1604 1st Street South, Suite 260 · Willmar, MN 56201
Mon–Fri 9:00am–5:00pm · Walk-ins welcome
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Medicare
Help with Medicare from start to finish
Whether you’re turning 65, retiring later than 65, or reviewing a plan you’ve had for years, we sit down with you at our Willmar office and go through it in plain language. Our service is 100% free, and we help people from all over west central Minnesota.
Part A
Hospital coverage
Covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing care, hospice, and some home health care. Most people pay no premium for Part A, because you or your spouse already paid into it through payroll taxes while working.
Part B
Medical coverage
Covers doctor visits, outpatient care, lab work, preventive screenings, and equipment like walkers or oxygen. Part B has a monthly premium, which for most people comes straight out of the Social Security check.
Turning 65
Your Initial Enrollment Period is seven months long
The three months before your birthday month, that month, and the three months after. You can enroll in any of the seven — signing up in the first three is what usually gets your coverage started the first day of your birthday month.
Example — if your birthday is in June
March
April
May
June
July
August
Sept
When you should make an appointment.
Birthday Month
Wait too long without other creditable coverage and Part B can carry a late penalty for as long as you have it, which is the kind of thing we’d rather catch in a conversation than a letter.
Retirement Benefits
Applying for your retirement benefits
As you approach retirement age, it can be difficult to work with Social Security over the phone or wait in long lines in person. We can help you skip all that and sign you up in our office.
Medicare Part C and D
Should I choose Medicare Advantage, or a supplement with a drug plan?
All-in-one · Part C
Medicare Advantage
One bundled plan from a private carrier that replaces how you receive your Part A and B benefits. Most plans include drug coverage and extras like dental or vision, use a provider network, and cap what you pay out of pocket each year.
Two pieces · Medigap + Part D
Supplement + drug plan
You keep Original Medicare and add two pieces: a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) to help with much of what Parts A and B leave behind, plus a stand-alone Part D plan for your prescriptions. See any provider that accepts Medicare, with costs that tend to be predictable.
PART C
Medicare Advantage
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Monthly premium: often low or $0
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Doctors: the plan’s own network
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Drug coverage: usually built in
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Dental, vision, hearing: often included
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Your costs: copays as you go, with a yearly cap
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Travel: works best close to home
MEDIGAP + D
Supplement + drug plan
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Monthly premium: higher, but more predictable
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Doctors: any provider that takes Medicare
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Drug coverage: separate Part D plan
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Dental, vision, hearing: usually not included
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Your costs: most gaps in A and B covered
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Travel: coverage goes with you across the U.S.
New for 2026–27
Minnesota now has an annual Medigap open enrollment window
Starting August 2026, Minnesota adds a yearly window where some people may have an opportunity to change Medicare Supplement plans. Rules and eligibility are still being sorted out, so let’s talk about whether it applies to you.
There’s no single right answer between Advantage and a supplement — it depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, how often you travel, and what you can absorb in a bad year. That’s the conversation we have at the table in our Willmar office, with your medication list in front of us. Plans change every year too, which is why we go through the ones affecting you again each fall. See what’s changing for 2027.