Medicare Annual Enrollment is coming… Get local help →

Newsroom

Blog & resources

Plain-English Medicare guidance and real local health data — written for the people we serve, not for search engines.

Latest article July 22, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 6 min read

Extra Help With Part D in 2026: A Grand Junction Guide

Medicare's most under-claimed benefit pays your Part D premium and deductible in full and caps 2026 copays at $5.10 generic / $12.65 brand — yet thousands of Mesa County seniors who qualify never apply. The real 2026 income limits ($23,940 single / $32,460 married) and resource limits, why your home and one car don't count, who's enrolled automatically through Health First Colorado, the no-penalty and monthly-switch perks, and how Grand Junction residents apply — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read the article →
July 20, 2026 · Medicare Basics · 9 min read

Medicare Part A Costs in 2026: A Monticello, UT Guide

Part A is the half of Medicare nobody reads until they're admitted. The real 2026 numbers: a $1,736 hospital deductible charged per benefit period (not per year), $434/day for days 61–90, $217/day for skilled nursing days 21–100 — plus what happens to your coverage when serious care means a transfer out of San Juan County, and why Original Medicare has no out-of-pocket ceiling. Free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 19, 2026 · Saving Money · 9 min read

Medicare Savings Programs in 2026: A Grand Junction Guide

Three programs — QMB, SLMB, and QI-1 — can pay your $202.90 Part B premium in 2026, and QMB also covers Medicare deductibles and copays. Colorado's real 2026 limits ($11,450 single / $17,910 married — higher than the federal figure most articles quote), why your home and one car don't count, the automatic Extra Help bonus, and how Mesa County residents apply — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 18, 2026 · Medicare Basics · 8 min read

Moving to Grand Junction in 2026: Your Medicare SEP Guide

Moving to Grand Junction or Mesa County? A move can open a Medicare Special Enrollment Period to change your Advantage or Part D plan — and quietly cancel one you assumed you'd keep. The before/after-move timing, what travels with you (Original Medicare + Medigap) and what doesn't, the 2026 $202.90 Part B premium, and a Mesa County move checklist — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 17, 2026 · Saving Money · 9 min read

Medicare IRMAA in 2026: A Moab & Grand County Guide

If your income tops $109,000 (single) or $218,000 (joint), Medicare adds an IRMAA surcharge to your 2026 Part B and Part D premiums — based on your 2024 tax return. A plain-English Moab / Grand County guide: the full brackets, why a two-year-old return sets your premium, the local real-estate-sale trap, the standard $202.90 Part B cost, and how to appeal with form SSA-44 — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 16, 2026 · Medicaid & D-SNP · 11 min read

Medicare + Medicaid in 2026: A Moab, UT D-SNP Guide

If you have both Medicare and Utah Medicaid in Grand County, a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) may lower your costs in 2026. A plain-English Moab guide: dual eligibility, the QMB program that can pay your $202.90 Part B premium, automatic Extra Help (no more than $12.65 per covered drug), the monthly switch window, and real CDC Grand County health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 15, 2026 · Working Past 65 · 9 min read

Working Past 65 in Monticello, UT: Medicare in 2026

Still working at 65 in Monticello or San Juan County? Whether you can delay Medicare in 2026 splits two ways here — the school district, hospital, and county and tribal offices are big enough to let you wait, but the ranches, trades, and Main Street shops usually aren't. The 20-employee rule, the HSA trap, the COBRA myth, and your 8-month window in plain English, with 2026 CMS figures and free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 14, 2026 · Working Past 65 · 9 min read

Working Past 65 in Grand Junction: Medicare in 2026

Still working at 65 in Grand Junction or Mesa County? Whether you can delay Medicare in 2026 turns on one question — does your employer have 20 or more employees? Because the region's big hospitals, school district, and university anchor payroll, many workers here can delay Part B — but the same people trip over the HSA trap, the COBRA myth, and the 8-month window. The rules in plain English, with 2026 CMS figures and free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 13, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 7 min read

The 2026 Part D $2,100 Cap: What Monticello Seniors Should Know

For the first time, covered prescriptions have a hard yearly ceiling: $2,100 out of pocket in 2026, then $0 cost sharing — plus a $35 monthly cap on covered insulin, no deductible. What counts toward the cap, the $615 deductible, the monthly payment option, and why San Juan County's area-high 13.7% diabetes rate makes formulary fit the real decision — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 12, 2026 · Enrollment · 7 min read

Medicare AEP 2026: A Grand Junction Fall Enrollment Guide

Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7 — the one time each year everyone on Medicare can change coverage. A plain-English Grand Junction / Mesa County checklist for 2026: what you can change, when it takes effect, the January second-chance window, how to compare on total cost, and real CDC Mesa County health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 11, 2026 · Medicaid & D-SNP · 10 min read

Medicare + Medicaid in 2026: A Grand Junction D-SNP Guide

If you have both Medicare and Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid) in Mesa County, a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) may lower your costs in 2026. A plain-English Grand Junction guide: dual eligibility, the QMB program that can pay your $202.90 Part B premium, automatic Extra Help (no more than $12.65 per covered drug), the monthly switch window, and real CDC Mesa County health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 10, 2026 · Turning 65 · 7 min read

Turning 65 in Monticello, UT: Your 2026 Medicare Roadmap

Your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, the 2026 numbers straight from CMS — the $202.90 Part B premium, $283 deductible, and $2,100 Part D drug cap — plus how to weigh Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap in the remote Four Corners, with real CDC San Juan County health data and free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 9, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 7 min read

Part D Late Enrollment Penalty in 2026: A Monticello Guide

The Part D late penalty is small but permanent — 1% of the 2026 national base premium ($38.99) for every full month you went without creditable drug coverage, added to your premium for life. How the 63-day rule works, worked examples, the Extra Help waiver, and how San Juan County seniors avoid it — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 8, 2026 · Saving Money · 7 min read

Medicare Savings Programs in 2026: A Moab, UT Guide

Three little-known programs — QMB, SLMB, and QI — can pay your 2026 Part B premium, and QMB erases most Medicare copays and deductibles too. The 2026 income and resource limits ($9,950 single / $14,910 married; your home and one car don't count), the automatic Extra Help bonus, and how Grand County seniors apply — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 6, 2026 · Turning 65 · 7 min read

Turning 65 in Moab, UT: Your 2026 Medicare Roadmap

Your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, the 2026 numbers straight from CMS — the $202.90 Part B premium, $283 deductible, and $2,100 Part D drug cap — plus how to weigh Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap in a rural county, with real CDC Grand County health data and free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 5, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 5 min read

Lower Prescription Drug Costs in 2026: Grand Junction Guide

2026 gives every Part D enrollee a $2,100 out-of-pocket cap, $35 insulin, and $0 recommended vaccines — but the biggest savings still come from choices you control. Seven strategies for Mesa County seniors: plan re-shopping, preferred pharmacies, generics, tiering exceptions, Extra Help, and the monthly payment option.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 4, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 6 min read

Extra Help With Part D in 2026: A Monticello, UT Guide

Medicare's Extra Help program pays Part D premiums and deductibles in full and caps 2026 copays at $5.10 generic / $12.65 brand. The 2026 income and resource limits, who's enrolled automatically, and how San Juan County seniors apply — in plain English.

Read →
July 4, 2026 · Drug Coverage · 6 min read

The 2026 Part D $2,100 Cap: What Moab Seniors Should Know

For the first time, covered prescription costs have a hard yearly ceiling: $2,100 out of pocket in 2026, then $0 cost sharing. What counts toward the cap, the $615 deductible, the monthly payment option, and the Grand County health picture that makes formulary fit the real decision.

Read →
July 4, 2026 · Working Past 65 · 8 min read

Working Past 65 in Moab: Do You Need Medicare in 2026?

Still working at 65? Whether you can delay Medicare hinges on one question — does your employer have 20 or more employees? In a small-business town like Moab, the answer is often no, and that makes Medicare your primary coverage at 65 whether you enroll or not. The 20-employee rule, the HSA trap, the COBRA myth, and your 8-month window — with 2026 CMS figures and free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 3, 2026 · Enrollment · 6 min read

Medicare Enrollment Periods in 2026: A Monticello Guide

IEP, SEP, GEP, AEP — Medicare's alphabet of deadlines decides when your coverage starts and whether you pay a penalty for life. A plain-English Monticello / San Juan County guide to all five 2026 enrollment windows: the 8-month rule for working past 65, the January–March catch-up window, the 10%-per-year Part B penalty, and real county health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
July 2, 2026 · Enrollment · 6 min read

Medicare AEP 2026: A Moab Fall Enrollment Checklist

Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 – December 7 — the one time each year everyone on Medicare can change coverage. A plain-English Moab / Grand County checklist for 2026: what you can change, when it takes effect, the January second-chance window, how to compare on total cost, and real Grand County health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 2, 2026 · Saving Money · 7 min read

Medicare IRMAA in 2026: A Grand Junction Income Guide

If your income is above $109,000 (single) or $218,000 (joint), Medicare adds an IRMAA surcharge to your Part B and Part D premiums in 2026 — based on your 2024 tax return. A plain-English Grand Junction guide: the full income brackets, why a two-year-old return sets your premium, the standard $202.90 Part B cost, and how to appeal with form SSA-44 — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
July 1, 2026 · Saving Money · 8 min read

The Part B Late Penalty in 2026: A Grand Junction Guide

Miss your Medicare Part B window and the penalty is 10% of the premium for every year you delayed — added for life. A plain-English 2026 Mesa County guide: how the penalty is figured, the $202.90 premium, the separate Part D drug penalty, and the working-past-65 exception that spares many people — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
June 30, 2026 · Medicaid & D-SNP · 10 min read

Medicare + Medicaid in 2026: A Monticello, UT D-SNP Guide

If you have both Medicare and Medicaid in San Juan County, a Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) may lower your costs in 2026. A plain-English Monticello guide: dual eligibility, the QMB program that can pay your $202.90 Part B premium, automatic Extra Help (no more than $12.65 per covered drug), the monthly switch window, and real CDC county health data — with free local help from Brian Penner.

Read →
June 28, 2026 · Choosing a Plan · 4 min read

Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage in 2026: How to Actually Choose

Two very different ways to get Medicare — one with networks and low premiums, one with freedom and predictable bills. A plain-English 2026 comparison: a side-by-side table, real Mesa County health data, the 2026 cost backdrop, and the one-time guaranteed-issue window that makes the choice time-sensitive.

Read →
▶ 1-min video
June 20, 2026 · Turning 65 · 5 min read

Turning 65 in Grand Junction, CO: Your 2026 Medicare Roadmap

Your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period, the four parts of Medicare in plain English, how to compare Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap in Mesa County, and the local CDC health picture that should shape your choice — with free, no-pressure help from Brian Penner.

Read →