Silver and Secure

10/16/2026

AEP Is Open. Here Is How the Process Works.

AEP opened yesterday. Here is exactly how I work with clients during this period.

You complete the intake form. It captures your current plan, your medications, and your doctors. It takes about 5 minutes.

I run the comparison. I look at every plan available in your area for 2027 and identify the options that fit your specific situation -- network, formulary, premium, and out-of-pocket exposure.

We review the results together. I walk you through what I found and give you my honest assessment. If your current plan is still your best option, I will tell you that clearly. If something fits better, we go through the specifics.

You make the decision. I handle the paperwork.

The review is free. Changes take effect January 1. The window closes December 7.

If you are a current client: watch for my outreach over the coming weeks. I review every client's situation during AEP and reach out to anyone I think should take a closer look.

If you are new to Silver And Secure: the intake form below is where we start.

https://medicare.healthsherpa.com/intake/jill-bullock

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

HealthSherpa Medicare

10/14/2026

Tomorrow, AEP Opens. Here Is What I Want You to Do.

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period opens tomorrow -- October 15 -- and runs through December 7.

Please do not let your plan auto-renew without a review. Plans change. Networks change. Formularies change. Auto-renewal is not a decision -- it is an absence of one.

Here is what I would like you to do this week: find the ANOC your plan mailed by September 30 and read it. Note anything that looks different from what you expected.

Then complete the intake form below so I can run your comparison properly:

https://medicare.healthsherpa.com/intake/jill-bullock

This takes about 5 minutes on your end. I do the rest.

If you have family or friends on Medicare who tend to let things roll over without looking, this is a good week to mention it to them. The review is free and there is no obligation to change anything.

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

HealthSherpa Medicare

10/12/2026

ACA Open Enrollment Opens November 1. What You Need to Know.

If you buy your own health insurance -- or if someone you know does -- ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment opens November 1 for 2027 coverage.

Key dates:

November 1: enrollment opens on healthcare.gov. December 15: deadline to enroll for a January 1 start date. January 15, 2027: enrollment closes. Plans selected after December 15 start February 1.

This is the one time each year you can enroll in or change a Marketplace plan without a qualifying life event. Outside of this window, you need a specific qualifying event and in most cases prior coverage.

A few things worth knowing for 2027: nine carriers have announced they are leaving the Marketplace. If your current carrier is among them, you will need to select a new plan -- auto-enrollment in a replacement plan is possible but active selection is always better.

Subsidies are based on income, not assets. If your income changed this year, your subsidy eligibility may have changed too.

To start your ACA review: https://app.retireflo.com/under65

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

Welcome to the Health Insurance Marketplace®. Official government website.

10/09/2026

The Real Cost of Doing Nothing During AEP

The most common thing I hear during this season: "I will probably just keep what I have."

Sometimes that is exactly the right call -- after a real review confirms it.

But "probably just keep what I have" as a default, without actually looking, is how people end up paying a higher premium for the same plan when a comparable option costs less, losing access to a doctor they rely on because the network changed, paying significantly more for a drug that moved to a higher formulary tier, or staying in a plan that no longer fits their health situation.

Plan designs change every year. Health situations change. What worked at 65 is not automatically the right fit at 72.

The review takes less than an hour and costs nothing. It does not obligate you to change anything.

AEP runs October 15 through December 7. If you want to know your current plan is actually still the right fit -- rather than assuming it is -- that is what the review is for.

Start here: https://medicare.healthsherpa.com/intake/jill-bullock

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

HealthSherpa Medicare

10/07/2026

Your Medicare Review Starts Here.

AEP opens in eight days -- October 15. If you want to get your Medicare review done before the window opens, this is a good week to start.

The intake form below is how you begin a Medicare plan review with Silver And Secure. It takes about 5 minutes and captures what I need to run a proper comparison: your current plan, your medications, and your doctors.

https://medicare.healthsherpa.com/intake/jill-bullock

Once I have that, I compare your current coverage against 2027 plan options in your area and give you a real picture based on your specific situation -- not a generic overview. Your doctors, your drugs, your plan.

If your current plan is still your best option, I will tell you that directly. If something fits better, we go through exactly why.

The review is free. You pay the same premium whether you work with an independent broker or call the carrier yourself. The difference is whether you are comparing one option or all of them.

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

HealthSherpa Medicare

10/05/2026

AEP Is for Medicare. But What If You Are Not on Medicare Yet?

If you are between 60 and 65, AEP does not apply to you directly. But something else does, and it opens November 1.

ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment runs November 1 through January 15, 2027. This is the one window each year when you can enroll in or change a Marketplace health plan without a qualifying life event.

Outside of this window, your only option is a Special Enrollment Period -- and that requires a specific qualifying event such as losing job-based coverage, a move to a new coverage area, or a divorce that results in loss of coverage. Prior Minimum Essential Coverage is generally required. You have 60 days from the qualifying event.

If you are currently on COBRA, paying the full premium your employer used to share, November is a good time to compare. Marketplace subsidies are income-based -- not asset-based -- and many people in the 60-64 age range qualify for more premium assistance than they expect.

To start your ACA review: https://app.retireflo.com/under65

Silver And Secure 830-406-6654 | [email protected]

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10/02/2026

Two Enrollment Windows. One Busy Fall.

If you manage health coverage for yourself or your family, this fall has two separate deadlines worth tracking.

Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 through December 7. Medicare Advantage and Part D plans can be changed during this window. Changes take effect January 1.

ACA Marketplace Open Enrollment: November 1 through January 15, 2027. Individual and family health plans can be enrolled in or changed. Plans selected by December 15 start January 1. Plans selected December 16 through January 15 start February 1.

These windows overlap. If you have Medicare-age family members and also younger family members on a Marketplace plan, both reviews need to happen this fall -- on different timelines.

If you are 63 or 64 and approaching Medicare, this ACA open enrollment may be one of your last. Getting the right plan for this bridge year matters.

Silver And Secure handles both Medicare and ACA reviews. If you want to get either on the calendar, reach out now -- before the season gets busy.

830-406-6654 | [email protected]

09/30/2026

Today Is the ANOC Deadline. Here Is Why That Matters.

If you or someone you know has Medicare Advantage or a Part D drug plan, today is significant.

September 30 is the date by which insurance companies are required to mail the Annual Notice of Change -- the ANOC -- to every Medicare plan member. This document is not junk mail. It is the official notification of everything changing in a beneficiary's plan for 2027: premium adjustments, drug formulary changes, network changes, and shifts in cost-sharing structure.

The Annual Enrollment Period opens October 15 and closes December 7. That is the one window each year when Medicare Advantage and Part D plans can be changed. The ANOC is what gives people the information they need to make that decision wisely.

Most people set it aside without reading it. The people who read it walk into AEP knowing exactly what is changing -- and whether a different plan would serve them better.

If you are on Medicare or know someone who is: find that document and read it before October 15.

If you want a plan review before or during AEP, reach out now. Reviews are free and available through Silver And Secure.

830-406-6654 | [email protected]

09/28/2026

Key Person Insurance for Small Business Owners

If you own a small business, there's a risk worth thinking about that's easy to overlook: what happens to the business if you, or another critical person on your team, were suddenly unable to work?

Key person insurance is a life insurance policy the business owns on a critical employee or owner - someone whose knowledge, relationships, or leadership the business genuinely depends on. If that person passes away, the payout goes to the business, giving it time and resources to cover lost revenue, find and train a replacement, or wind down operations in an orderly way.

Lenders sometimes require this kind of coverage before extending a business loan, since it protects their investment as much as yours.

If your business would struggle without you or a specific key employee, this is worth exploring as part of your overall business protection plan.

Reach us at [email protected] or 830.406.6654.

09/25/2026

Beneficiary Reviews After a Life Change

Here's something that quietly slips through the cracks after a divorce, a remarriage, or the loss of a loved one: beneficiary designations.

Your beneficiary designations on life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and annuities override what your will says. That means if you updated your will after a divorce but never updated the beneficiary on your 401(k) or life insurance policy, your ex-spouse could still be legally entitled to that money - regardless of your intentions.

This isn't rare. It happens more often than people expect, precisely because updating beneficiaries isn't usually top of mind during a major life event.

A good rule of thumb: any time you experience a major life change - marriage, divorce, a death in the family, a new child or grandchild - take a few minutes to review who's listed as your beneficiary on every account and policy you hold.

If it's been a while since you've checked, it's worth doing today.

Reach us at [email protected] or 830.406.6654.