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
PERACare Is Switching to Humana for 2027: What It Means in Grand Junction
Colorado PERA's own notice: its two UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans are “changing to Humana Medicare Advantage,” with medical and drug coverage administered by Humana, and “current enrollees will automatically be enrolled in the corresponding Humana plan; no action is required.” Automatic is not the same as unchanged — a new carrier is a new provider directory and a new drug list, and with high blood pressure at 26.6% of Mesa County adults and diabetes at 8.1%, the St. Mary's, Community Hospital and prescription check is not optional. The bigger news is the third door: a new Moda Health Medicare Companion Plan “designed to work alongside Original Medicare similar to a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) Plan G,” with “no medical underwriting” — in a state with no birthday rule, that is a Medigap-style door inside PERACare that did not exist last October, and it needs an enrollment form during PERACare Open Enrollment, October 19 – November 19, 2026. Plus why this is not the Humana individual-market exit story (about 600,000 members nationally, no county list, a different product under a different contract), why Kaiser still does not reach Grand Junction, the four questions the October 1 packet has to answer about the Moda plan (drugs, Part A, subsidy, the fine print behind “similar to”), the three doors priced with the PERA subsidy included, and the two calendars that overlap but do not match. No 2027 premium, network or benefit is stated, because PERA posts them October 1. Education, not advice, from Brian Penner.
Read →
How to Appeal IRMAA After Retirement in Utah (Form SSA-44)
Retiring counts. Social Security's own regulation, 20 CFR 418.1205, lists “you or your spouse stop working or reduce the hours you work” as a major life-changing event — which means you can ask it to set your Medicare premium from this year's income instead of the return from two years ago. The list is closed: seven events, verbatim from the eCFR (a spouse dies, you marry, divorce, work stoppage or reduction, loss of income-producing property, a pension plan ending, an employer settlement), and § 418.1210 says Social Security “will not consider events other than those.” A Roth conversion or a home sale is not on it — the regulation specifically excludes a loss “at the direction of you or your spouse (e.g., due to the sale or transfer of the property).” The drop also has to be “significant,” which has a definition: it must lower your tier or eliminate the surcharge; same tier, no appeal. A successful request is “generally effective on January 1 of the year in which you make your request,” the deadline is that calendar year or March 31 of the next one for a fourth-quarter retirement, and the evidence can be a signed employer statement or your own statement under penalty of perjury. At 2026 CMS rates, one tier for a couple filing jointly in Tier 2 is $240.40 a month each — $5,769.60 a year for two. Plus which year to ask for and why it moves the effective date, the three sibling routes in § 418.1310 (a three-year-old return, an amended return, bad IRS data), how long the lower number lasts, and the Utah wrinkle of retirements that are really reductions. Education, not advice — and not tax advice — from Brian Penner.
Read →
Can I Get Medigap If My Medicare Advantage Plan Ends?
Yes — and in Colorado that answer is worth more than it looks. Medicare.gov's rule for an Advantage plan that is leaving Medicare or will no longer cover where you live: “You can buy Medigap Plan A, B, C, D, F, G, K, or L that's sold by an insurance company in your state if you switch to Original Medicare.” The company must sell it, must cover your pre-existing conditions, and cannot charge more for your health. Three things narrow the door. The letters: C and F “aren't available if you turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020,” so the working list is A, B, D, G, K or L — and Plan N is not on it. The window: apply as early as “60 days before the date your Medicare Advantage Plan coverage ends” and “no more than 63 days after,” which for a Mesa County plan ending December 31 is November 1, 2026 through March 4, 2027 by our count. And the condition: “You only have this right if you switch to Original Medicare (rather than joining another Medicare Advantage Plan)” — enroll in a replacement Advantage plan and the Medigap right does not attach. Colorado has no birthday rule, so outside a window like this one a Supplement is a health question, and with high blood pressure at 26.6% of Mesa County adults and diabetes at 8.1%, that question is not academic. Plus why the Medigap clock and the December 8 – February SEP are two different doors, the 12-month trial right that is wider than this one, the drug-plan step people forget, and the seven-step order to do it in. No 2027 premium, carrier or star rating is stated, because CMS has not published them. Education, not 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).