What am I supposed to do first, second, and third with Medicare?

Quick Answer

First, sign up for Medicare Parts A and B at the right time. Second, decide whether to add a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medigap supplement plus Part D drug coverage. Third, review your coverage every fall during open enrollment to make sure it still fits.

Detailed Explanation

Step one is enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B. Part A covers hospital stays and Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care. Most people enroll at 65, and you generally want to start this process about three months before your birthday month. You sign up through Social Security, either online, by phone, or in person. If you're still working and covered by a qualifying employer plan, the timing rules change, so check before assuming you can wait.Step two is deciding what goes around Parts A and B, because Original Medicare alone leaves significant gaps. You have two main paths. One is Medicare Advantage, sometimes called Part C, which is an all-in-one private plan that usually includes drug coverage. The other is a Medigap policy, which fills the cost gaps in Original Medicare, paired with a separate Part D plan for prescriptions. Neither path is right for everyone. Your health, your doctors, your medications, and your finances all factor in.Step three is reviewing your coverage every year. Plans change. Drug formularies, which are the lists of covered medications, change. Premiums change. The annual open enrollment period runs from October 15 through December 7 each year, and that's your chance to make adjustments without penalty.

How This Applies in Utah

Utah residents can get free, unbiased help working through these steps from the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC), which runs the state's SHIP counseling program. They won't sell you anything, and they know the local plan landscape well.

What This Means For You

For you, this means Medicare is a process with a sequence, and getting the timing right on step one protects you from penalties that can follow you for years.

Disclaimer

‍How Resting Sycamore Advisors Uses CMS Data

Our Commitment to Reliable Medicare Information

At Resting Sycamore Advisors, we work to provide accurate, current, and trustworthy information about Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Special Needs Plans.

To do that, we use data published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is the official source for Medicare plan and enrollment information.

CMS Data Sources We Rely On

Our Medicare plan pages and comparison tools are powered by CMS datasets, including:

  • Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape Files for annual plan availability and benefit details
  • Plan Benefits Package (PBP) Files for detailed benefit and coverage information
  • Part C and Part D Performance Data for quality ratings and plan performance measures
  • Monthly Enrollment Data for enrollment counts by contract, plan, state, and county

When possible, we link to the original CMS resources so you can review the source material directly.

How Often We Update Our Data

We follow the CMS release schedule and update our website as new data becomes available.

Annual Plan Year Updates (September)

We load new plan year Landscape and PBP files before the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (October 15 through December 7). We also monitor CMS.gov for updates or revisions and refresh our content when needed.

Mid-Year Updates

We update enrollment and performance data as CMS publishes revised files, which are typically released monthly or quarterly.

Ongoing Maintenance

We routinely monitor CMS announcements for corrections, reissued files, or other changes and update our pages accordingly.

Each plan page includes a Last Accessed date so visitors can see when the source information was most recently reviewed.

How We Prepare CMS Data for Our Website

CMS data can be difficult to read in raw form. To make it easier to use, we format and organize the data for clarity.

This includes:

  • Standardizing plan identifiers such as contract ID, plan ID, and segment
  • Normalizing terminology so common Medicare terms are presented consistently
  • Organizing plan information by state, county, and ZIP code to match how people shop for coverage

All data values come from CMS. We do not change the underlying values beyond formatting, organization, and presentation.

Version Tracking and Transparency

We keep internal records of the CMS dataset versions used on our site.

Major Version History

  • Current Version: CY2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape Files (v1.0, published October 2025)
  • Prior Version: None. Resting Sycamore Advisors first began publishing structured Medicare plan information in March 2025

If CMS issues corrected or revised files, we update our website to reflect the latest available version.

Important Limitations

Please keep the following in mind:

  • CMS is the official source of truth. For enrollment and coverage decisions, always confirm details with Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
  • Data timing can vary. Enrollment and performance updates may appear on our website a few weeks after CMS publishes changes.
  • Plan details can change. Plan availability, costs, and benefits may change. Always verify current details directly with the plan provider.

Need Help From Official Medicare Resources?

For personalized Medicare assistance, please use these official resources:

  • Medicare.gov Help Center — https://www.medicare.gov
  • 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) TTY: 1-877-486-2048
  • State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free local counseling for Medicare beneficiariesIf you want, I can also give you a shorter legal-style version for a footer or /disclaimer page summary.