New to Medicare? Start here
Turning 65 in a few months and getting more Medicare mail every week? The ads all look similar yet say something completely different. Doug Zirpel has been a trusted independent health insurance broker in California’s Central Valley since 1979, and he has helped thousands of local residents navigate Medicare, especially people turning 65, retiring from group coverage, or looking for better options with their current plans.
What to know as your 65th birthday gets close
- You can start using your Medicare benefits in the month of your 65th birthday.
- If you already receive Social Security benefits when you turn 65, you’re enrolled in Medicare automatically.
- If your 65th birthday is within 90 days and you haven’t filed for Social Security benefits, apply for Part A, even if you plan to keep working past 65.
- If you don’t sign up for Part B when you’re first eligible (and don’t have coverage through an employer), you’ll pay a late-enrollment penalty. The same goes for a Part D prescription drug plan.
Original Medicare is not full coverage.
Doug compares the Medicare plans available to you
An independent broker and Medicare AHIP-certified agent (California License 0544547), Doug represents multiple Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Prescription Drug plans. That lets him compare real options based on your doctors, prescriptions and preferences rather than pushing a single company’s product. Together you check the three things that matter most:
- Your doctors. The doctors you see now, and the ones you want to see in the future, should be in the plan’s network. Doug works regularly with groups such as Sutter, Hill Physicians, Allcare and others.
- Your medications. Each plan has its own list of covered drugs and pharmacies, so Doug checks your prescriptions against local plans with you.
- Medi-Cal.
If you have Medicare with Medi-Cal or Extra Help, other plans may be open to you.
Imperial Health Plan, Alignment Health and SCAN
Doug compares Medicare plans from Imperial Health Plan, Alignment Health and SCAN Health Plan, along with Blue Shield of California, Humana, Wellcare and Anthem, so you see more than one option. Plans and benefits vary by plan and county: call or text Doug and he will tell you which plans are offered where you live.
