Does it cost anything to work with Haven?
No. We are paid by the insurer if you enroll, and your premium is exactly the same whether you use a broker or sign up on your own. There is no fee, no consultation charge, and nothing added to what you pay for the plan.
How do you get paid, and how much?
Insurers pay a commission when someone enrolls. Ask us what any specific plan pays us and we will tell you the number.
The reason we say that plainly is that the question is completely fair, and a recommendation you can audit is worth more than a promise you cannot.
When can I sign up for Medicare?
Your Initial Enrollment Period runs seven months: the three months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after. Enrolling in the first three months gets coverage starting the first day of your birthday month with no gap.
Wait until later in the window and coverage starts the first of the month after you sign up.
When is Medicare Open Enrollment?
October 15 through December 7, with changes effective January 1. Your plan has to receive the request by December 7. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you also get one more change between January 1 and March 31.
What counts as creditable coverage, and why does it matter?
Creditable coverage is other coverage Medicare accepts as good enough to have kept instead of enrolling on time, most commonly a group health plan through an employer with 20 or more employees. If you had it the whole time, you generally owe no late penalty.
If you had no coverage and simply did not enroll, a penalty applies, and the Part B one is permanent. Ask your employer for confirmation in writing and keep it, because that letter is the document that settles the question years later.
What is the difference between Medicare Advantage and a Medicare Supplement?
Medicare Advantage replaces how your Medicare is delivered, bundling everything into one plan with a network, typically a lower premium, extra benefits and an annual out-of-pocket maximum.
A Supplement sits alongside Original Medicare and pays the gaps, usually costing more each month but giving much broader provider access and more predictable costs.
The part that matters is that moving into Advantage is easy, while moving from Advantage back to a Supplement can mean a health review the company is allowed to turn down.
Will I be able to keep my doctor?
That depends on the specific plan, and it is exactly the kind of thing we check by name rather than in general. Bring us your list of physicians and specialists and we will look each one up against each plan before recommending anything.
Will my prescriptions still be covered?
Bring the list with doses and we will tell you precisely, plan by plan. What matters is not just whether a drug is on the formulary but which tier it sits on, whether there is a quantity limit, and whether it needs prior authorization or step therapy.
Those are what turn a cheap-looking premium into an expensive year.
Can I have Medicare and Medicaid at the same time?
Yes. That is called dual eligibility, and there are plans built specifically for it. Medicare pays first and Medicaid fills in behind it.
Full dual eligibility also qualifies you for Extra Help with drug costs automatically, and there are state programs that can pay your Part B premium outright.
Is there help paying my premiums?
Very likely more than you think. Medicare Savings Programs can pay your Part B premium, and Extra Help covers drug plan costs with 2026 income limits of $23,940 for an individual and $32,460 for a couple.
Both are badly underclaimed, and Medicare itself notes you may still qualify in your state even above the federal limits, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.
Can I bring my spouse or my adult children to the appointment?
Please do. Medicare decisions go better when everyone helping hears the same explanation at the same time, and it saves the person on Medicare from having to relay it all afterward.
I am still working at 65. Do I need to do anything?
Probably something, and what you should do depends on the size of your employer. With 20 or more employees you can usually delay Part B safely while covered.
With fewer than 20, your group plan may not pay properly without Part A and Part B, which is a coverage problem rather than just a penalty question.
Also, enrolling in Medicare ends your ability to contribute to an HSA, which catches people who sign up for premium-free Part A without realizing the consequence.
What happens after I enroll? Do I hear from you again?
Yes. The trouble shows up in February, months after the October decision. Drugs move tiers mid-year, prior authorizations get denied, and letters arrive that explain nothing.
When that happens you call the same person who set the plan up, and reading a denial and telling you what it actually says is the part of this job pharmacists are already trained for.
Are you affiliated with Medicare or the government?
No. Haven Health Plans is a private, independent agency. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program or any government agency. We represent plans from multiple private insurers approved by Medicare, and we do not offer every plan available in your area.
