Guides
Medicare guides for Californians
Written by situation, checked against primary sources (Medicare.gov, SSA, CMS, and the California Insurance Code), and dated so you know what you’re reading is current.
Choosing a planMedicare Advantage vs. Medigap
One replaces how you get Medicare, the other rides alongside it, and you can’t have both. The side-by-side, plus why one direction of the switch is much harder to undo.
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CaliforniaMedicare in California: What’s Actually Different
The birthday rule, the Medi-Cal interplay, county-by-county plan menus, and free HICAP counseling: the state layer around the federal program, mapped.
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CostsMedicare Part B Premium 2027
What the 2027 premium is projected to be, when CMS announces the official number, and the 2026 baseline it builds on.
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CostsIRMAA: Medicare’s Income Surcharges in 2026
The full 2026 income brackets for Part B and Part D surcharges, the two-year lookback that catches new retirees, and how to appeal with form SSA-44.
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CaliforniaMedi-Cal vs. Medicare: What’s the Difference?
They sound alike and Californians often say “Medical” for both, but they are different programs, and you can qualify for both at once.
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CostsExtra Help and Medicare Savings Programs
Two programs pay Part D drug costs and the Part B premium for people with limited income, and one application can start both. The 2026 limits, including California’s new $130,000 asset rule.
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DeadlinesCOBRA and Medicare: The 8-Month Trap
COBRA doesn’t count as employer coverage for Medicare. Miss the 8-month window and you’re looking at a gap in coverage plus a lifetime penalty.
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CaliforniaCalifornia’s Medigap Birthday Rule
Once a year, California lets you switch Medigap policies with no health questions asked. Here’s exactly how the window works.
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DeadlinesHSA and Medicare: The 6-Month Lookback
Enrolling in Medicare backdates your Part A start and quietly turns recent HSA contributions into a tax problem. The rule, the math, and when to stop contributing.
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CoverageDoes Medicare Cover Hearing Aids?
No, and Medicare.gov says so in one sentence. What Part B does cover, where hearing benefits actually come from, and what the FDA’s over-the-counter rule changed.
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CoverageDoes Medicare Cover Eye Exams and Glasses?
Routine exams and glasses, no; disease, yes. The diabetic and glaucoma screenings you’re entitled to, and the one time Medicare buys you a pair of glasses.
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Special situationsSSDI and Medicare at 65
Your check converts to a retirement benefit at full retirement age, same amount. What 65 really changes: a one-time, no-underwriting Medigap window opens.
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Special situationsTRICARE for Life and Medicare
Automatic wraparound coverage with no premium of its own, hanging on one requirement: Part B. How claims flow, the drug coverage question, and the overseas rule.
Read the guideNot sure which rules apply to you?
Three questions, two minutes, no sign-up. See the deadlines and California rules for your situation.