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Free California Medicare Plan Review
A quick, honest check of the coverage you already have... to catch gaps, cut costs, and make sure your plan still fits. About 3 minutes, no cost, and we never cold-call you.
Dennis Jarvis, licensed CA agent since 1999 · serving California since 1994
1 Your Coverage
2 Your Review
3 Next Steps
Start here
What do you have right now?
Pick whatever sounds most like your situation. Not sure? The last option walks you through it.
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Still working past 65I have coverage through my job or my spouse's job.
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Just Part A & BOriginal Medicare... maybe with something else behind it.
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A Medicare Advantage planAn all-in-one plan (Kaiser, Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, etc.).
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Supplement (Medigap) + drug planOriginal Medicare, a Medigap plan, and a separate Part D plan.
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Honestly, I'm not sureHelp me figure out what I actually have.
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Your review
Your review
Working past 65 with job coverage is one of the trickiest spots in Medicare. The right move depends on what happens next.
What's happening with your employer coverage?
Is your employer plan still your best deal?
It comes down to two things, and company size isn't one of them (in California your group carrier pays the same either way):
1. What you pay for just yourself.
Look at your employee-only monthly cost, not the family sticker price. That's the number to compare against Medicare options... and it's often higher than a Supplement or a $0 Advantage plan would run you.
2. Whether anyone else is on your policy.
If a spouse or dependents share your plan, dropping it means they lose it too. But they're not stranded: they can keep the group plan through COBRA on their own (you don't have to elect it for the whole family), or move to a Covered California plan, often with a subsidy. We'll help them land somewhere good.
Want a real comparison?
Give us a few details and we'll run both an Advantage quote and a Supplement + Part D quote, side by side against what you pay at work now. Then you'll actually know.
Let's protect your timing
When your active employer coverage ends, two clocks start. Miss them and the penalties are permanent... so this date matters.
Your two windows, once that coverage ends:Part B: an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up with no late penalty. Part D: a 63-day window to add drug coverage without a penalty.
⚠️The COBRA trap that costs people thousands.
COBRA and retiree coverage do not count as active employer coverage for Medicare. Your 8-month Part B window starts when your job ends, not when COBRA ends. People who wait for COBRA to run out often get hit with lifelong Part B penalties. If you're offered COBRA, talk to us first.
A rare chance to get Medigap with no health questions.
Losing employer coverage can trigger a guaranteed-issue right: a limited window to buy certain Medicare Supplement plans without medical underwriting, so you can't be turned down for your health. It doesn't last long, so timing it right is the whole game.
Family on your plan?
They can keep it through COBRA on their own or move to Covered California, often with a subsidy. Ask us and we'll help them too.
If Original Medicare is your main coverage, the first thing to check is whether anything is working behind it. That changes the picture a lot.
Is there other coverage alongside your Medicare?
Good news: TRICARE For Life has your back.
TFL pays as your secondary after Medicare and includes creditable drug coverage. That fills most of the uncapped 20% and means you typically don't need a Medigap plan or a separate Part D plan. The one thing to confirm is that your Part B is active (TFL requires it). We're glad to double-check everything's set up right.
Full Medi-Cal covers a lot of what worries people here.
If you have full Medi-Cal, it generally picks up Medicare's cost-sharing and includes drug coverage, so the 20% exposure and Part D penalty usually don't apply to you. We can make sure you're getting everything you're entitled to and nothing's slipping through.
VA helps, but it doesn't cover everything.
VA health care gives you creditable drug coverage (so no Part D penalty), but it only covers care at VA facilities. For doctors and hospitals outside the VA, you'd still face Medicare's uncapped 20%. Many veterans add coverage for civilian care. Let's look at how you actually use care and whether a gap is worth closing.
Retiree and union plans vary... a lot.
Some fill the 20% and include creditable drug coverage; some barely help. The details decide everything. Before you change anything, let's confirm exactly what yours does, so you don't drop something valuable or keep something you're overpaying for.
Risk 1: that 20% has no ceiling.
Original Medicare pays 80% of your Part B costs and leaves you the other 20%, with no annual cap. On a $100,000 hospital bill, that's $20,000 out of pocket, with no limit if a year goes badly. A Supplement or an Advantage plan exists to cap exactly this.
Risk 2: a Part D penalty that's building right now.
Going without creditable drug coverage adds a permanent late-enrollment penalty to your Part D premium... a little more for every month you wait, for as long as you have Part D. It never goes away once it starts.
The two ways to fix it
Add a Supplement (Medigap) + a Part D plan for predictable, low costs and any doctor nationwide... or move to a Medicare Advantage plan for a low or $0 premium with a yearly out-of-pocket cap. Neither is "better," there's a better fit for you.
🛡️At the very least, get a $0 Advantage plan to cap your exposure.
Even if a Supplement isn't in the budget right now, most areas have Medicare Advantage plans with a $0 monthly premium. Enrolling in one puts a hard ceiling on that uncapped 20%, so one bad year can't wipe you out. It's the easiest way to stop the risk today while we look at your longer-term options together.
The honest catch we'll never hide from you.
Adding a Medigap plan now usually means medical underwriting... you can be declined or charged more for health conditions, unless you qualify for a guaranteed-issue right. Part D you can add during the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct 15 to Dec 7). We'll check whether any special window opens a door for you first.
Medicare Advantage plans are re-designed every single year. The plan that was perfect this year can quietly change its costs, drugs, or doctors for next year... which is why an annual re-check matters so much.
📩Did you get your ANOC letter?
Every September your plan mails an Annual Notice of Change. It's the most ignored letter in Medicare, and the most important. Check three things: (1) premium or benefit cuts, (2) drug formulary changes, and (3) whether your doctors are still in network for next year.
Our 5-point re-check
We never judge a plan on premium alone. Every plan has to clear all five.
Star Rating4+ only
Your Doctorsin-network
Max Out-of-Pocketkey!
Drug Costsyour meds
Extra Benefitsdental, OTC
Your windows to change:Oct 15 to Dec 7 (Annual Enrollment), effective Jan 1. Plus Jan 1 to Mar 31, a one-time do-over to switch Advantage plans or return to Original Medicare.
Quick check: do you also have Medi-Cal?
Then you may be able to do better than a standard Advantage plan.
With both Medicare and Medi-Cal ("Medi-Medi"), you likely qualify for a Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP), an Advantage plan built for dual-eligibles. These usually come with $0 cost, extra benefits (dental, vision, hearing, over-the-counter and grocery allowances, transportation), and little to no cost-sharing because Medi-Cal picks up the rest. You can also change plans monthly, not just once a year. Worth checking whether a D-SNP beats what you have now.
💰Is your plan giving you a Part B giveback?
Some Advantage plans pay part of your $202.90/mo Part B premium back to your Social Security check... commonly $50 to $150+ a month in California. If yours doesn't, a plan that does may be worth a look. The honest caveat: giveback plans often carry a higher out-of-pocket max and sometimes a smaller network, so it's only a win if the plan is also strong on the five points above. (And if Medi-Cal pays your Part B premium, a giveback doesn't apply to you.)
What would you most like to improve?
Tap all that apply. This tells us what to fix when we compare plans.
Lower drug costs
Keep a specific doctor
Lower copays
More dental & vision
Higher-rated plan
My plan is cutting benefits
Your medications (this is how we price it accurately)
The same drug can cost very differently plan to plan. List what you take with the dosage and we'll find the lowest total-cost plan.
You've got the setup that gives you the most freedom. The only real question is whether you're paying more than you should... and with Medigap, that's common. Here's where the money is:
1. Same Plan G, wildly different prices
Every Plan G is identical by law: same coverage, and Medigap has no networks, so you see any doctor in the country who takes Medicare. The only thing that changes between carriers is the price. Here's the kind of spread we see for the exact same plan:
Carrier A
$139
Carrier B
$152
Carrier C
$168
Carrier D
$184
Carrier E
$205
Same coverage. Same doctors. About $790 a year apart.
These are illustrative rates (yours depend on age, ZIP, and gender), but the point holds: if you haven't checked your rate lately, you may be on the high end. Carriers raise rates over time, and loyalty isn't rewarded. Tell us your plan and carrier and we'll see where you land.
Ask about household and autopay discounts.
Beyond shopping carriers, many Medigap companies offer a household discount (often around 5% to 14% off) just for living with another adult... usually a spouse, and with some carriers a domestic partner or even a roommate. The rules vary: some require the other person to also carry a policy, others only require that you share a household. A few carriers also shave a bit off for automatic payment. These can stack on top of an already-lower rate, so we always check them for you.
2. Plan G to Plan N: a growing way to save
Plan N keeps almost everything Plan G offers for a lower premium. The trade-offs are small if you're relatively healthy:
Small copays: up to $20 at the doctor, up to $50 at the ER (waived if admitted). You pay the $283 Part B deductible yourself. No Part B excess-charge coverage. California allows excess charges (up to 15% over the Medicare rate from providers who don't accept assignment), so this one can matter here... though many providers never charge them.
For a lot of healthy people, Plan N's lower premium more than covers those copays. It's become one of the most common money-saving moves for existing Medigap members. We'll show you Plan G and Plan N side by side so you can see the real trade.
3. California's Birthday Rule: re-shop with no health questions
Within 60 days of your birthday each year, you can switch to an equal or lesser Medigap plan with no medical underwriting. Same coverage, often a lower rate with a different carrier. This yearly check is how you keep from overpaying.
4. Re-shop your Part D drug plan every year
Part D formularies and pricing change annually, and the cheapest plan for your specific drugs is rarely the same carrier as your Medigap plan. There's also a cap on what you pay out-of-pocket for covered drugs: $2,100 in 2026, rising to $2,400 in 2027. We re-check this for clients every year during Oct 15 to Dec 7.
5. Still on Plan F?
Fewer people are these days, but if you are, it's worth a look. Plan G is identical to Plan F except you pay the $283 Part B deductible yourself. Since Plan F usually costs well over $283/yr more in premium, most F holders come out ahead on G... and then you can shop every carrier for the best G rate (see #1).
Plan F premium
higher
often $1,000+/yr more
vs
Plan G + $283 deductible
lower
usually a net win
No problem, this is more common than you'd think. A couple of quick questions and we'll know exactly what you have.
Besides the red, white and blue Medicare card, do you carry a card from a private insurance company?
Almost done
Get your free plan review
You've spotted where your current setup might be costing you or leaving you exposed. Now let a licensed California agent check it for real... free, no obligation, and your rate is identical to going direct because the carriers pay us, not you.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to the plans we offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
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