What yesterday's Medicare workshops taught us. People holding their plan letter still had not caught that things were changing, Medicare.gov is not showing doctor matches for 2027 yet, and the numbers on the screen only help if you know what each one means. Here is what each one means.
The workshop's last section sorts the room into three groups: not on Medicare yet, on an Advantage plan, or on a Supplement with a drug plan. What each group does this fall, the six questions to ask anyone who offers to help, and every section of the show in print, in one place.
This morning Medicare.gov switched to 2027 plans, and the workshop's live demo walks the search click by click. How to search drug plans and Advantage plans, the notes-sheet grid, what the little tooth means, and what the site does not show yet on day one.
Plan letters are due today, and the workshop's calendar slide answers the next question: which Medicare window is yours, what you can change between October 15 and December 7, what happens if you do nothing, and the one change you can apply for any month of the year.
Copay, deductible, network, and maximum out-of-pocket. The workshop defines these four before anything else, and each one is hiding in the plan letter on your counter. What each means in Medicare's own words, the 2027 numbers, and the one that surprises people most.
Take-Home Notes, part one: the workshop's opening section, in print. Medicare starts with one foundation, there are five ways to build on it, and most people end up on one of two paths. Plus why your mailbox is full: hundreds of companies sell the exact same Supplement plans.