 65 · 6 min readMedicare Under 65 on Disability in Nebraska: The 24-Month Wait and Medigap OptionsHow Medicare works under 65 on disability: the 24-month wait, ALS and ESRD exceptions, Nebraska's Medigap rule for disabled enrollees, and help with costs.Read
Veterans · 5 min readMedicare for Veterans: VA Care, TRICARE For Life and Nebraska VA ClinicsHow VA care, TRICARE For Life and Medicare fit together, why most veterans still need Part B, and where the VA clinics are in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Island.Read
Long-Term Care · 6 min readDoes Medicare Pay for Nursing Homes? Skilled Care vs Custodial CareMedicare covers short-term skilled nursing care, not long-term custodial care. What it pays in 2026, what Nebraska nursing homes cost, and who pays instead.Read
Travel · 5 min readMedicare When You Travel or Winter Out of StateHow Original Medicare, Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Part D work when you travel, winter in another state or go overseas, plus the 6-month rule for snowbirds.Read
Getting good help
Checklist · 5 min readWhat to Bring to Your Medicare Review: A ChecklistA printable checklist for your Medicare review: the cards, letters, medication list, doctor list and budget numbers to bring before choosing a 2027 plan.Read- Working With an Agent · 6 min readHow Medicare Agents Get Paid, and Why My Help Costs You NothingMedicare agents are paid by insurance companies, not by you. How commissions work, what CMS caps, and why your premium is the same with or without an agent.Read
Medicare Help · 5 min readNebraska SHIP (Formerly SHIIP), Aging Partners and Licensed Agents: Who Helps With WhatWhat Nebraska SHIP, Aging Partners and other local agencies do for people with Medicare, how to reach them, and how their help differs from a licensed agent's.Read
Fraud Protection · 5 min readMedicare Scams in Nebraska: How to Spot Them and Who to CallCommon Medicare scams, the red flags during open enrollment, how to protect your Medicare Number, and the Nebraska and federal numbers to call to report fraud.Read
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