California Medicare Options  -  How to Apply for Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and Part D

How to Enroll in a California Medicare Plan | Advantage, Medigap, and/or Part D

 

So you found the best plan for your situation (see Step by Step Tips for Medicare or How to Pick Best Medicare Plan).

Then what?

This is best part.  It's super easy to apply for these plans and we can handhold you through the whole process at ZERO cost to you.

Our reviews:

We'll break down the steps here according to the type of plan:

 

• What to have ready before applying for Medicare Advantage, Medigap, or Part D
  
• How to apply for Advantage Plans in California
  
• How to apply for Medigap coverage in California
  
• How to apply for Part D plans in California
  
• Making changes to your plan choice

Let's get started!

 

What to have ready before applying for Medicare Advantage, Medigap, or Part D

Here's the basic timeline:

 

• Get Part A and B through Medicare (technically, Social Security) here:
  
• Receive your MIB# (Medicare Identification #)
  
• Write down your Effective Dates for Part A and B

For Advantage plans or Medigap coverage, you'll need Part A AND B both active.

For Part D, you only need Part A but we strongly recommend Part B as well since you would have uncapped risk for any doctor expenses which can quickly run into the 10's of 1000's for bigger bills (think hospital).

Ideally, you get your Part A and B set up 2-3 months prior to the 1st of the month that you want to enroll.

Our Step by Step Medicare Guide walks through this in detail or check out the How and When to enroll.

We can enroll in Advantage, Medigap, or Part D prior to the 1st of the month you want it to start but earlier is better.

About 1 month period would be perfect in most cases.

That's it!

Parts A and B are active.  MIB# is in hand before the 1st you want the plan to start.

Now...how to enroll!

 

How to apply for Advantage Plans in California

We have online enrollment for major Advantage carriers here:

You can quote and even enroll all through this link!

Make sure to enter your doctor's information via the preference box so you get the most accurate quote.

 

Use our Triple Threat selection process (see How to compare Advantage plans):

 

• Zero Premium
  
• Lowest out of pocket max
  
• Highest Star Rating

UnitedHealthcare® has been tough to beat in many areas and they generally have the biggest network which is the final missing piece with Advantage plans (see Tradeoff versus Medigap).

You can sort by all of these by total estimated cost (we recommend focusing on Star Rating and Out of Pocket Max).

Reach out with any questions at help@calhealth.net   To discuss Advantage options, we need to send you a scope of appointment.  It just allows us to discuss these plans according to Medicare's rules.

We contract with some of the biggest Advantage carriers:

If you know the plan you want, simply Add to Cart, click on the Cart, and you can enroll online!

Again, there's no cost for our assistance so reach out with any questions at help@calhealth.net  to schedule a time to talk.

Okay..what about Medigap?

 

How to apply for Medigap coverage in California

We hope to have the Medigap plans brought into the same Cart system above shortly but for now, we can send you the direct online application from the carrier.

Just email us at help@calhealth.net  with your plan of choice and we'll get the online app started for you and forward it directly to you!

There's no cost for this service and feel free to reach out with any questions as all Medicare apps have new terminology to most people.

Learn more about how to compare the medigap plans or how to pick the best Medicare supplement.

 

Blue Shield of California, Anthem Blue Cross, and UnitedHealthcare® Health have been the most competitive for the two most popular plans:

 

• G plan - see why the G plan is the most popular
  
• N plan - Guide to how the N plan works

You can compare the G and N medigap plans here.

So...usually, it's a question of finding the right plan (say...the G plan) and then quoting it across the market to see who is priced better.

Remember, the benefits and networks are identical - standardized at the Federal level.

It's then a question of pricing!

 

All three of the biggest now have a New to Medicare $25/month discount for new enrollees to Medicare in the G plan.

This makes it even easier.

Just email us what application you want and we'll get it started for you!  Reach out with any and all questions at help@calhealth.net or 800-320-6269.

Usually, a Part D plan for medication is needed with medigap.

Let's go there!

 

How to apply for Part D plans in California

Part D operates under many of the same rules as Advantage plans (open enrollment, Star Rating, etc.).

They both came from the same law.

To enroll in a Part D plan, you can access the same Quote/Apply tool here:

Click on the PDP (Prescription Drug Plan) tab at the top.

 

We work with many of the most popular Part D carriers:

We have a whole review on how to Save on Part D here but the net net...focus on the lowest "estimated total cost for the remainder of the year" (bottom/right for each plan).

You can switch the search option up top to the lowest total cost.

Combine that with Star Ratings and you're off to the races!

Make sure to put in your exact medications and chosen pharmacy.

We looked at how your choice of pharmacy can really affect total cost in the review above.

Pretty crazy differences between major pharmacies!

 

Once you have the plan of choice, simply add to the Cart, click on the Cart (top right) and you're off to the races!

Reach out with any questions.

What if we want to change?

 

Making changes to your plan choice

There are very specific rules around enrollment, canceling, and switching Advantage and Part D plans. 

Reach out to us if you want to change your plan options at help@calhealth.net   

During Open Enrollment at the end of the year, we can make all these changes for Advantage and/or Part D regardless worst case.

For Medigap plans, we can technically change plans anytime of the year but it may be subject to health depending on when you do it.

There is a Birthday rule we can use in California to change plans to the same or lesser benefits as a backup.

 

 

We have a whole review on switching medicap plans.

Again, let us know what you have and what you want to change.

If your plan hasn't started yet and you've changed your mind while still in a special enrollment window, we may be able to change so reach out to us with your situation at help@calhealth.net   

There's zero cost for our assistance and we love helping people navigate this whole process and save time AND money!