Medicare depends on your situation. Start there.
Turning 65 is one set of rules. Working past 65, leaving a job, or having Medi-Cal are entirely different ones, with different deadlines and different penalties for missing them. CarePlan65 explains the rules that apply to you, in plain English, for free.
Free • Takes about 2 minutes • No obligation
No phone number, no email, no login. The check runs entirely on your screen.
- 2 min
- is all the check takes
- $0
- free, and we say how we're paid
- EN · ES
- English and Spanish
How the check works
No forms, no phone calls, no personal information. Three taps and you know where you stand.
Answer three questions
Your situation, your current coverage, and what matters most to you. Tap the answers. There's nothing to type and nothing is recorded.
See the rules that apply to you
The enrollment windows, deadlines, penalties, and California-specific rights that fit your situation, in plain English, with sources.
Decide your next step
Read the full guide for your situation, or talk it through with a licensed agent or California's free HICAP counselors when you're ready.
Built for how Medicare actually works in California
Most Medicare sites explain the national rules and stop. California has its own, and your situation decides which ones matter.
California rules included
The Medigap birthday rule, Medi-Cal dual eligibility, Cal-COBRA windows, and HICAP: the state-level rights most national sites never mention.
No phone number required
We don't ask for your name, phone, or email. The check runs entirely in your browser, and we couldn't call you if we wanted to.
In English y en español
The full check and this site work in both languages. Switch any time with one tap.
Sourced and dated
Every number and rule cites Medicare.gov, SSA, CMS, or the California Insurance Code, with the date we last verified it.
How we're paid
Free for you, and we're upfront about why
CarePlan65 is free to use. If we display a partner phone number or comparison link and you use it, a licensed insurance partner may pay us for that call or click. That's it. We are not an insurance agency, we don't sell insurance, and we never see your personal information.
Frequently asked questions
When do I need to enroll in Medicare?
Your Initial Enrollment Period is a 7-month window: the 3 months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the 3 months after. If you keep working past 65 with employer coverage (20+ employees), different rules apply. That's exactly what the check sorts out. Enrolling on time avoids a lifetime Part B late penalty of 10% per year missed.
Is CarePlan65 really free? How do you make money?
The check and every guide are free, with no account and no personal information collected. If we display a partner phone number or plan-comparison link and you choose to use it, a licensed insurance partner may pay us for the call or click. That compensation never changes what the check tells you; the guidance is the same either way.
What's the difference between Medicare Advantage and Medigap?
Medicare Advantage (Part C) replaces how you receive Original Medicare: one plan, usually with a provider network and often with drug coverage bundled in. Medigap (Medicare Supplement) works alongside Original Medicare and helps pay your share of costs, and you can see any doctor who accepts Medicare. Both are legitimate. The right lane depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget.
Are you an insurance agency, or part of Medicare?
Neither. CarePlan65 is a privately owned educational website. We are not connected with or endorsed by Medicare, the federal government, or the State of California, and we are not an insurance company or agency: we don't sell insurance and can't enroll you in anything.
What happens if I call a number on this site?
Government numbers (1-800-MEDICARE, HICAP) reach the government program listed; HICAP counseling is free and unbiased. If we display a partner number, calling it connects you with a licensed insurance agent who may discuss insurance products with you, and we may be paid for the call. Every partner number is labeled as such right where it appears.
Two minutes now beats a lifetime penalty later
Medicare's deadlines are unforgiving: the Part B late penalty never goes away. Find out which windows apply to you before they close.
Annual Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7