Medicare Videos, Forms and Resources
These videos are for educational purposes. Watch, download the form you need, or bring your questions to Lisa and she will review your unique situation.
Watch: Medicare in a few minutes
The official Get Started with Medicare series from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Watch first, ideally a year or so before 65. It explains Parts A, B, C and D, the vocabulary every later choice uses.
Watch before you compare plans, at 65 or before the fall Annual Enrollment Period. It frames the main decision: Original Medicare (often with a Medigap plan and a drug plan) or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Watch about six months before your 65th birthday month. Your seven-month window opens three months before that month, and signing up early lets coverage start on time.
Watch if you are thinking of delaying Part B, for example because you are still working. It shows how the 10% per year penalty builds and when job coverage protects you.
Medicare forms you may need
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CMS-40B: Application for Enrollment in Medicare Part B
Use it to sign up for Part B, including during a Special Enrollment Period after group health coverage based on current employment ends.
When you need it: You already have Part A (or are signing up for it) and are adding Part B, most often when you retire or your employer coverage ends after 65. File it within the 8 months after the job or the coverage ends, whichever comes first, to avoid the Part B penalty. If you are turning 65 with no job coverage, Lisa files your Part A and Part B enrollment with you instead, so you do not need this form.
Download from the official site -
CMS-L564: Request for Employment Information
Proof of group health coverage based on current employment. Your employer fills in the coverage and employment dates, and it goes in with your Part B application.
When you need it: Alongside the CMS-40B whenever you delayed Part B because of job-based coverage. You fill in Section A and your employer, or each past employer, completes Section B. Ask before you leave, because getting it signed after you retire can take weeks. If an employer has closed or cannot complete it, ask me which other proof is accepted and I will help you put it together.
Download from the official site -
SSA-44: Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, Life-Changing Event
If your Part B or drug premium includes IRMAA and a life-changing event such as retirement has lowered your income, this asks Social Security to use the newer income.
When you need it: After you receive an IRMAA notice from Social Security and your income has since dropped because of a qualifying event such as stopping work, reduced work hours, marriage, divorce or the death of a spouse. Attach proof, such as a retirement letter, and an estimate of the lower income.
Call Lisa for this form -
CMS-10106: Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information
Gives Medicare written permission to share your personal health information with someone you name, such as an adult child.
When you need it: Before a family member or caregiver calls Medicare on your behalf about claims, coverage or enrollment. By law, Medicare cannot share your information with them without it. You can also submit it through your Medicare account, and cancel it at any time in writing.
Download from the official site
Not sure which form applies to you? Call (303) 887-8584 before you mail anything; a wrong form can delay coverage. Keep a copy of everything you send.
Official sources and our guides
- Medicare & You 2027 handbookThe official government handbook, mailed to every Medicare household each fall. Bring it to your October review with Lisa and she walks you through the year’s rules and costs before the Annual Enrollment Period.
- Medicare Enrollment, Done With YouNot yet getting Social Security benefits at 65? Lisa files your Part A and Part B enrollment with you during your Initial Enrollment Period, so nothing is missed and coverage starts on time.
- Help with drug costs (Extra Help)Who qualifies for Extra Help and how to apply. If your income and savings are limited or your drug costs are high, Lisa checks whether you qualify and files the application with you; people with Health First Colorado or a Medicare Savings Program usually get Extra Help automatically.
- Medicare Supplement policies in ColoradoThe Division of Insurance's yearly guide to Medigap plans sold in Colorado.
- Health First Colorado (Colorado Medicaid)Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs for eligible Coloradans, run by HCPF.
- ACA Enrollment, Done For YouUnder 65? Colorado runs its own marketplace for individual and family health plans and tax credits. Lisa compares the plans and enrolls you there, at no cost to you.
Resource questions
What form do I need to sign up for Part B after my employer coverage ends?
Usually the CMS-40B application together with the CMS-L564, which your employer completes to show your group coverage dates.
Lisa checks how this applies to your own doctors and prescriptions at no cost. Call (303) 887-8584.
How do I lower my IRMAA after I retire?
File form SSA-44 with Social Security and include proof of the life-changing event, such as a retirement letter.
Lisa checks how this applies to your own doctors and prescriptions at no cost. Call (303) 887-8584.
How can my daughter or son talk to Medicare for me?
Send Medicare a signed CMS-10106 Authorization to Disclose Personal Health Information naming them, or submit it through your Medicare account. Without it, Medicare cannot share your information with them.
Headwaters checks this for you before you decide. Call Lisa at (303) 887-8584.
Where can I get free help with Medicare in Colorado?
Lisa reviews your Medicare options at no cost and with no obligation: call (303) 887-8584. She compares the 2027 plans in your ZIP code against your doctors and prescriptions, helps you enroll, and stays your contact after you join. Lisa also files your Part A and B enrollment with you, and helps with Health First Colorado and Medicare Savings Program applications.
Take the stress out of Medicare.
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 .