MEDICARE
Four parts, two roads, one decision.
Most of what arrives in your post box is designed to confuse you. Medicare is genuinely simpler than it looks once somebody draws it out — so that is what we do, once, slowly, before anyone mentions a plan name.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. AVIA is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
WHAT IT IS
Original Medicare, Advantage, Supplement and Part D
Medicare has four parts. Part A covers hospital stays. Part B covers doctors and outpatient care. Together they are called Original Medicare. Part D covers prescriptions. Part C — Medicare Advantage — is a private plan that bundles A and B together, usually with D and some extras.
From there, almost everyone chooses one of two roads. Road one is Original Medicare plus a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) to cover the gaps, plus a standalone Part D plan. Road two is a Medicare Advantage plan that rolls it all into one. Neither road is the right answer for everybody, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling.
Which road fits depends on three things: the doctors you want to keep, the prescriptions you actually take, and how much certainty you want about what a bad year would cost. We check all three against real plan data before saying a word about which one we would pick.
Who it is for
Anyone turning 65, already on Medicare, or losing employer coverage after 65.
What it costs you
Nothing. Carriers pay the agent; there is never a fee to you.
Key dates
Annual Enrollment runs 15 October – 7 December. Your own Initial Enrollment window is set by your 65th birthday.
Before any plan talk
A licensed agent completes a Scope of Appointment with you, as CMS requires.
Is this you?
- You turn 65 in the next twelve months and the letters have started arriving.
- You picked a plan years ago and have never once reviewed it.
- Your doctor or your prescriptions changed since you enrolled.
- You are still working past 65 and nobody has explained what that means for Part B.
- You simply want it explained once, properly, by someone who is not reading a script.
If any of these sound familiar, a 10-minute conversation will cost you nothing and probably answer more than you expect.
WHAT WE HELP WITH
What a Medicare review covers
01
Medicare Advantage
Part C plans, how their networks work, what the extra benefits are really worth, and what your maximum out-of-pocket would be in a bad year.
02
Medicare Supplement
Medigap alongside Original Medicare — what each lettered plan covers, how pricing behaves as you age, and why the switching window matters.
03
Part D prescriptions
Your actual medication list checked against real formularies. The cheapest premium is very often not the cheapest year.
04
Enrollment timing
Your Initial Enrollment Period, the Annual Enrollment Period, and the Special Enrollment Periods that open after a move or a job change.
05
Working past 65
How employer coverage coordinates with Medicare, and whether delaying Part B is safe in your situation.
06
Late-enrollment penalties
What they are, how they are calculated, and that they follow you for the rest of your life.
Common questions
What does this cost me?
Nothing. There is never a fee to you for a review or an enrollment. If you choose a plan, the carrier pays the agent.
When can I enroll or switch?
Annual Enrollment runs 15 October to 7 December for cover starting 1 January. Your Initial Enrollment Period sits around your 65th birthday, and other windows open if you move, lose employer cover or qualify for extra help.
Advantage or Supplement — which is better?
Neither, as a general rule. Supplements usually cost more each month and less when you are ill; Advantage usually costs less each month with more variability. Your doctors and your prescriptions decide it.
Do I need Part D if I take no medication?
Usually yes, because the late-enrollment penalty is permanent and a cheap plan now costs less than the penalty later. We will show you the arithmetic.
Do you offer every plan?
No, and no agent does. We do not offer every plan available in your area. For a complete list, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.
Can my spouse or my daughter join the call?
Please bring them. Most of these turn out to be household decisions.
Let's start with ten minutes
No cost, no pressure, and nothing sold on the first call. We listen first.
No cost · No pressure · Phone or video, wherever you are