How to Use Medicare Plan Finder Tools Effectively

Choosing the right Medicare plan is important, both to consider your finances and to maximize quality of life when you become Medicare eligible. Unfortunately—like most things in the healthcare industry—with confusing options, little to no guidance, and the threat of coverage gaps, choosing a Medicare plan can feel incredibly overwhelming. Enter Medicare plan finder tools like Healthpilot .

Tools like this can help you find the Medicare plan that fits your budget, medical needs, and any other life circumstances by comparing cost, plan coverage, and other benefits. Let’s dive into how to use these tools to ensure that the Medicare plan you sign up for is the best fit for you.

What Is a Medicare Plan Finder? Medicare plan finder tools exist across the Internet in different forms. Some tools simply provide plan information and offer comparison options, but don’t recommend the best plan for you based on your unique circumstances. Other tools offer this customization, but in the end, they shoehorn you into one plan option and then quickly prompt sign-up before giving you time to consider. Others still offer personalized recommendations and sign-up right on the website, but once you sign up—you’re on your own.

Even Medicare.gov offers its own plan finder tool, but it can be difficult to navigate, has limited functionality (you won’t be able to search for plans based on your preferred doctors), and doesn’t get updated frequently—in 2019, it was upgraded for the first time in over a decade .

Healthpilot is a trusted comparison and sign-up tool that does all of these things and more: we offer not only comparisons, but insightful recommendations (using our Plan Fit score) based on your needs, allow you to sign up directly from our website, and act as your advisor and liaison should you ever need help or have questions. Not to mention, Healthpilot’s Medicare plan recommendations are 7x more accurate than Medicare.gov .

What Can I Compare on Medicare Plan Finders? There are a plethora of options available when it comes to Medicare. From original Medicare (Parts A and B) to Medicare Advantage (Part C), to Medicare Supplement (also known as Medigap), and prescription coverage (Part D)—the search for Medicare can feel more like learning the alphabet than signing up for healthcare.

Though it depends on the specific platform you’re using, many Medicare plan finders offer comparison options, but the support ends there—the decision of “the right plan for you” still depends solely on you.

Healthpilot allows you to compare Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap plans , and even prescription drug coverage ( Medicare Part D ), and takes it a step further than that, with personalized plan recommendations provided to you based on your needs.

When you use Healthpilot, we filter through the noise by matching you with Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Supplement Plans, and Prescription Drug Plans based on the health information you provide. From there, you can select from your top matches and compare premiums, max-out-of-pocket, deductible, doctor coverage, drug coverage, and more—all in one place.

How to Look for Medicare Plans Let’s run through what the process of using one of these tools might look like:

Step 1: Gather Personal Details & Health Information Before you use a Medicare plan finder tool, make sure you have all the necessary health information easily available for inputting into the platform.

Be sure to have on hand:

Your zip code The names of any prescription drugs you take or plan to take in the future Your preferred pharmacies and their addresses Your current doctors (both Primary Care Providers and specialists) Having all of this information on hand will increase the accuracy of the plan recommendations provided to you—both in terms of cost and coverage.

Step 2: Find a Medicare Plan Finder Tool You Trust While popular plan finder tools like Healthpilot.com and Medicare.gov are trustworthy Medicare shopping websites, others may not be. When searching for a tool, be sure to vet the platform before entering any personal information—Medicare scams can happen. Here are some things to look out for to ensure the tool you choose is trustworthy and right for you:

Seek out official platforms backed by real carriers ( Healthpilot partners with industry-leading healthcare carriers to help ensure you get the best plan for you based on your budget and needs) Ensure that the goal of the tool you select is to show you plan recommendations and help you get signed up, not just collect your data and provide you with a generic comparison chart For those already signed up for a Medicare plan and wanting to compare plans for future enrollment periods or SEPs, beware especially of Medicare impersonators offering a “new” card in exchange for your information Step 3: Enter Your Information & Compare Plans Once you’ve settled on a good Medicare plan finder tool, it’s time to compare! Healthpilot allows you to compare plan costs, provider networks, pharmacies, preventive services, specialist care, and so much more—all tailored to you, based on the information that you provide us.

Step 4: Know Your Enrollment Period Just as there are a variety of different Medicare plans and providers, there are also variations in Medicare plan enrollment periods —for example:

Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) : If this is your first time enrolling in Original Medicare, you’re likely within your IEP. This period lasts for 7 months—it starts 3 months before you turn 65, includes the month you turn 65, and ends 3 months after you turn 65. Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) : This period lasts from October 15th to December 7th each year, with plans going into effect January 1st of the following year. This is your opportunity to: Review your current coverage Switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Choose a new Medicare Advantage plan Change, add, or remove Medicare Part D (prescription drug plan) Open Enrollment Period (OEP) : This period runs from January 1st to March 31st each year, and only applies to those already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. During the OEP, you can: Switch to a different Medicare Advantage plan Drop Medicare Advantage and return to Original Medicare Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) : These enrollment periods are those outside of the AEP and GEP, and are triggered by situations like: Moving outside of your plan’s service area Losing healthcare coverage through your employer Losing your Medicaid eligibility Qualifying for Medicare based on disability General Enrollment Period (GEP) : This enrollment period is from January 1st to March 31st each year—it serves as an opportunity to enroll in Original Medicare if you haven’t already during your IEP or an SEP. Who Can Help Me Find a Medicare Plan? Outside of Medicare plan finder tools, there are a variety of places you can find information about and help with enrollment in Medicare:

Licensed agents (licensed by state) State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) Family members, friends, or loved ones who have already enrolled in Medicare Trusted online tools like Healthpilot Healthpilot is a Medicare plan finder tool that is payer-agnostic—we put users’ needs first, not commissions. Neither our agents nor our online tools consider commissions when providing recommendations, ensuring users get unbiased guidance with the plans we represent. Healthpilot exists solely as a trusted comparison and signup tool, with a layer of ongoing support added to help ensure that you truly enroll in the best Medicare plan based on your budget and needs.

Tips for Using a Medicare Plan Finder Tool Effectively Having the right health insurance plan is vital. Here are some tips for using Medicare plan finder tools like Healthpilot effectively to ensure you have the best possible experience—during signup and after the fact:

If you’re already signed up for Original Medicare, use your MyMedicare account as a written record of your prescription and drug history. Providers and pharmacies change often— double-check networks each year . Even if your plan doesn’t change, we recommend comparing yearly to confirm that you are paying the best price possible for your coverage needs. Download or print plan details to review offline, such as consulting with family or your healthcare providers. Healthpilot: A Trusted Medicare Plan Finder Tool Medicare plan finder tools like Healthpilot exist to ensure that the process of finding the right Medicare plan for you and your healthcare needs is as streamlined and simple as possible. We offer:

Personalized plan recommendations with the most up-to-date information Seamless signup right from our platform Ongoing support should you ever need any help or have any questions Health insurance shouldn’t be complicated—our goal is to make your Medicare experience easy. Ready to get started ?

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