The quiz Dr. Google would fail
Every fall, your Medicare plan mails you a letter.
One in four people don’t remember getting it. It came in September, in the pile with the glossy plan ads, and it says one of two things: your plan is changing, or your plan is ending. Those two letters have different deadlines, and most people have never heard of the second one.
So they Google it. And Dr. Google, who has never met you, answers with last year’s numbers, a 40-page PDF, and an ad with a football guy.
I’m a family doctor. I’m not an insurance broker, and I can’t tell you which plan to pick. But I can tell you what the letter means, which questions Google gets wrong, and who to call. That’s what this quiz is.
Take the quiz
Ten things people actually type into Google about Medicare. For each one, what Dr. Google says, and what your doctor would have said. No sign-up, nothing collected, nobody keeping score but you.
Listen to the episode
Caring Directly, Episode 1: Medicare in 2027, a four-question quiz.
Five minutes. If your doctor’s office sent you here, it’s because open enrollment started
October 15 and they want you ready, not rushed.
A few of the answers, in case you’re short on time
The donut hole is gone. It ended in 2025. What replaced it is a cap: in 2027, the most you’ll pay for Part D prescriptions is $2,400 for the year.
If your plan is ending, your deadline is not December 7. You have until the end of February to choose a new one, and 63 days after it ends to buy a Medigap policy with no health questions. That door only opens when a plan leaves.
Your HSA can pay Part B, Part D and Medicare Advantage premiums. It can’t pay Medigap, and once you’re on Medicare you can’t add new money.
What to do this week
Open the letter. First page: does the plan change, or end? Find your medication list and keep it with the letter. Then consider bringing both to your doctor’s office. Your doctor can’t pick the plan, but can tell you what the letter means for your care and your medicines.
Two free handouts
The two kinds of letter, the 2027 numbers, the deadlines that apply to you, and what to bring to your doctor.
How insurance, Direct Primary Care, health shares and paying cash fit together, and the ten questions to ask before you choose.
Both are free.
Free help choosing a plan
SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, compares plans with you and sells nothing. shiphelp.org, or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Questions people Google about Medicare, answered
Is Medicare free?
Part A usually is. Part B, Part D and Medigap have monthly premiums, and “zero premium” Medicare Advantage plans still have a network and the Part B premium underneath.
Is the Medicare donut hole gone?Y
es. It ended in 2025. What replaced it is a yearly cap: in 2027, the most you’ll pay out of pocket for Part D prescriptions is $2,400. The Part D deductible is $700.
My Medicare Advantage plan is ending. What’s my deadline?
Not December 7. When a plan leaves, you have through the last day of February to choose a new one, and 63 days after the plan ends to buy a Medigap policy with no health questions.
Why did I get a letter from my Medicare plan?
It’s your Annual Notice of Change. It arrives every September. The first page says whether your plan is changing or ending, and the drug pages show what your medicines will cost in January.
Does Medicare cover Ozempic?
For diabetes, yes. For weight loss alone, no. On January 1, 2027, Ozempic, Wegovy and thirteen other drugs get Medicare-negotiated prices, so the cost may change.
Can I use my HSA to pay Medicare premiums?
Money already in your HSA can pay Part B, Part D and Medicare Advantage premiums, but not Medigap. Once you’re on Medicare, you can’t add new money to the account.
It’s January and my cardiologist isn’t in my new plan. Am I stuck?
No. From January 1 to March 31, you can make one change to a Medicare Advantage plan. Going back to Original Medicare is possible, but a Medigap company may ask health questions and can say no. Consider calling SHIP first.
Who should pick my Medicare plan?
You, with free help. SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, compares plans with you and sells nothing: shiphelp.org or 1-800-MEDICARE. Your doctor isn’t a broker, but can read the letter with you and tell you what it means for your care.
Not on Medicare?
The same idea, for everyone else: eight things people Google about health insurance, turned into the questions a doctor would ask you back.
-> Do I even need health insurance? → caringdirectly.com/insurancequiz
Your doctor is probably not an insurance broker, and neither am I. But your doctor can read the letter with you.
~ Maryal Concepcion, MD FAAFP
Owner Big Trees MD - A Direct Primary Care Clinic in Arnold, CA
This post is general information, not personal medical, legal or tax advice.
The choice of plan is yours. Sources: CMS CY 2027 Rate Announcement; CMS Enrollment and Disenrollment Guidance §30.6.10; CMS Choosing a Medigap Policy; IRS Publication 969; medicare.gov. Current as of October 2026.
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