Patricia, 52, has been on Social Security Disability with Medicaid for the past 2 years. She automatically received a Part A and Part B Medicare card in the mail and noticed that her Medicaid coverage is ending because her income is too high. How will she pay for her prescription drug coverage? Will she be able to keep her doctors? Patricia wants assistance in understanding what is happening and what, if anything, she can or should do about it.

Maria retired from a large employer 30 years ago. Retiree benefits were discontinued some time later, but she kept the plan and has been paying the premium, which has gradually increased, directly to the insurance company while living on a fixed income. Maria wants to evaluate her options to find out if there are more affordable plans that will maintain her level of coverage for prescriptions and provider visits. She also wants to continue to use her health insurance smoothly, decrease her premium costs, and trust she will have help in the future to manage any changes.

Alan just turned 65 and is getting flooded with mail and phone calls that are causing him concern about the threat of “lifetime penalties” for late enrollment. Alan is unsure if he should stick with his employer’s plan or enroll in Medicare. He’s not sure if he will keep working or not. Alan wants to do everything correctly, save money, and learn about his health insurance choices, including what the rules are for his health savings account.

Aimee, a sole proprietor working in the “gig economy,” needs to find health insurance for herself and her family, and to protect her business. What can she afford for her family? What if she hires an employee? Aimee wants to know about her options and plan accordingly.

Caroline is recently separated, has started the process of getting a divorce, and is now very concerned about the cost of health insurance. She has heard that COBRA is expensive. She has been on her partner’s employer plan for 20 years and has never had to get insurance on her own. Caroline works part time and is not eligible for coverage through her employer. Is there a plan Caroline can afford? How can she be prepared for when the divorce is final?

Frank is 62 and worked with his financial advisor to be able to retire before full retirement age. His wife is age 55 and his kids are in college. Frank wants to learn about health insurance options since he will not have retiree benefits; he is concerned he will have to keep working just to afford health insurance for his family. Can Frank really retire and be able to afford health insurance for his family?

An established company has been offering benefits to their employees for 10 years. Every year their contact at the brokerage firm changes at open enrollment time and the new rep provides a spreadsheet with 60 options for plans. They end up renewing as-is because it is too overwhelming to compare so many options. Can they get more individualized attention? Can they save money while keeping their employees happy and covered? They want a broker who knows them, understands their needs, and will be there year after year.

A startup company has three employees right now, but anticipates growing to 10 employees within the next year. They need to offer competitive benefits for recruitment and retention. They have never offered benefits before and are unsure about their options. What will offering benefits cost the owner? How soon can a strategy be implemented? They don’t have an HR department and they need someone who can step in, narrow down choices, educate employees, work with the insurance companies to submit paperwork, and be there throughout the year for questions.