Resources
Medicare FAQs
These are the questions we hear most, whether it's at a kitchen table in Faith Village or on the phone with someone driving through Iowa Park. If your question isn't listed, call us. We would rather talk it through than let you guess.
- Plain answers, no sales pitch
- Written for Wichita Falls and Wichita County
- Kept current as Medicare rules change
Questions
What Wichita Falls seniors ask us most
Does it cost anything to work with Wichita Falls Senior Insurance?
Nothing. Insurance carriers build the same commission into a plan's price whether you enroll through an agent or on your own, so meeting with us in Wichita Falls costs you nothing and never bumps your premium.
When can I first enroll in Medicare?
You get a seven month Initial Enrollment Period built around your 65th birthday: three months before, your birthday month, and three months after. Sign up early in that window so your coverage starts without a gap.
Can I keep my current doctors?
Original Medicare paired with a Medigap plan lets you see any provider in the country who accepts Medicare, including offices around Kemp Boulevard and Southwest Parkway. A Medicare Advantage plan depends on its network, so we check your doctors and hospital against each carrier's current directory before you sign anything.
Is Medicare Advantage better than Medigap?
Neither wins for everyone. Medigap runs a higher monthly premium but leaves you almost nothing to pay at the doctor's office, with no network to worry about. Advantage plans usually cost less each month and bundle in drug coverage, but they lean on copays and a network. We map both against your prescriptions and your Sheppard Air Force Base or Midwestern State retiree benefits before recommending either one.
What happens if I don't sign up for Part B on time?
Unless you're still covered through active employment, Medicare tacks on 10 percent to your Part B premium for every full 12 months you waited, and that extra charge usually sticks for as long as you're enrolled. Run the numbers on our Part B penalty calculator before you decide to wait.
I don't take any prescriptions. Do I still need Part D?
In most cases, yes. Go 63 days or longer without drug coverage that qualifies as creditable and Medicare adds a permanent penalty once you do enroll. A basic Part D plan today almost always beats paying that penalty for the rest of your life.
Do I have to change plans every year?
No, but you should double check. Drug tiers, copays and networks reset every January 1, so a quick fifteen minute review each fall usually confirms you're still on the right plan, or tells us it's time to switch.
Which hospitals do Wichita Falls Medicare plans use?
Local care generally runs through United Regional Health Care System on Eighth Street, Kell West Regional Hospital on Kemp Boulevard, and clinics like Clinics of North Texas and Community Healthcare Center. A plan's contract with United Regional can change from one plan year to the next, which is exactly why national call centers running TV ads can't tell you whether your plan will actually work here. We confirm it before you enroll.
Can you help if I'm under 65 and on Medicare due to disability?
Yes. Texas treats under-65 Medicare beneficiaries differently, especially when it comes to Medigap availability. We'll walk through exactly what's open to you given your situation.
Do you serve towns outside Wichita Falls?
We work across Wichita County and the surrounding towns, including Burkburnett, Iowa Park, Henrietta, Electra, Holliday, Archer City and Vernon, plus retirees who split time near the Oklahoma border around Lawton.
New to all of this? Start with the Medicare overview and the Medicare checklist.
Free review
Have a question we didn't cover?
Call and ask. There's no charge and no obligation, and a lot of our calls end with staying exactly where you are.