Getting started with Medicare can be confusing, especially when you’re trying to figure out when to enroll, what it costs, and how employer coverage fits in.
This page pulls together our best articles that answer common Medicare enrollment questions, like:
Which enrollment period applies to you
What to do if you’re still working (or covered through a spouse)
How to avoid late penalties
What happens if you miss a deadline
Browse the articles below to find the guidance that matches your situation.
READ: What Is Medicare? 2026 Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Your Coverage Options
Toni: My husband is a Korean War Veteran and never enrolled in Medicare Part B because he uses the VA, close to where we live in Iron Mountain, Michigan for his medical care. He is having to wait months for care from the VA and he wants to go to a local cardiologist....
How Do We Enroll in Medicare? Hi Toni: I am a stay at home wife with a husband who was planning to retiring next summer, so I went online and delayed my Medicare Part B in November because I turn 65 on December 9th. Last Friday my husband came...
Medicare’s… Enrollment Check-List!! Hello Toni: My husband, David, has been laid off because of what is happening to oil companies in the Houston area. He is 68 and has never enrolled in Medicare, but I am turning 65 in November. We both are covered under his...
Toni: Is there a federal law that I have to change my Medicare? The Toni Says office helped my husband and me with our Medicare decision in January when James retired from his job of 30+ years and now it seems we have to do this all over again. Could you...
Wife Enrolls in TRS Medicare… Husband Loses Retirement Benefits…Why? Toni: My wife is a retired teacher and we are both on her TRS-Care Plan and also on my company retiree health insurance which I use for services at MD Anderson since I am...
Why is My Part B Premium Over $400? Dear Toni: I lost my job in December when the oil prices began to tank. I was an engineer and today I received a letter from Social Security stating that I have to pay $389.80 for Part B and $72.90 for Part D, totaling over...
Turning 65 with Cancer… Is Medicare Advantage Right for Me? Hi Toni, I am turning 65 this August and have no idea what I should do because I have lung cancer. Currently I am on a COBRA policy from my old employer with all of my medical bills now being paid...
Over 700,000 Are Receiving Medicare Penalties Toni: I desperately need your help! I have just discovered that my mother, who is 67, has never enrolled in Medicare Part B or D. She was under the impression that if she didn’t go to the doctor, she didn’t need to pay the...
Help Toni! I have developed a rare form of cancer that requires the use of proton therapy at MD Anderson and my problem is that our employer health insurance plan does not cover proton therapy. I will have to pay all of the costs from my 401K. Since I am over 65, I...
The Process to Enroll in Part B After You Have Delayed Coverage Toni: I am a 67-year-old female whose 62-year-old husband was laid off from his job of 30 years because of low oil prices. We have always been covered under my husband’s group health insurance because...
