Medicare · Social Security timing · Long-term care · Moab, Monticello & Grand Junction
More than just Medicare.
Medicare is where we start — not where we stop. We help you compare and enroll in the right plan, understand how Social Security and Medicare timing fit together, and plan for long-term care — all coordinated with your financial advisor. Insurance companies pay our fee — so you pay nothing for our services.
One plan, not three errands
Medicare, Social Security & long-term care — planned together
These three decisions are connected: your income shapes your Medicare premiums, your claiming age shapes your income, and a long-term care event can undo both. We help you look at the whole picture.
Medicare
Advantage, Supplement (Medigap) and Part D — compared for your doctors, prescriptions and budget, enrolled on time, and reviewed every fall.
Explore Medicare plans →Social Security Planning
When you claim can mean tens of thousands of dollars of difference over a retirement. Meet with us and get a personalized Social Security analysis — your claiming windows, your Medicare premiums (IRMAA), and your retirement income, mapped together.
Get a Social Security analysis →Long-Term Care Planning
Medicare generally doesn't pay for long-term custodial care — and paying out of pocket can drain a lifetime of savings. We build a long-term care analysis around your assets, then walk through traditional and hybrid coverage that protects what you've built.
Get a long-term care analysis →Want all three looked at in one sitting? Book a private, no-cost Retirement & IRMAA Review — 45 minutes, one-on-one with Brian Penner.
Book a Retirement & IRMAA ReviewWhat's your ZIP code?
We start local — plan availability is set by your county.
How old are you?
This tells us which coverage window you're in.
Which best describes you?
Pick one — you can change this anytime.
How often do you see doctors?
Helps us weigh networks vs. freedom.
Do you take prescriptions?
We match your drugs to the lowest-cost plan.
No cost, no pressure. We do not offer every plan available in your area — for all options visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE.
How we help
Everything you need, handled with care
Navigate Medicare “red tape”
Parts A, B, C and D, deadlines and paperwork — we translate it all into plain English and handle the legwork.
Understand all your options
Advantage, Supplement (Medigap) and Part D, compared side by side so you can choose with confidence.
Avoid lifetime “gotcha” penalties
Miss a window and you can pay more for the rest of your life. We make sure you enroll on time, every time.
A custom plan for lifetime care
We match coverage to your doctors, prescriptions and budget — and review it every year as your needs change.
All at no cost to you.
How it works
Get the right Medicare plan in 3 steps
Schedule a free conversation
Tell us your doctors, prescriptions and budget. No cost, no pressure — ever.
Get a personal plan comparison
We compare the Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D plans we offer against your needs.
Enroll & get ongoing support
We handle enrollment and stay your local advisor for claims, appeals and annual reviews.
Our services
Explore services, plans & options
Medicare Enrollment Assistance
Turning 65 or new to Medicare — we guide every step of your Initial Enrollment.
Plan Comparison
Advantage vs. Supplement vs. Part D, compared for your exact situation.
Annual Coverage Review
Plans change yearly. We check yours every fall so you never overpay.
Social Security & Medicare Timing
Your claiming age and your enrollment window are two different clocks — we map both around your full retirement age.
Long-Term Care Planning
Medicare doesn't pay for most long-term care. We help you plan for that risk before it drains a lifetime of savings.
Retirement Income & IRMAA Awareness
Your income sets your Medicare premiums. We flag IRMAA thresholds and coordinate with your financial advisor.
Claims Support & Appeals
A real, local advocate for when something goes wrong.
Keep Your Doctor
We help confirm your providers and prescriptions are covered before you switch.
Drug Cost Review
Make sure your prescriptions are covered at the lowest total cost among the plans we offer.
Local health picture · CDC county data
Why plan fit matters in Mesa County, CO
The right Medicare plan depends on your health — and conditions like these are common among adults in Mesa County, CO. It's why we check each plan's drug formulary and specialist network against your doctors and prescriptions before you enroll, instead of comparing headline premiums alone.
Share of adults with each condition (crude prevalence). Source: CDC PLACES county estimates, 2025 release — also available for every Utah, Colorado & Arizona county as machine-readable JSON. Education only, not medical advice.
Benefit from decades of experience
Your personal Medicare & insurance consultant
Brian Penner brings a broad understanding of Medicare, Social Security timing, and long-term care planning — and the patience to make sure you understand every option before you decide.
Meet Brian Penner →For financial advisors, CPAs & attorneys
The Medicare desk for your clients
Your clients' Medicare decisions sit inside your financial plan — IRMAA brackets, Roth-conversion timing, HSA wind-downs, turning-65 windows. We handle the Medicare and long-term care side, keep you in the loop, and never touch the investments — at no cost to you or the client.
How the advisor partnership works →Resources
Latest Medicare guidance
Do I Need Medicare at 65 If I'm Still Working in Utah?
Part A, almost always; Part B depends on one number, and the 20-employee rule is a payment-order rule, not the penalty rule most articles describe. 42 CFR § 411.170's test ("20 or more employees for each working day in each of 20 or more calendar weeks"), § 411.172's payment order (the work plan pays first at 20 or more; Medicare pays first under 20, enrolled or not), and § 411.108's list of what a large employer cannot do. The sentence that fixes the myth: the Special Enrollment Period in § 407.20 has no headcount, and Social Security's manual says "The GHP can be of any size" — so the small-employer worker who waits is not penalized, just uninsured for Medicare's share of every bill. What "current employment status" excludes (COBRA, retiree plans, a self-employed policy that covers only you), the 10%-per-year Part B increase on 2026's $202.90 ($20.29 a month per late year, for life), the 63-day Part D clock, and the HSA six-month rule. Why Utah is different: BLS counts 120,188 of the state's 134,378 private worksites under 20 employees, carrying 28.3% of private jobs. Decision table by employer size, and a checklist by birthday. Education, not advice, from Brian Penner.
Read →
Is My Medicare Advantage Plan Discontinued or Just Changing?
Three letters land in Mesa County mailboxes the last week of September and two look alike: the Annual Notice of Change, the consolidation letter, and the non-renewal letter. Only the third disenrolls you and opens the December 8 – February 28 Special Enrollment Period and the Medigap guaranteed-issue window. The tell is the plan ID. 42 CFR § 422.530 defines a crosswalk ("the movement of enrollees from one plan ... to another plan"), bars it "between different contracts or different plan types (for example, HMO to PPO)," and requires a consolidated plan to keep one of the merged plan IDs; CMS's 2027 enrollment guidance adds that consolidations "are not terminations nor non-renewals," so no SEP and no Medigap right. § 422.74(b)(3) makes disenrollment mandatory when a plan leaves your county, § 422.506 requires 90 days' notice (by October 2), and § 422.530(b)(1)(iv) handles the Western Slope case where a plan keeps Mesa County and drops Delta or Rio Blanco: dropped-county enrollees "must be disenrolled" with SEP and guaranteed-issue rights. The calendar for each letter, why "no action required" deserves the most action, and the one question to ask the plan. 19,155 Mesa County Advantage enrollees. Education, not advice, from Brian Penner.
Read →
Does Social Security Income Count Toward IRMAA in 2026?
Up to 85% of it does — and the rule is in the tax code, not the Medicare statute. 26 U.S.C. § 86 taxes up to half of a Social Security benefit once half the benefit plus all other income (tax-exempt interest included) passes $25,000 single or $32,000 joint, and up to 85% past $34,000 / $44,000 — thresholds never indexed since 1983 and 1993. Whatever lands on line 6b of the 1040 is inside adjusted gross income, and 20 CFR § 418.1010 makes Medicare's income AGI plus tax-exempt interest, graded two years back. The three-step table from the SSA-1099 to the premium; what counts (a spouse's benefit, survivor and disability benefits, muni interest — twice) and what never does (the 15% remainder, SSI, the premiums withheld); the 2026 CMS table; and a worked Utah couple: $170,000 of pension and IRA income plus $60,000 of benefits puts $51,000 on line 6b, a $221,000 MAGI, and $2,296.80 a year in Part B and Part D surcharges — while $50,000 of benefits pays none. The Utah layer: the same 85% taxed at 4.45%, with the § 59-10-1042 credit reduced 2.5 cents per dollar of income above $54,000 single / $90,000 joint and fully gone near $181,000. Why IRMAA payers are outside the hold-harmless rule (2026 Trustees Report, footnote 56), and when SSA-44 applies. Grand County's 2,299 beneficiaries, 1,762 of them in Original Medicare. Education, not tax advice, from Brian Penner.
Read →Got questions?
We have lots of great answers
What if I’m already on Medicare?
We can still help — at no cost. We’ll review your current coverage, check that your doctors and prescriptions are covered, and compare it against the plans we offer to see if you could be paying less or getting more.
Do you charge for your time?
No. Insurance companies pay our fee, so you don’t pay a thing for our services. You get unbiased, local guidance at no cost to you.
What are “lifetime penalties”?
If you don’t enroll in Medicare Part B or Part D when you’re first eligible (and don’t have other qualifying coverage), you can owe a permanent late-enrollment penalty added to your premium for as long as you have Medicare. We make sure you enroll in the right window so you avoid them.
Is it true I could lose my doctor?
Some Medicare Advantage plans use provider networks, so the wrong plan could mean your doctor is out of network. Before you enroll, we confirm your physicians and prescriptions are covered by the plan you choose.
What about additional coverages?
Beyond core Medicare, we can help with dental, vision and hearing, hospital indemnity, and life or final-expense coverage — so the gaps Medicare leaves are covered too.
Do you only help with Medicare?
Medicare is our focus, but it's not where we stop. We also help with Social Security and Medicare timing education, long-term care planning, life and final-expense coverage, and annuities — coordinated with your financial advisor, CPA, or attorney so your healthcare and your retirement plan work together instead of in separate silos.
Let’s connect
Get your free, personalized Medicare roadmap from a local advisor who has your back.
Official Medicare sources
Verify current-year figures with the federal sources: Medicare.gov, Medicare Plan Compare, Social Security (ssa.gov), and CMS.gov. Education only — we do not offer every plan available in your area.
Last updated . Maintained by the Medicare On Main Data Desk · reviewed by Brian Penner, Independent Medicare advisor (NPN 16493717).