Page 1 - Cover Letter and Medicare Evaluation for Barbara Pender

October 15, 2021

Mrs. Barbara Pender
12 Wandering Rill
Irvine, CA 92603

Dear Mrs. Pender:

Your Medicare evaluation is enclosed. I believe you have already begun (and have perhaps
completed) the process of enrolling in Part A and Part B, with your Medicare coverage
scheduled to start on January 1, 2022. If you haven’t yet enrolled in Part A and Part B, you can
do so at the following link https://secure.ssa.gov/iClaim/rib or if you have questions about how
to enroll, you can contact Social Security at (800) 772-1213. You might be asked to verify that
you’ve had coverage, including creditable drug coverage, since you turned 65 in August.

You should receive your new Medicare card within about three weeks after you have
completed your application, and it should specify that your Part A and Part B coverage will
begin on January 1, 2022. Because you have not yet begun to receive Social Security payments,
you will be billed quarterly in advance for Part B premiums. After you start receiving Social
Security benefits, your Part B premiums will be deducted from your monthly checks.

Also, prior to enrolling in a plan it’s a good idea to take some time to review the benefit
summaries in the appendices and get answers to any questions you have about a plan’s
coverage and costs. Your enrollment will not go into effect until January, and so you can enroll
at any point in November and still have ample time to receive the enrollment card(s) for the
supplemental coverage you choose.

Because you do not have an employer retiree health plan to supplement Medicare, your
choices are 1) to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug benefits,
or 2) to acquire a Medigap policy and enroll in a Part D stand-alone plan. NOTE: Even though
you do not currently take any prescription drugs, you will need to enroll in a drug plan to avoid
lifetime late-enrollment penalties.

In your questionnaire, you indicated that you wish to see comparisons of both these options.
And so, your evaluation compares two Medigap policies (Plan G and Plan N) and two Medicare
Advantage plans.

Because Medicare has not yet released the cost-sharing information for 2022, your evaluation
uses this year’s numbers for the Part B premiums and for the Part B deductible. Next year’s
numbers will be slightly higher.