Medicare Plans
Medicare Mistakes to Avoid
After years of sitting at kitchen tables across Franklin County, from Bexley to Hilliard, we see the same short list of errors on repeat. Almost none of them come from choosing the "wrong" plan. Most trace back to a missed date, a bad assumption, or a decision made straight off a mailer.
Here are the Medicare mistakes to avoid before they cost you.
- Most of these mistakes are permanent, not fixable later
- A single yearly review prevents nearly all of them
- Missed deadlines cost more than a wrong plan pick
The big ones
Seven Medicare mistakes to avoid this year
1. Missing your Part B window
Without active employer coverage, delaying Part B adds a penalty you carry for life. Run the numbers with our Part B penalty calculator.2. Skipping drug coverage
Not filling prescriptions now doesn't get you out of this one. Going 63+ days without creditable drug coverage adds a permanent surcharge to Part D.3. Assuming your network never changes
Hospital and physician contracts get renegotiated every year. Recheck your doctors each fall instead of assuming last year still holds.4. Shopping on premium alone
A $0 premium plan with the wrong drug tiers can cost you thousands more over a year than a plan with a modest monthly fee.5. Letting the Medigap window close
Your one guaranteed-issue Medigap window opens with Part B and lasts six months. After that, Ohio carriers can start asking health questions.6. Signing up straight from a TV ad
National ads push one plan nationwide. They can't tell you whether that plan actually works with OhioHealth Riverside Methodist or Mount Carmel here in Columbus.
7. Never checking again
The costliest mistake of all is set-and-forget. Plans reset every January 1, and a quick annual look during open enrollment is usually all it takes to catch a problem early.
Also worth knowing
Smaller slip-ups we fix often
Some folks add a standalone Part D plan while already on a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, which can knock them out of the Advantage plan entirely. Others drop a Medigap plan planning to pick it back up later, then can't clear underwriting. A few never mention a spouse's coverage, and we later find out a Special Enrollment Period had been sitting there unused.
None of this is complicated. It's just detail, and catching detail is exactly what a local independent agent handles. New to this? Read the Medicare overview and work through the Medicare checklist.
Protect yourself
No cost, no pressure
Worried you've already made one of these mistakes?
Most are fixable if caught early. Call for a free, no-judgment review of where you stand.