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Worthen Insurance Group Our fully licensed staff is available to assist you. That means we will always find the best value for your insurance dollar. But it doesn't end there.

Professional Insurance Agency focused on providing Business insurance, Workers' Comp, Medicare, Home and Auto insurance, in Harris, Galveston and Brazoria counties and all of Texas. We are an independent insurance agency representing the top regional and national carriers for personal and commercial insurance. Once your insurance coverage is securely in place, that's when we go to work! Our experience in customer service has taught us that relationships come first. This commitment is the heart of Worthen Insurance Group and what makes us the best insurance agency choice for you and your family.

Worthen Wednesday: The Annual Notice of Change ๐Ÿ’™โ€œ๐—œ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ. ...
10/14/2026

Worthen Wednesday: The Annual Notice of Change ๐Ÿ’™

โ€œ๐—œ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ก๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ. ๐——๐—ผ ๐—œ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜?โ€

I get it. By October, your mailbox is already overflowing, and a dense packet full of charts and fine print is easy to set aside for โ€œlater.โ€ But this is one piece of mail Iโ€™d gently ask you to move to the top of the pile.

Hereโ€™s whatโ€™s usually going on:

Itโ€™s your planโ€™s โ€œhereโ€™s whatโ€™s changingโ€ letter. Medicare plans send the Annual Notice of Change (often called the ANOC) every fall. It spells out what will be different about your plan starting January 1. Plans can and do change from year to year, even if you didnโ€™t change anything yourself.

The changes can hit your wallet. The ANOC covers things like your monthly premium, deductibles, and what youโ€™ll pay at the doctor or pharmacy. A plan that worked beautifully this year might cost more next year, or it might cost less. Either way, you want to know before January, not after.

Your prescriptions might be affected. Plans update their drug lists every year. A medication you take could move to a different cost tier, pick up new requirements, or come off the list entirely. This is one of the most common surprises I see in January, and itโ€™s usually avoidable.

Doing nothing is still a decision. If you donโ€™t make a change, youโ€™ll generally stay in the same plan next year, with all of its new costs and rules. That might be exactly right for you. The point is to choose it on purpose.

What do I do about it?

Open it up and look for the summary near the front. Most ANOCs include a side-by-side of this year versus next year. Check your premium, check your drugs, and check any benefits you use regularly. If something looks off or confusing, jot it down.

Timing matters here too. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, and it starts tomorrow. Thatโ€™s your window to make changes for next year if your plan no longer fits.

If that envelope has been sitting on your counter, thatโ€™s not a failure on your part. Itโ€™s a lot of paper and a lot of jargon. Reading it now still gives you plenty of time.

Have questions about whatโ€™s in yours? Drop them in the comments or send me a message. No question is too small, and thereโ€™s never any pressure.

If you or someone you love is turning 65, I made this one for you. Medicare has a lot of moving parts, so here's all of ...
10/13/2026

If you or someone you love is turning 65, I made this one for you. Medicare has a lot of moving parts, so here's all of it on one page. ๐Ÿ‘‡

Part A covers hospital stays. Most people pay no premium for it, but there's a $1,736 deductible each benefit period in 2026.

Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care. The standard premium is $202.90 a month.

Part C (Medicare Advantage) is a private plan that gives you your Part A and B benefits, usually with drug coverage built in. This year in-network out-of-pocket costs can't go over $9,250, and a lot of plans set their limit lower than that.

Part D covers prescriptions. Your out-of-pocket drug costs now stop at $2,100 for the year.

Medigap isn't part of Medicare at all, which surprises a lot of people. It's private coverage that picks up the deductibles, coinsurance and copays Original Medicare leaves behind. You can't pair it with Medicare Advantage.

If you remember one thing, make it the line at the bottom of the image. Original Medicare on its own has no yearly cap on what you pay out of pocket. That gap is the reason Medigap exists.

Timing matters too. Your 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period is when insurance companies can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health. Miss it and things can get a lot harder.

One heads up: these are 2026 numbers. The 2027 amounts come out this fall, and I'll share them when they do.

If you have questions or just want someone to walk you through it, call us at 281-819-6619. There's no cost to you.

So I'm curious, for those of you already on Medicare: did you go with Original Medicare plus a supplement, or with Medicare Advantage?

This post is for educational and informational purposes only and isn't individual insurance, financial, tax or legal advice.

Pumpkin patch: check. โœ… Medicare plan review: next on the list. ๐ŸŽƒI got to spend an afternoon at the pumpkin patch with m...
10/12/2026

Pumpkin patch: check. โœ… Medicare plan review: next on the list. ๐ŸŽƒ

I got to spend an afternoon at the pumpkin patch with my grandson, and it reminded me that fall is also the one time each year you can make changes to your Medicare coverage.

Medicare Annual Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7.

Your plan can change for next year even if you don't change a thing. Doctors, drug costs and coverage can all shift, and the details are usually tucked into that Annual Notice of Change (ANOC) letter that showed up in your mailbox. If you haven't opened yours yet, now's a great time.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on it, we're happy to sit down with you and walk through it, at no cost to you. Just call our office at 281-819-6619.

๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐——๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿ’™"๐— ๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ท๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ป'๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ...
10/07/2026

๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐——๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜€ ๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐Ÿ’™

"๐— ๐˜† ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ท๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ป'๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—บ๐˜† ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„?"

If you've heard this lately, you're not alone. This is one of the most common calls I get in October, and it's an unsettling one. You've built trust with your doctor, and the last thing you want is to start over with someone new because of a contract you had no say in.

Here's what's usually going on:

๐—ก๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ. Medicare Advantage plans contract with doctors and hospitals, and those contracts get renegotiated. Sometimes a plan and a doctor's office can't come to terms, and the doctor drops out of the network for the following year. It's a business decision between them, not a reflection on you or your care.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„๐˜€ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€. You might hear it from the doctor's front desk, a letter from the plan, or not at all until you check. Your plan's Annual Notice of Change spells out what's changing for next year, but provider details aren't always easy to find in it. That's why so many people are caught off guard.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐˜€ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜†. Sometimes a doctor and a plan work things out late in the year. Other times a doctor stays in one of the company's plans but not another. It's worth confirming the details before you make any big moves.

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—œ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ถ๐˜?

First, ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—บ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ'๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป. Ask the office exactly which plans they'll accept next year, and check the plan's 2027 provider directory.

Next, ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ป๐—ป๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ฑ. From ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿณ, you can switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan your doctor accepts, or move back to Original Medicare, with your new coverage starting January 1.

If you're in the middle of treatment, ask your plan what happens to ongoing care so there are no surprises.

And if you're weighing a move to Original Medicare and want a Medicare Supplement, ask about health questions before you switch. Outside certain windows, Supplement companies can look at your health history, so it's best to know where you stand first.

๐—œ๐—ณ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„, ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ. Missing a letter or not knowing this could happen isn't a failure on your part. It catches a lot of people off guard.

๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป? ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜†๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ. No pressure and no judgment, just a real conversation at no cost to you.

If you or someone you love takes an expensive prescription, here's a number worth knowing before Medicare open enrollmen...
10/06/2026

If you or someone you love takes an expensive prescription, here's a number worth knowing before Medicare open enrollment starts October 15.

Since 2025, Medicare drug coverage has had a yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket for covered prescriptions. This year the limit is $2,100. In 2027 it goes up to $2,400. Once your share reaches it, your covered drugs cost $0 for the rest of the calendar year. It works the same way whether you have a standalone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage.

What counts toward the limit:
โœ“ Your deductible
โœ“ Your copays and coinsurance on drugs your plan covers
โœ“ Money other people pay for you, like family, friends, many charities, and Extra Help

What doesn't count:
โœ— Your monthly premium
โœ— Drugs your plan doesn't cover
โœ— Drugs covered under Part A or Part B
โœ— Discounts paid by drug makers

That second list is why the plan you pick still matters. If a drug isn't on your plan's list, what you spend on it won't count toward the limit unless the plan approves an exception. Before you settle on a 2027 plan, make sure every one of your prescriptions is covered, and check which pharmacies you can use.

The limit doesn't fix one thing: timing. If you take a high-cost drug, you could hit the whole amount in January. The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan spreads those costs into monthly bills for the rest of the year, with no fees or interest. You can sign up through your drug plan at any time. It doesn't lower what you owe overall. It just keeps one trip to the pharmacy from eating a whole month's budget.

Two costs already have their own limits:
โœ“ Covered insulin is capped at $35 for a month's supply, with no deductible
โœ“ Vaccines recommended for adults that Part D covers cost you $0

If you'd like a second set of eyes on your prescriptions before you choose a plan, give our office a call at 281-819-6619. I'm always happy to help.



This post is for educational and informational purposes only. It isn't personalized insurance, tax, legal, or financial advice. Please talk with a licensed professional about your own situation before making decisions.

If you help a parent with their bills, this list is worth ten minutes of your time.About 9 million older adults qualify ...
10/06/2026

If you help a parent with their bills, this list is worth ten minutes of your time.

About 9 million older adults qualify for help they never claim. NCOA's research keeps finding the same reasons: they don't know the program exists, they assume the application will be a headache, or they figure someone else needs it more.

The biggest one on the list is VA Aid and Attendance. A wartime veteran who needs help with daily care and meets the income and asset limits can get up to $34,488 a year. Surviving spouses can qualify too, at a lower amount.

The other five depend mostly on income, and some look at savings and assets too. Every program and every state sets its own limits, so the only way to know for sure is to check.

Here's the part most people miss: two of them lead to a third. If you're approved for SSI or a Medicare Savings Program, you automatically get Extra Help with prescription costs. No separate application.

A good place to start is NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp (benefitscheckup.org). It screens for all of these at once and doesn't cost a thing. Your local Area Agency on Aging can also help with the paperwork, or you can dial 2-1-1 here in Texas.

Pass this along to someone who's helping Mom or Dad. Have you ever found out about a benefit you didn't know existed?

This post is for general information only. Benefit amounts and eligibility rules change and vary by state and household, so check with each program about your own situation. Worthen Insurance Group is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

Medicare looks like a premium decision on day one. Then the first time you get sick, it turns into a "what's this going ...
10/06/2026

Medicare looks like a premium decision on day one. Then the first time you get sick, it turns into a "what's this going to cost me" decision.

This is the conversation I have most with folks turning 65, so here's the plain-English version.

Both paths start with the same bill: Part B, which is $202.90 a month in 2026 for most people (more if your income is higher).

๐—ข๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ + ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—š: Plan G picks up most of what Medicare leaves behind - the $1,736 hospital deductible, the 20% you'd otherwise owe, and excess charges. The main thing you still pay is the $283 Part B deductible. The trade-off is a higher monthly premium. I used $150 to $250 a month on the chart, but that's an illustration, not a quote. It really depends on your age, your ZIP code and the insurance company.

๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฝ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜. Premiums are often low, many are $0, and drug coverage is usually built in. When you need care, you pay copays as you go, up to a yearly limit. That limit can be as high as $9,250 in network, or $13,900 combined on a PPO if you go out of network.

Before you pick one, please make sure your doctors and the hospital you'd actually use are in the network. Some plans also need approval before certain services.

The one I wish everybody knew: you're guaranteed a Medigap plan with no health questions only in the 6 months after you turn 65 and enroll in Part B. Here in Texas, if you start with Advantage and want to switch to Medigap later, you'll usually have to answer health questions, and you can be turned down.

There's no right answer for everyone. It comes down to your health, your doctors, your budget and how many surprises you can live with.

So I'm curious - which one did you pick, and would you pick it again?

๐—œ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜, ๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด๐Ÿญ-๐Ÿด๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต-๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต. ๐—ช๐—ฒ'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 6 organizations which offer 62 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.

That thick envelope from your Medicare plan this fall is your Annual Notice of Change. It lists every way your coverage ...
10/06/2026

That thick envelope from your Medicare plan this fall is your Annual Notice of Change. It lists every way your coverage changes on January 1, and this year Texans have extra reason to open it.

As of October 1, every 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D plan can be compared on Medicare's official Plan Finder. ๐—ข๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—˜๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜, ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐˜† ๐˜€๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต, ๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿณ. New coverage starts January 1.

Texas lost more plan choices than any other state. KFF's review of the new CMS data shows the average Texan on Medicare has 9 fewer Medicare Advantage plans with drug coverage to pick from in 2027. If your plan is one of the ones going away, you'll get a letter saying so. Don't let that one sit in the pile.

Start with your own plan's premium. The national average Medicare Advantage premium is dropping from about $14 to $12 a month, but that headline won't tell you what's happening here in Harris, Galveston, or Brazoria County. Your notice will.

Drug coverage moves, too. The highest deductible a Part D plan can charge goes from $615 to $700, and the yearly cap on what you pay for covered drugs rises from $2,100 to $2,400. Once you reach that cap, you pay nothing more for covered drugs for the rest of the year.

The changes that get less attention can cost more than the premium. A drug moved to a higher tier, a new prior approval requirement, or a doctor who leaves the network can each outweigh a few dollars a month. With fewer plans in Texas this year, networks are worth a second look.

The fastest way to check is to enter your actual prescriptions and pharmacy into the Plan Finder, then look up each of your doctors in the plan's directory.

If you have Original Medicare with a Medigap policy, the drug items on this list still apply to your standalone Part D plan.

And if your plan still fits, you don't have to do anything. It continues into 2027 unless your plan has told you it's ending.

๐—š๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ? ๐—ช๐—ฒ'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐˜€๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ฝ, ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ป๐—ผ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚. ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿด๐Ÿญ-๐Ÿด๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต-๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 6 organizations which offer 62 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options.

Medicare and heart health: two things a lot of folks around here are thinking about. Glad to be part of this conversatio...
10/01/2026

Medicare and heart health: two things a lot of folks around here are thinking about. Glad to be part of this conversation with some great fellow agents. Take a look, and send me a message if you'd like to talk it through.

Medicare generally covers heart medications under Part D, while implantable devices like pacemakers fall under Parts A and B, making sure these life-saving treatments are accessible when deemed medically necessary.

๐Ÿ”—

This Medicare question has been answered by 23 licensed agents or brokers so far.

๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐Ÿ’™๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ข๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ?If you'v...
09/30/2026

๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐Ÿ’™

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—ข๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ?

If you've checked your mailbox lately, you've probably seen both of these terms about fifty times. They sound like two versions of the same thing, so it's no surprise this is one of the questions I get most. Here's the plain-English version:

๐—ข๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ด๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—บ. It's Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance), run by the federal government. You can generally see any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. It doesn't cover most prescriptions, so many people add a separate Part D drug plan.

๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—”๐—ฑ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—” ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—• ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€. ๐—œ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜€๐—ผ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—–. These plans are offered by private insurance companies that Medicare approves, and they have to follow Medicare's rules. Most include drug coverage, and many ask you to use doctors and hospitals in the plan's network.

๐—˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐— ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ. You keep your Part A and Part B, and you generally still pay your Part B premium. ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ผ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—บ๐˜€.

๐—ฆ๐—ผ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—œ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜€? Nothing yet! It's just a good foundation. ๐—ž๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐˜„๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ต๐˜€ makes the rest of that Medicare mail a lot less confusing. ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ-๐—ผ๐—ป-๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป, not a Facebook post.

๐—œ๐—ณ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐Ÿฒ๐Ÿฑ ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ, ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฒ.

Tell me in the comments: are you still working, or already retired? No question is too basic around here.

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