Guides and workbooks
Straight answers, written down.
Everything here starts as a question someone actually asked us, at a workshop or on the phone. We write the answer once, carefully, so the next person doesn't have to hunt for it.
Articles
The library opens this fall.
We'd rather publish nothing than publish filler.
There's a lot of Medicare writing on the internet. Most of it is padded, undated, and quietly trying to sell you something. We're not adding to that pile.
So the first guides are being written now, slowly, from the questions we hear most often in our own workshops. Each one gets checked against Medicare.gov, dated, signed by a licensed human, and tested on a real 70-year-old before it goes up.
In the meantime, the fastest way to get your question answered is to ask it out loud. Come to a free class, or just call us.
First up, in this order
These are the questions we're asked most. Each becomes a guide.
- "I'm turning 65 but I'm still working. Do I have to sign up?"Writing now
- "Why did I get 40 pieces of mail, and which ones can I throw away?"Next
- "What does Medicare actually cost me each month?"Queued
- "Advantage or Supplement? What's the honest difference?"Queued
- "What happens if I miss my enrollment window?"Queued
- "My spouse is younger than me. What happens to their coverage?"Queued
Free workbooks
Tools you fill in, not just things you read.
The first three are in production.
A workbook should be worth printing. Ours are being built as one-page tools you can fill in at the kitchen table and carry to a phone call: your deadline dates, your current coverage, the questions to ask before you decide anything.
Attendees get the first versions at our classes before they're posted here. That's not a gimmick, it's just where they're being tested.
Your Medicare Deadline Sheet
One page. Your birthday goes in the top box, and every date that matters fills itself in below.
The Mail Sorter
A simple decision tree for the pile on your counter: keep, act on, or recycle.
Questions to Ask Before You Decide
The list to have in hand for any call about coverage, including calls with us.
How we decide what to publish
Three tests, every time.
We're putting this in public so you can hold us to it.
True
Every fact checked against Medicare.gov, CMS, or Social Security, with the sources listed and the date we verified it shown at the top. Numbers change yearly, so anything stale gets fixed or pulled.
Useful
You should be able to do something within five minutes of finishing: check a date, make a call, fill in a line. If a piece only informs, it isn't finished yet.
Clear
Read aloud before it publishes. One idea per sentence, no jargon, and no word we wouldn't use at a kitchen table. If it needs a glossary, we simplify until it doesn't.
Help us pick
What do you need explained?
Genuinely: the guides we write come from questions people ask. If yours isn't on the list above, tell us and it goes in the queue. No email signup, no form, just ask.
Send us your questionOr call (859) 618-6443 and ask a person directly. That works too, and it's faster.