Utah Medicare questions, answered plainly

Nothing. Independent Medicare agents are paid by the insurance carriers when you enroll, so comparing plans, answering questions and reviewing your coverage each year is free to you. Your premium is the same whether you enroll through us, another agent or the carrier directly.

Not with Original Medicare and a Medigap policy — both accept Medicare and both are covered with no network. With Medicare Advantage, often yes: Select Health plans are built on Intermountain, and other carriers contract with each system differently. We confirm your doctors before you enroll.

No. Your six-month Medigap open enrollment at 65 is the guaranteed window, plus guaranteed-issue events such as an Advantage plan leaving your county. Outside those, Utah insurers can use medical underwriting.

Utah does not require insurers to sell Medigap before 65, so most do not, and the few that do often charge more. The Utah Insurance Department’s comparison tool lists them. You get a fresh open enrollment for every plan at 65.

Only as the plan’s rules allow. Plans are sold by county; an HMO from Salt Lake County usually covers emergencies only in Washington County unless its service area includes it, and some Utah plans do cover both ends of I-15. We check before you enroll.

A Medigap policy with Original Medicare works anywhere in the U.S. Most Medicare Advantage HMOs cover only emergencies out of state; some PPOs and travel benefits go further. See our snowbird guide, and our Nevada and Arizona sister sites.

Usually neither. TFL pays secondary to Medicare and its pharmacy is creditable drug coverage. An MA-only Advantage plan can add dental or vision without duplicating the drug benefit. Our Hill AFB page walks through it.

In most cases, yes. VA medical care is not creditable coverage for Part B, so delaying it triggers a permanent penalty and leaves you without coverage at a non-VA hospital. VA pharmacy is creditable for Part D.

Your Initial Enrollment Period is the seven months around your 65th birthday. The Annual Election Period runs October 15 to December 7; Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment runs January 1 to March 31. Moving counties, losing a plan, or qualifying for Medicaid opens a Special Enrollment Period.

Part B premium $202.90 a month, Part B deductible $283, Part A hospital deductible $1,736 per benefit period, Part D out-of-pocket cap $2,100. Higher earners pay IRMAA surcharges above $109,000 (single) or $218,000 (joint) of 2024 income. Our costs page has the full chart and calculators.

Possibly. Utah’s Medicare Savings Programs (QMB, SLMB, QI) pay the Part B premium for people with limited income and resources, and QMB also covers Medicare’s deductibles and copays. Apply through the Department of Workforce Services at jobs.utah.gov/mycase, or call Utah SHIP at 800-541-7735.

Utah SHIP, the Senior Health Insurance Information Program run by the Division of Aging and Adult Services and the county aging offices: 800-541-7735. You can also call 1-800-MEDICARE or use Medicare.gov. We are an independent agency, not a government program, and we say so on every page.

No. We represent a number of insurance organizations and products in Utah, not all of them, and we will always say so. For the complete list, use Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE or Utah SHIP. For help choosing among the plans we do offer, call (702) 706-6564.

We work with Utahns statewide by phone and video, which is how most people prefer it. Our sister agency has walk-in offices in Mesa and Sun City, Arizona, for snowbirds.