(888) 688-9919Ask Jeannie to reach outQuick, plain answers to the questions people ask most, each with a link to the full guide and to the official site where you can check it.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 14 organizations which offer 52 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day/7 days a week
Jeannie Pond, Licensed Insurance Agent, NPN 8940178, licensed since 2009
Start with the steps before 65
Find your question and start there. Each answer takes just a few sentences, shows the official site it comes from, and links to a full guide when you want more. For your own dates and plans, check Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit SSA.gov.
Your first chance is the Initial Enrollment Period. It lasts seven months, starting three months before the month you turn 65 and ending three months after that month. If you get Social Security benefits at least four months before you turn 65, you get Part A and Part B automatically; if not, you sign up through Social Security. Check it on Medicare.gov: When does Medicare coverage start?
Read The steps before 65, in orderThe Medicare Open Enrollment Period runs from October 15 to December 7 each year, and coverage chosen then starts January 1. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, a second window runs from January 1 to March 31. At other times, a change needs a Special Enrollment Period, which only certain situations open. Check it on Medicare.gov: Joining a plan
Read Medicare enrollment periods, one by oneSign up during your Initial Enrollment Period unless you have other coverage similar in value to Medicare, like from an employer. Otherwise you may pay a late enrollment penalty: an amount added to your monthly premium, usually for as long as you have that coverage. For Part B it is ten percent for each full year you could have signed up but didn't. Check it on Medicare.gov: Avoid late enrollment penalties
Read How the late enrollment rules workMost people pay no monthly premium for Part A, because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough while working. In 2026 the standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month, or more at higher incomes, and the Part B deductible is $283 a year. A Medicare Advantage, Part D or Medigap plan can add its own premium. Check it on Medicare.gov: Costs
Read What Medicare costs in 2026Each insurance company sets its own premium, and the same plan letter can cost very different amounts from one company to the next. The price also depends on where you live and on how the company rates the policy: community-rated, issue-age-rated or attained-age-rated. The insurer's quote is the number that counts. Check it on Medicare.gov: Medigap costs
Read What a Medigap policy costs, and whyThey are two different routes, and neither fits everyone. A Medicare Advantage plan is a private plan you choose instead of Original Medicare; it may use a network and has a yearly limit on what you pay. A Medigap policy works with Original Medicare and helps pay your share of its costs. You can't buy Medigap to cover your costs while you are in a Medicare Advantage plan. Check it on Medicare.gov: Compare Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage
Read Medicare Advantage and Medigap, side by sideBoth are standardized, so each letter's benefits are the same whichever company sells it. Plan N can leave you a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 for an emergency room visit when you aren't admitted, and it doesn't pay Part B excess charges. Plan G pays them. Check it on Medicare.gov: Compare Medigap plan benefits
Read Plan G and Plan N, comparedThe Health Insurance Subsidy is a monthly payment to help retired members pay for health insurance; it is not itself a health plan, and it isn't paid while you're in DROP. If you're a State of Florida retiree keeping a State Group Insurance plan, Medicare pays first once you're eligible, so the state advises enrolling in Parts A and B as soon as you're eligible and no longer working for the state. Check it on MyFRS: Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS)
Read Medicare for Florida Retirement System retireesAn annuity is a contract between you and an insurance company. You pay a lump sum or a series of payments, and the insurer agrees to make periodic income payments to you, starting right away or at a future date. Taking your money out as a lump sum instead may bring surrender charges, taxes and tax penalties. Check it on Investor.gov: Annuities
Read Annuities, explained from Investor.govLook the agent up on the state's insurance license search; in Florida, that's the Department of Financial Services licensee search. Ask how many organizations and plans the agent represents in your area: an agent who doesn't sell for every organization has to say so in a standard statement, with the counts. Check it on Florida DFS: Licensee search
Read How to choose a Medicare agentWant to check my licenses? My about page lists each one with a link to its state search.
Rather talk it over with a person? I'm Jeannie Pond, a Licensed Insurance Agent, and I'm glad to help.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 14 organizations which offer 52 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day/7 days a week
Original Medicare doesn't cover everything. Items and services it doesn't cover include eye exams for prescription eyeglasses, non-medical long-term care, cosmetic surgery, massage therapy, routine physical exams, hearing aids and exams for fitting them, and most dental care. A Medicare Advantage plan may cover some extra benefits Original Medicare doesn't, like certain vision, hearing and dental services. Source: Medicare.gov, What's not covered, as of October 2026.
Original Medicare covers doctors' services and tests, and Medicare.gov's 2026 cost table lists $0 for covered clinical laboratory services under Part B. Whether a particular test is covered depends on why you need it, so ask your doctor why you need it and whether Medicare will cover it, or check the test on Medicare.gov. Source: Medicare.gov, What Original Medicare covers and Costs, as of October 2026.
Medicare.gov, and 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048), where you can talk or chat with a real person around the clock, except some federal holidays. Social Security handles signing up for Part A and Part B. Your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) helps people with Medicare choose a plan, review coverage and understand costs. Each answer here also links to a full guide. Source: Medicare.gov, Talk to someone, as of October 2026.
Every answer here comes from one of these official sites. Here's what each one is for.
Check it on Medicare.gov
Check it on MyFRS
Check it on Investor.gov
Check it on Florida DFS
Four steps, from a year before your birthday to two weeks before, each with the official site where you can confirm your own dates.
The steps before 65, in orderJeannie Pond, Licensed Insurance Agent, NPN 8940178. Vista Consultants LLC dba Vista Insurance Services, Florida agency license L135539
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 14 organizations which offer 52 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, 24 hours a day/7 days a week