Plain-English guides for Brighton and Colorado families. Each one answers a real question, explains what is at stake in Colorado, and tells you what to do next. Take the Stress Out of Medicare
Advantage, Supplement and Part D, compared for your doctors and prescriptions.
10 min read
A month-by-month Medicare checklist for turning 65 in Brighton and across Colorado: when to enroll, what to compare, which deadlines carry penalties, and which choice is hardest to undo.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
Who qualifies for Medicare, when Part A is premium-free, how disability and kidney failure change the timing, and what Colorado residents should have ready before they enroll.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
10 min read
Every Medicare enrollment window in one place: the Initial Enrollment Period, Annual Enrollment October 15 to December 7, Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment, Special Enrollment Periods, the Medigap window and the edge cases.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
9 min read
Every 2026 Medicare cost in one place from CMS: Part A, the $202.90 Part B premium and $283 deductible, IRMAA, late penalties, Part D limits for 2026 and 2027, and a worked yearly total near Brighton.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
9 min read
What to check every fall before your Medicare plan renews: the Annual Notice of Change, your drugs and pharmacy, your doctors, a worked total yearly cost comparison, and the questions to ask before December 7, 2026.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
If you or your spouse keep working past 65, whether you need Part B now depends on your employer size. Here is how the rules work, how to avoid penalties, and what to do with an HSA.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
9 min read
The biggest Medicare decision, side by side: how Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans differ on doctors, costs, drugs and travel, why switching later is harder in Colorado, and how to decide.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
HMO, HMO-POS, PPO, Special Needs Plans, PFFS and MSA plans explained in plain English, with the plan types actually offered in Adams and Weld counties for 2027.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
Every standardized Medicare Supplement plan sold in Colorado side by side, what Plan G, Plan N and the others pay, who can still buy Plan F, and how to compare prices between companies.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
The Colorado rules for buying and switching Medicare Supplement plans: your six-month window, guaranteed issue rights including one unique to Colorado, coverage for people under 65 with a disability, and why there is no birthday rule.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
11 min read
How Medicare drug coverage works for 2027: the $700 maximum deductible, the $2,400 out-of-pocket cap, worked yearly cost examples, the late penalty, and all 8 standalone Part D plans in Colorado.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
9 min read
How the Part A, Part B and Part D late enrollment penalties are worked out, what they cost with 2026 and 2027 figures, who is exempt, and how to avoid or contest one in Colorado.
Reviewed October 19, 2026
9 min read
What IRMAA is, the 2026 income brackets and premiums, which tax return Social Security uses, and how to ask for a new decision after retirement or another life-changing event.
Reviewed October 19, 2026
12 min read
What to check before you choose a 2027 Medicare plan, and how Lisa checks it with you: your doctors and hospital in each plan's 2027 directory, your prescriptions on each 2027 formulary, how to read a drug tier, prior authorization and step therapy, a Brighton worked example and the questions to ask the office and the pharmacy.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
If your income is limited, Health First Colorado can pay your Medicare premiums through a Medicare Savings Program, and Extra Help can lower your drug costs. The 2026 Colorado limits, a worked example, and how to apply.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
10 min read
If you have both Medicare and Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid): who pays first, exactly what each Medicare Savings Program pays, drug coverage, D-SNPs, PACE and long-term care.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
Who to call for every kind of Medicare question in Colorado: a local licensed agent in Brighton for comparing and enrolling in plans, Social Security, Health First Colorado and your county, coordination of benefits, appeals and fraud.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
7 min read
The official Medicare & You handbook explained: what is inside the 2027 edition, when it arrives, how to get it online, in large print or in other languages, and how to use it alongside the Colorado guides.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
Prefer to learn in a group? See our Medicare education sessions, in person in Brighton or online, compare 2027 plans with our plan finder, and find official Medicare forms on our Resources page.
Colorado marketplace plans and tax credits, pre-65 coverage and short-term medical.
12 min read
Colorado runs its own health insurance marketplace. The 2027 open enrollment dates, final 2027 rate changes by rating area, who can use it, a worked Brighton family example and how to shop it step by step.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
13 min read
How premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions and Colorado Premium Assistance work now that the enhanced federal credits have expired, with the 2026 and 2027 IRS tables, a fully worked credit, a repayment example and the 400% cliff in dollars.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
The ten categories of care every Colorado ACA plan must cover, what Colorado adds through its own benchmark plan, the 2026 and 2027 out-of-pocket limits, and a worked maternity example on the 2027 Colorado Option plans.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
The SBC is the standard form every health plan must give you. What federal and Colorado rules require, how to read it section by section using a real 2027 Colorado Option design, and a worked coverage example.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
13 min read
Which adult screenings, vaccines and visits ACA plans must cover with no cost sharing, the ages and intervals from USPSTF, CDC and HRSA, what Colorado law adds, and a worked example for a hypothetical Adams County couple.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
8 min read
How to get an individual health plan on the Colorado marketplace outside open enrollment: the life events that qualify, the 60-day window, when coverage starts and what proof to keep.
Reviewed October 19, 2026
8 min read
What Bronze, Silver, Gold and Catastrophic plans mean on the Colorado marketplace, how costs are split, why Silver matters for cost-sharing reductions, and how to choose for 2027.
Reviewed October 19, 2026
13 min read
Retiring before 65 in Colorado? How long your coverage gap really is, COBRA against the Colorado marketplace, a worked bridge-years income plan, the Medicare handoff and the two-year IRMAA lookback.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
What Colorado law actually says about short-term medical plans (six months, no renewal, a 12-month look-back), how the 2024 federal rule fits, a worked cost comparison and the ACA options that usually bridge a gap better.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
11 min read
How an HSA works, the IRS limits for 2026 and 2027, the new Bronze plan rule, mid-year proration and the last-month rule with dollar examples, the spouse split, investing the balance, Colorado tax treatment and the Medicare stop date.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
Dental, vision, critical illness, hospital indemnity, cancer, short-term care and travel cover for the gaps.
11 min read
How dental plans pay, what the 100/80/50 pattern and waiting periods do to a real bill, what Medicare and Health First Colorado cover, and a worked Colorado example.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
11 min read
What Original Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Health First Colorado and vision plans pay for eye exams, glasses and hearing aids, with 2027 Adams County plan figures and a worked example.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
10 min read
Critical illness insurance pays a lump sum if you are diagnosed with a covered condition such as a heart attack, stroke or cancer. How the benefit is built, what triggers it, how it fits with Medicare and marketplace plans, two worked examples with 2027 numbers and when it does not make sense.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
Hospital indemnity pays set cash amounts for a hospital stay. What 2027 Adams County Medicare Advantage plans charge per inpatient day, the 2026 Part A deductible, a worked sizing example and the notice Colorado requires.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
10 min read
Cancer insurance pays cash benefits after a covered cancer diagnosis and, in many policies, for specific treatments. How the benefits are built, what triggers them, how they sit beside Medicare, two worked examples, Colorado rules and when it does not make sense.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
Short-term care insurance pays a daily benefit for up to a year of home care, assisted living or nursing home care, the custodial care Medicare does not cover. Colorado care costs, Medicare skilled nursing rules, a worked example and how Health First Colorado fits in.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
11 min read
What Original Medicare, Medigap and 2027 Medicare Advantage plans pay outside the U.S., the evacuation gap, rules for snowbirds, and a worked trip example in dollars.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
Burial and final expense cover so your family is not left with the bill.
12 min read
Final expense insurance is a small whole life policy meant to pay funeral and end-of-life costs. What funerals cost, the underwriting types, Colorado pre-need rules, a worked sizing example and what to compare.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
A no-cost retirement planning review and annuities for income you cannot outlive.
12 min read
A step by step retirement checklist for Colorado: Social Security timing, health coverage before and at 65, how Colorado taxes retirement income, a worked monthly budget, required distributions and protecting what you have built.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
12 min read
An annuity is a contract with an insurance company that can turn savings into income. Immediate versus deferred, fixed, indexed and variable, a worked surrender charge example in dollars, federal and Colorado taxes and the questions to ask.
Reviewed October 14, 2026
The guides are written by the Headwaters Health and Wealth Data Desk and reviewed by Lisa Asmussen, Medicare Broker and Licensed Insurance Agent, at our office in Brighton, Colorado. Every figure is labeled with its year and source.
Medicare plan figures use the CY2027 CMS Landscape file for Adams and Weld counties and the Colorado Part D region, and federal amounts such as the Part B premium use the latest official 2026 values from CMS until the 2027 amounts are announced, usually in November.
Headwaters checks this for you before you decide. Call Lisa at (303) 887-8584.
Yes. Call (303) 887-8584 or use our contact page to talk with a licensed agent about your doctors, prescriptions and budget.
Please note: We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 106 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. Final expense, annuity and supplemental products are subject to underwriting and carrier approval. Guarantees are based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing company. Nothing on this site is tax, legal or investment advice.
Book a free, no-obligation review with Lisa in Brighton, by phone or by video. Bring your questions; leave with answers.
992 South Fourth Avenue, Brighton, CO 80601 · (303) 887-8584
Content reviewed by Lisa Asmussen, Medicare Broker and Licensed Insurance Agent at Headwaters Health and Wealth in Brighton, Colorado, certified to sell Medicare plans since 2018 (8 years). How we source and review our content. Last updated .
