Understanding Medicare Starts Here
Whether you're turning 65, retiring, or reviewing your current Medicare coverage, Medicare Compass helps you understand your options through clear, CMS-compliant education and guidance.
Where are you today?
Pick the situation closest to yours and we'll start you in the right place.
Retiring or Losing Employer Coverage
Understand how Medicare fits when your group coverage ends.
What is Medicare, really?
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, and for some younger people with certain conditions. It has a few moving parts, and understanding how they fit together is the whole game.
Most people combine Original Medicare (Parts A and B) with either a Medicare Advantage plan (Part C) that bundles everything together, or a Medicare Supplement plan plus a Part D drug plan. The right choice depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to use your coverage.
The parts of Medicare.
A one-line answer for each part, with a link if you want to go deeper.
Answers to what people ask most.
A handful of the questions we hear every day. See the full FAQ center for many more.
When can I sign up for Medicare?
What is the difference between Medicare Advantage and a Supplement?
Do I need Part D if I don't take any prescriptions?
Is there a cost to talk with a licensed advisor?
Recent Medicare guides.
Medicare 101: A Plain-English Overview
What Medicare actually covers, how the parts fit together, and what to do when you turn 65.
Turning 65: A Simple Checklist
Six things to do in the months before your Medicare start date so nothing catches you off guard.
Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement
The honest difference between the two paths, and how to pick the one that fits your life.
Ready to take the next step?
When you're prepared, a licensed Medicare advisor can walk through the plans available in your area , on your schedule, with no obligation.