Four parts, several plan types, and enrollment windows that close whether or not you were ready. We answer the questions people actually ask — in ordinary language, without pushing you toward one answer.
Each guide answers one question properly, shows its sources, and carries the date it was last reviewed.
Comparison
The first real decision most people face. One lets you see almost any doctor; the other caps your yearly costs but uses a network. Includes the switching rule that catches people out years later.
Read the comparison →Deadlines
When you can join, switch or drop a plan: the October 15 to December 7 Annual Enrollment Period, the January 1 to March 31 Advantage window, and the Special Enrollment Periods that open when life changes.
Read the guide →Comparison
Medigap pays your share of Original Medicare's costs; Advantage replaces Original Medicare entirely. You cannot have both — and one of them can turn you down for your health once your window closes.
Read the comparison →Getting started
Your seven-month window, whether you are enrolled automatically, what to do if you are still working, and the three traps — COBRA, HSAs and Marketplace plans — that cost people real money.
Read the guide →Medicare rules, premiums and plan details are set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and change every year. We publish the review date on every guide and update pages when new figures are released. Where a number for the coming plan year has not been published yet, we say so rather than estimate it.
For official information covering every option available to you, including plans we do not offer, see Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
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