Why Should You Use a Medicare Advisor?

Medicare. You always knew it was coming, but now it’s here. It’s time to face that giant puzzle of a government program and figure out how to make it work for you.

Well, don’t lose heart. While it might seem more confusing than your middle child’s moods, you’ve got one advantage: There are real people who don’t work for Medicare or any insurance company who understand Medicare and can help you through.

Let’s look at how an advisor can take the stress out of Medicare and help you be confident you’ve got the best coverage for your needs.

What Does a Medicare Advisor Do?

A Medicare advisor knows every detail of Medicare and helps guide you to the right plan for your situation. Think of a Medicare advisor as your personal guide through the federal health insurance maze. They assess your situation, explain your options in plain English, help you enroll in the right plan, and stick around to support you year after year.

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Learn which insurance fits your life and what it protects.

Get the Right Coverage

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Medicare rules and options can be complex and overwhelming (understatement of the century). A Medicare advisor knows the intricacies and important details you can only find in some 900-page PDF file on a government website. They can guide you through the process so you can get the most value out of Medicare.

One thing advisors can really help you with: deadlines. Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is generally a seven-month window that begins three months before the month you turn 65, includes your birthday month, and ends three months after it.^[1] If you miss that window and don't qualify for a Special Enrollment Period, you could face permanent late-enrollment penalties. A good Medicare advisor tracks these dates for you and makes sure you don’t accidentally blow past them.

How Does a Medicare Advisor Personalize Your Plan?

Remember shoes from the 1700s? Just kidding—we know you’re not that old. But 18th-century shoes weren’t shaped to fit right and left feet. Cobblers didn’t care. Like Cinderella’s stepsisters, they just jammed the shoes on no matter what. Well, that’s not how you want your Medicare plan to work. You want a plan that fits like a modern shoe—maybe one of those fancy ones that are shaped like your toes. An advisor can make that happen.

nowing Medicare is just part of the job. Advisors also learn about your personal situation so they can give you the best advice. They’ll look at your specific:

• Health care needs (Do you have chronic arthritis and need medication?)
• Financial situation (Do you qualify for Medicaid?)
• Preferences (Do you want more options for where you go for care? Do you prefer ketchup or mustard with your fries? . . . Scratch that last question—it’s better suited for your SilverSingles profile.)

By looking through all this stuff, advisors can recommend plans that best fit your individual circumstances. This personal touch means you get coverage that meets your needs without paying for unnecessary features.

Is a Medicare Advisor Worth It?

Working with a Medicare advisor is worth it because they compare plans and help you enroll—all at no cost to you. Most people who go it alone end up overwhelmed, miss key enrollment deadlines, or land in a plan that doesn’t actually cover what they need.

Here’s a side-by-side look at what working or not working with an advisor could mean for you:

Saving Time

Instead of researching and comparing plans on your own, you can hand that off to a Medicare advisor and get on with doing what’s really important—like making your famous turtle fudge, explaining to your grandkids what a dial phone is, or just stalking that old classmate on Facebook. So skip the time-consuming and confusing research and let an advisor streamline the process for you.

Can an Advisor Help Compare Medicare Plans?

Comparing plans is one of the most valuable tasks a good advisor can help you with. They're experts at understanding how different plans like Medigap, Medicare Advantage and Part D fit your situation and preferences. They can compare thousands of Medicare plans to help you find the right fit.

How Much Does a Medicare Advisor Cost?

In most cases, using a Medicare advisor costs you nothing. Advisors are paid by the insurance companies—not by you. That means you get expert guidance without paying a single penny. 

On top of being free to use, advisors can also help you save on your Medicare plan itself by finding options with lower premiums, copays and deductibles that still cover what you need. If someone could show you for free how to save money on something you have to buy, would you take them up on it? That’s probably a no-brainer.

Be careful picking an advisor, though. Insurance agents and advisors can be incentivized to sell a particular plan— —even if it isn't the best fit for your needs or your budget. In most cases, these people push Medicare Advantage plans no matter what your situation because they make more money if you buy that type of plan. (Chapter’s advisors see this pattern regularly.) Medicare Advantage isn’t the right fit for most people—but the only way to know if it’s right for you is to work with an advisor who isn’t paid more to sell it.

Why Do I Need an Ongoing Relationship With an Advisor?

Choosing a plan is just the beginning. The Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) runs October 15 through December 7 every year—and Medicare plans can change a lot from one year to the next.^[1] Costs go up, the list of covered drugs changes, and networks shrink. An advisor reviews your plan every year during the AEP and flags anything that no longer works for you. They’re a resource along your entire Medicare journey, not just on day one.

Annual Review

Unlike Ronco’s Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, Medicare isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it kind of thing. Medicare plans can change from year to year, including their costs, coverage, and the list of covered drugs (called a formulary). A Medicare advisor can review your plan each year during the Annual Enrollment Period to make sure it still meets your needs and recommend adjustments if necessary.

Help With Claims

One thing you might be confused about is how to use your Medicare benefits. If you need help with a claim or appealing a coverage denial, an advisor can help you navigate the process and resolve issues with your Medicare plan.

Who Is the Best Medicare Advisor to Use?

The problem with most Medicare advisors is simple: They’re paid more when they sell certain plans. That conflict of interest is real, and it means plenty of people end up in Medicare Advantage plans that limit their provider choices—not because it was the right fit but because it paid the agent the highest commission. The solution is to work with an advisor who’s focused on finding the right plan for you, period. That’s exactly how Chapter works.

The folks at Chapter are so good at this whole Medicare thing, we’ve made them our RamseyTrusted partners to help you get covered. Chapter’s advisors are incentivized to get you coverage—not steer you toward a specific plan. That means they want to find you a plan that fits your needs and won’t sell you a Medicare Advantage plan if it’s not right for you.

After you’ve got a plan, Chapter will send you quarterly email updates and check in annually. And Chapter’s member advocate team can help you understand your plan and use your benefits throughout the year.

Before they started Chapter, the founders were just as confused as you about Medicare. So they learned everything there is to know about it. Now Chapter advisors are here to help you navigate the ins and outs of Medicare with confidence. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you anything to work with a Chapter advisor.

There’s no need to go through Medicare alone. Connect with a RamseyTrusted Medicare advisor at Chapter to find the right plan for you.

Chapter Advisory, LLC ("Chapter") is a private health insurance agency. In California, Chapter does business as Chapter Insurance Services (Lic. No. 6003691). Chapter is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government entity. While Chapter has a database of every Medicare plan option nationwide and can help you to search among all options, it has contracts with many but not all plans. As a result, Chapter does not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, Chapter represents 50 organizations which offer over 18,000 products nationwide. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-Medicare, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Enrollment in a plan may be limited to certain times of the year unless you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period or you are in your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period.