Insurance made clear.

Nothing. Agents are compensated by the insurance carriers, not by you. You pay the exact same premium whether you enroll through an agent or directly with the carrier. There are no consulting fees, no service charges, and no obligation to enroll after a comparison.

Short answer: Medicare Advantage (Part C) is a bundled all-in-one plan offered by private insurers that replaces Original Medicare for your coverage. Medicare Supplement (also called Medigap) sits alongside Original Medicare and covers the deductibles, coinsurance, and copays Original Medicare leaves you on the hook for.

In Iowa specifically, Medicare Supplement is the more popular choice. Roughly two-thirds of Original Medicare beneficiaries in Iowa carry a Medigap policy. Medigap gives you nationwide acceptance at any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, predictable monthly costs, and no network restrictions. Medicare Advantage often has lower or zero monthly premiums but uses provider networks and may require referrals or prior authorization. The right choice depends on your travel patterns, current doctors, prescription needs, and how you prefer to think about healthcare costs.

Short answer: Yes, in certain situations. Several Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) let you switch plans outside the October 15 – December 7 Annual Enrollment Period, for example, if you move, lose other coverage, qualify for Extra Help, or your plan leaves your area.

There's also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from January 1 to March 31, which specifically allows MA enrollees to switch MA plans once or return to Original Medicare. Medicare Supplement follows different rules. Iowa is not one of the states with an annual birthday rule, so once your six-month Medigap open enrollment ends, applying for a different Medigap plan usually means answering health questions, and a carrier can decline you or charge you more. The exception is a guaranteed issue right, triggered by events like losing employer coverage or your plan leaving your area. We can help you confirm which window applies to your situation.

Short answer: It depends on the plan. Original Medicare and Medicare Supplement plans are accepted by any provider that accepts Medicare, including UnityPoint Health, Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, Mercy Iowa City, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, and most Nebraska Medicine facilities. Medicare Advantage plans use provider networks, so coverage depends on the specific plan.

Before enrolling in any Medicare Advantage plan, we'll check that your current doctors and your preferred hospital systems are in-network for that specific plan, and confirm your prescription drugs are on the plan's formulary. This network check is one of the most important steps in choosing the right plan, and it takes about ten minutes.

Short answer: Medicare Part D is the prescription drug coverage piece of Medicare. If you have Original Medicare with or without a Medigap policy, you need a separate Part D plan to cover prescriptions. Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage built in.

If you don't enroll in Part D when you're first eligible and don't have other creditable prescription coverage, you'll face a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Medicare. The penalty is 1% of the national base premium for every month you went without coverage. We help you compare Part D plans by your specific prescription list. The cheapest plan isn't always the best fit if your drugs are tier 3 or 4 on one plan but tier 2 on another.

Short answer: When you call a carrier directly, that carrier shows you their plans. When you work with an independent agent, you see plans from every major carrier we represent, and we tell you honestly which one fits your situation, even if it isn't the carrier paying the highest commission.

The service is free to you either way. The carrier compensates the agent the same amount whether you enroll through the agent or directly, so there's no premium difference. The benefit of using an independent agent is that you get one person who knows your full picture (your current doctors, prescriptions, household situation, travel patterns) and can keep that context year over year, instead of starting from scratch with a different call-center rep every time.

Short answer: The big one is the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 to December 7 every year. During AEP, anyone with Medicare can switch Medicare Advantage plans, switch Part D plans, change between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or enroll in a new plan for the following calendar year. Changes take effect January 1.

There's also the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (OEP) from January 1 to March 31, which lets MA enrollees switch MA plans once or return to Original Medicare. Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) trigger from qualifying life events like moving, losing other coverage, becoming eligible for Extra Help, or your plan exiting the market. Your Initial Enrollment Period is the 7-month window around your 65th birthday. Medicare Supplement has a separate window of its own: a one-time six-month open enrollment that begins when you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B for the first time. Iowa has no annual birthday rule, so that six-month window is the one stretch where no carrier can turn you down for health reasons.

Short answer: You pay nothing. The insurance carriers compensate independent agents through commissions built into the standard premium. You pay the exact same premium whether you enroll through an agent or directly.

Carrier commissions are set by Medicare's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicare plans, which means an agent cannot up-charge you or steer you to a more expensive plan for personal gain. The commission structure is regulated and consistent across carriers. Your agent's compensation comes from the carrier you ultimately enroll with, after you enroll. There are no consulting fees, no annual service fees, and no enrollment fees.

Short answer: Moving across state lines triggers a Special Enrollment Period that lets you switch Medicare Advantage or Part D plans (and in some cases switch between MA and Original Medicare). Medicare Supplement plans are generally portable, but you may want to review options in your new state.

We're licensed in both Iowa and Nebraska, so if you move between the two states, you can continue working with the same agent without needing to find someone new. We handle the plan-change paperwork during your SEP, check that your new providers are in-network for any Medicare Advantage plan you're considering, and make sure your prescription coverage carries over without a gap. The window for these moves is typically 60 days before through 2 months after the move.

Short answer: Original Medicare is the federal government program (Parts A and B), administered directly by CMS. Medicare Advantage (Part C) is an alternative way to receive your Medicare benefits through a private insurance plan approved by Medicare.

With Original Medicare, you can see any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare anywhere in the country, with no networks and no referrals. You typically pair it with a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan to cover the deductibles and coinsurance, plus a standalone Part D plan for prescriptions. With Medicare Advantage, a private insurer manages your coverage through a provider network, often bundles prescription drug coverage, and may include extras like dental, vision, or hearing. Most MA plans have lower or zero monthly premiums than Medigap, but they limit you to in-network providers and may require referrals.

Short answer: No. Your information is never sold, and never added to any robocall or telemarketing list. The only people who ever see it are us and — if you choose to apply — the carrier we submit your application to. You'll hear back directly, typically within one business day, usually much sooner.

We understand the concern. Medicare-aged consumers report being inundated with unsolicited calls after filling out comparison forms on aggregator sites. Preferred Insured is a one-person independent agency, not a lead-gen mill, so there's no incentive to sell your data because we don't have downstream buyers. If you don't want to be contacted again after our initial conversation, just say so and we'll remove you from our follow-up entirely.

Preferred Insured helps with the full Medicare landscape: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement (Medigap), Medicare Part D prescription plans, and related decisions around enrollment timing. We also help with life insurance (term and whole), final expense insurance, hospital indemnity, dental/vision/hearing coverage, cancer and critical illness insurance, short-term medical plans, and annuities.

As an independent agency, we compare plans from multiple major carriers (including Aetna, Ameritas, American Home Life, Cigna, Corebridge Financial, Equitable, Foresters, Guaranteed Trust Life, Medica, Medico, Mutual of Omaha, National General, Protective Life, UnitedHealthcare, and Washington National) to help you find coverage that fits your specific situation. We're licensed in Iowa and Nebraska, and we serve clients in Cedar Rapids, Marion, Iowa City, Coralville, Hiawatha, North Liberty, Omaha, Lincoln, and the surrounding communities.

Your Medicare card (or current insurance card), a list of your current prescriptions, and the names of your doctors and preferred hospitals. If you don't have all of that yet, that's fine — we can start with just your ZIP code and what you're looking for, and fill in the rest together.