Medicare Plans
Seven Medicare Mistakes That Cost Denver Seniors
We've sat at enough kitchen tables across the metro to see the pattern. It's rarely the plan choice itself that causes problems. It's a missed date, a bad assumption, or a decision made off a postcard.
Here's what to watch for.
- Most mistakes here are permanent, not fixable later
- A single yearly review prevents nearly all of them
- Missed deadlines hurt more than picking the 'wrong' plan
The big ones
Seven errors that get expensive fast
1. Missing your Part B enrollment window
Without active employer coverage, waiting on Part B means a penalty that rides along with your premium for life. Run the math on our Part B penalty calculator first.2. Skipping drug coverage entirely
Not filling prescriptions today doesn't excuse you. Go 63 days or more without creditable Part D coverage and you're locked into a permanent surcharge.3. Assuming last year's network still applies
Hospitals and physician groups renegotiate contracts every year. Recheck your doctors each fall instead of trusting last year's answer.4. Choosing by premium alone
A $0-premium plan with bad drug tiers can end up costing more over a year than a plan with a real monthly price tag.5. Letting your Medigap window close
Your only guaranteed-issue Medigap window opens with Part B and closes six months later. After that, Colorado insurers can ask medical history questions.6. Signing up from a national TV ad
Those ads push one plan across the whole country. They can't tell you if it actually works with Presbyterian/St. Luke's or Rose Medical Center here in Denver, and with how many call centers are advertising into Colorado right now, that gap matters.
7. Never checking back in
The costliest habit is picking a plan once and forgetting about it. Networks and drug lists reset every January 1. A quick annual look during Open Enrollment usually catches everything.
Also worth knowing
Smaller slip-ups we untangle constantly
Some people add a standalone Part D plan on top of a Medicare Advantage plan that already includes drug coverage, which can knock them out of the Advantage plan entirely. Others drop a Medigap policy assuming they can get it back later, then fail underwriting when they try. And plenty never mention a spouse's coverage, only to find out afterward that it opened a Special Enrollment Period they missed.
None of this is complicated, it's just easy to overlook. That's exactly what a local independent agent is for. New to this? Start with the Medicare overview and our enrollment checklist.
Protect your coverage
Worried you already made one of these?
Most of these are fixable if we catch them in time. Call for a free look at where you stand, no judgment.