Decision sequence
Start with timing, then coverage path, then doctors, prescriptions, costs, and enrollment details.
Free plain-English guide
New to Medicare? Start Here.
Medicare gets easier when the decisions are put in the right order. Start with timing, then compare coverage paths, then check doctors, prescriptions, costs, and next steps.
Should I take Part B?
Can I keep working?
Supplement or Advantage?
Do I need Part D?
What about my HSA?
What if my spouse is not Medicare eligible?
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Created by Sam Olson Insurance Services, a Napa-based Medicare agency with 130+ 5-star Google reviews.
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Easy Read
Clear next steps
What's inside the guide?
A practical path through your first Medicare decisions.
The full guide is designed for quick reading, clear scanning, and useful next steps whether or not you schedule a call.
Medicare timeline
Know what to do 6 to 12 months before Medicare, 3 months before, your start month, and after Medicare begins.
Original Medicare vs Advantage
Compare flexibility, networks, referrals, prior authorization, travel, premiums, and out-of-pocket risk.
Part D Planning
Understand how prescription coverage fits into the broader Medicare planning process.
Working past 65
Review employer size, current employment coverage, COBRA, retiree coverage, spouse timing, HSA coordination, and Part B timing.
Interactive checklist
Use a grouped checklist for timing, employer coverage, HSA, coverage choice, prescriptions, and final steps.
Guide preview
The guide puts Medicare decisions in order.
It includes a timeline, plain-English comparison sections, Sam's Note callouts, common mistakes, real-life scenarios, a glossary, and a print-friendly checklist.