Resource · Social Security & Medicare
Medicare Guide
Original Medicare vs. Advantage, Part D, Medigap, IRMAA — the four decisions that follow you for life.
Medicare has more parts, deadlines, and choices than most people expect. This guide explains how Medicare works, when to enroll, what you’ll pay, and where the gaps are.
What’s inside
The four parts
What Part A, Part B, Medicare Advantage (Part C), and Part D each cover, and the two main ways to get coverage.
When to sign up
Your Initial Enrollment Period around age 65, what changes if you’re still working, and the lasting penalty for enrolling late.
What you’ll pay
Hospital and doctor costs under Parts A and B, monthly premiums, and the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) at higher incomes.
What Medicare doesn’t cover
Common gaps such as dental, vision, hearing, and long-term custodial care, and ways to fill them.
Medigap plans
How Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plans work alongside Original Medicare, and why your first enrollment window matters.
Plan your Medicare transition
Download the guide a year or two before you turn 65. We can help you fit your Medicare decisions into your retirement income plan.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not individualized advice.