Resources
Medicare FAQs
These are the questions we hear most at kitchen tables, town square events and over the phone right here in The Villages. If yours isn't covered below, call us. We'd rather talk it through than have you guess.
- Direct answers, no sales script
- Written for The Villages and Sumter County
- Updated as the rules change
Questions
What The Villages residents ask us most
Does it cost anything to work with The Villages Senior Insurance?
No, it's free. Carriers pay us a standard commission that's already baked into plan pricing, whether you use an agent or go it alone. Working with our office never raises your premium by a dollar.
When can I first enroll in Medicare?
Most people get a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period: three months before your 65th birthday month, that birthday month itself, and three months after. Enroll early and coverage starts without a gap.
Can I keep my current doctors?
With Original Medicare plus a Medigap plan, yes, any provider who accepts Medicare works. With a Medicare Advantage plan it depends on the network, so we check your doctors and hospital, whether that's UF Health The Villages Hospital or AdventHealth Waterman, against each plan's current directory before you sign anything.
Is Medicare Advantage better than Medigap?
Neither wins for everyone. Here in Sumter County you'll find heavy Medicare Advantage competition because The Villages is one of the largest 55+ communities in the country, and carriers court that dense retiree population hard. Advantage plans often run a low premium with copays and a network; Medigap costs more monthly but pays predictably with no network. The right pick depends on your doctors, your prescriptions and how you feel about variable costs.
What happens if I don't sign up for Part B on time?
Unless you're still covered through active employment, Medicare tacks on 10% to your Part B premium for every full 12 months you waited, and that surcharge usually sticks around for life. Run the numbers with our Part B penalty calculator before you decide to wait.
I don't take any prescriptions. Do I still need Part D?
Almost always, yes. Go 63 days or more without creditable drug coverage after you're eligible and you trigger a permanent Part D penalty. A cheap plan now nearly always beats paying that penalty for the rest of your life.
Do I have to change plans every year?
No, but you should look. Networks, drug tiers and copays reset every January 1, and plan lineups shift constantly in this market given how many Medicare Advantage carriers compete for Villages residents. A fifteen-minute review each fall, before Annual Enrollment gets busy, is usually enough to confirm you're still in the right plan.
Which hospitals do The Villages Medicare plans use?
Most local care runs through UF Health The Villages Hospital and AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, along with The Villages Health care centers like Colony, Santa Barbara, Creekside and Pinellas. Contracts with these systems can change from one plan year to the next, so we confirm coverage before you commit.
Can you help if I'm under 65 and on Medicare due to disability?
Yes. Options look different for under-65 beneficiaries in Florida, particularly around Medigap guaranteed issue rules. We'll walk through what's actually open to you given your situation.
Do you serve towns outside The Villages?
We work throughout Sumter County and into Lake and Marion County too, including Lady Lake, Wildwood, Fruitland Park, Leesburg, Oxford, Summerfield and Belleview. We also see a bump in calls every winter from snowbird residents settling back in for the season.
Still working through the basics? The Medicare overview and the Medicare checklist are the best places to start.
Have a question we didn't cover?
Call and ask. There's no charge and no obligation, and plenty of our calls end with 'stay right where you are.'