Compare your 2027 Medicare plans. Then keep, switch, or wait — and write down why.
A simple kit with an Excel calculator. It weighs your plan now against three others. It looks at cost, drugs, and doctors. So you end up with a real answer, not a guess.
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
Part D cap: CMS, CY2027 Rate Announcement. Plan gap: KFF 2026 — average in-network out-of-pocket limit $5,421 against the $9,250 maximum a plan may charge. Comparison rate: KFF.
Right now you might be thinking…
Sound familiar?
Every one of those is covered in here. This was built for people starting from exactly that spot.
By the end of it, you can…
- ✓Check your plan now in 10 minutes. Keep, switch, or wait, with a clear reason.
- ✓Weigh your plan and three others on real cost. The Excel calculator does it.
- ✓See three ways to look at cost: a normal year, a sick year, and a worst year. A bad year will not shock you.
- ✓Run the drug and doctor check. Make sure your pills and your doctors are still covered.
- ✓Lock it in with a written record and a January check. Nothing falls through.
…and a good deal more.
I WANT IT ALL — $47All 10 parts · instant access↓ Keep scrolling for all 10 parts ↓
If you want to be sure of the answer, these four do that:
1. The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
Thirteen pages that take you from “I should probably look at this” to a written decision: screen your current plan, pick three finalists, and know what question each of the later parts answers. The spine of the kit.
2. The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
Build the prescription list first, because drug coverage is the most personal part of any plan — one medicine moving a tier can undo a low premium. The 2027 guardrails ($700 deductible cap, $2,400 out-of-pocket cap) and the sheets to check every drug and every doctor against each plan.
3. The Three-Year Cost Model
The same four plans costed across a routine year, a care-heavy year, and the plan's own out-of-pocket limit. The worst case is not a prediction — it is the amount of risk you are agreeing to carry, and most people never look at it.
4. The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
Two traps on the way out of Medicare Advantage. When a federal guaranteed-issue right to a Medigap policy actually applies, which states add protections of their own, and the income surcharge that gets set from a tax return two years old.
5. The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
The weighted scorecard, the side-by-side sheets for drugs, doctors and costs, and the non-negotiables column. A high total does not rescue a plan that excludes care you need, and the sheet is built to show that.
If you want it to hold, these do that:
6. Phone Scripts and Call Log
Word for word what to ask a plan about a formulary, a tier, a prior authorization, or whether a provider is really in network — plus the page of the Evidence of Coverage to ask them to cite. With a log for who said what, and when.
7. The Decision and January Verification Pack
The one-page memo you fill in before enrolling: the plan, the ID, the effective date, and why. Then the January checks that confirm the plan actually started and your drugs and doctors really are covered.
8. Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
A refusal at the pharmacy counter or the call center is often not the final answer. What an organization determination and a coverage determination are, how to get the decision in writing, and the deadline that starts running when you do.
9. The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
Every state has a federally funded program giving free one-to-one Medicare counselling that sells nothing. Almost nobody knows its name because almost every state calls it something different. All 51, plus the four numbers that work anywhere.
10. The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
Type your premiums, your drugs and your usual year. It weighs your current plan against three others across all three scenarios and returns the totals, so the comparison is arithmetic instead of a feeling.
Add it up:
You save $253. That is 84% off.
GET INSTANT ACCESS — $47All 10 parts · instant accessFrom people who bought it
Here is what a few have said ↓
“I had been reading Medicare websites for weeks and still felt confused. The checklist broke everything into an order I could actually follow. I went through it with my husband in about an hour and finally knew what questions we needed to ask before choosing coverage.”
“The Medicare cost worksheet made me look beyond just the monthly premium. I hadn't been thinking about deductibles, drug costs, specialists, and maximum out-of-pocket expenses together. That alone made this worth buying.”
“I entered our retirement income, withdrawals, and estimated taxes and could immediately see where our money was going. I'm not great with spreadsheets, but this one was simple enough that I didn't need help.”
“Most of this information technically exists online, but it is spread everywhere. Having it organized in plain English, with links and worksheets, saved me hours.”
Individual results. Results may vary and are not guaranteed.
The usual hesitations:
I have had the same plan for years. It is probably still fine”
That is exactly what the first part is for — it starts from zero and tells you the next single thing to do.
The mail all looks the same. I cannot tell one plan from another”
Everything is a PDF in large type you can print at home. Nothing to install, nothing to set up.
My daughter usually looks at this for me”
Then start with the one-page scan. It takes ten minutes and tells you whether the rest is worth your afternoon.
I will get to it before December”
Hand it to them. The worksheets are built to be filled in together and the scripts are written to be read out loud.
30 days. You risk nothing.
If it does not help you, email us inside 30 days and we send back every penny. We will not ask you why. We never sell your name or your email.
The practical questions
Is this easy to use?+
Yes. Plain words, big type, and a calculator that just asks for your plan’s numbers. If you can use a simple spreadsheet, you can use this.
Do I need Excel?+
The calculator opens in Excel, Numbers, or free Google Sheets. The guide and sheets are PDFs. They open on any device.
Will it tell me which plan to buy?+
No, and that is on purpose. It is a teaching tool that helps you weigh and choose. No plan paid to be listed. You sign up through Medicare or your plan yourself.
When do I get it?+
Right away. It shows up on your screen the moment you pay. We email you a copy too.
Do I pay every month?+
No. You pay $47 one time. Nothing repeats. There is nothing to cancel.
Is this insurance advice?+
No. It only teaches you. You can weigh plans free at Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE. This kit just puts the choice in order.
Compare your 2027 Medicare plans. Then keep, switch, or wait — and write down why.
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
- Part 1 — The 2027 Plan Decision Guide
- Part 5 — The Plan-Comparison Worksheets
- Part 9 — The 51-State Free Medicare Help Directory
- Part 2 — The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check
- Part 3 — The Three-Year Cost Model
- Part 4 — The Medigap and IRMAA Checkpoints
- Part 6 — Phone Scripts and Call Log
- Part 7 — The Decision and January Verification Pack
- Part 8 — Appeals, Free Help and Official Sources
- The Automatic Cost Calculator (Excel)
- Medicare Cost & Coverage Protection Pack
Takes about a minute. You will be reading in two.
The Retirement Money Brief
Our free email for people over 65. One change to Medicare, taxes or benefits each weekday morning — the date to watch, and the one step to take.
RetireShield is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Our materials are educational and are not legal, tax, medical, insurance or benefits advice. Results may vary and are not guaranteed. © 2026 RetireShield.