My Comments: Have you noticed a flurry of ads on TV recently talking about Medicare and all the benefits you are entitled to for one easy price per month? I have.

The ads promote the use of Medicare Plan C, also known as Medicare Advantage plans. They are a sop to the insurance industry, giving companies a way to make more money by selling you stuff you may or may not need.

Years ago I decided those extras had little value to me and only lined the pockets of agents and companies at my expense. That’s not to say you might find value with them but as a financial professional, I refused to play the game.

Last year during the open enrollment period, I checked my coverage for Part D, the prescription drug coverage plan. I went to https://www.medicare.gov/, found the spot where you can compare alternatives, and entered the drugs I’m taking for a price analysis. The result was signing up for a different provider and it saved me $85 per month. Not bad.

That being said, if you are already on Medicare or your 65th birthday is around the corner, I encourage you to visit the official Medicare web site. It has good information. Go here: https://www.medicare.gov/

Normally when I write one of these posts it’s to share an article written by someone else. This time I’m simply going to give you two active links to follow if you think any of this is important to you.

Link #1: https://goo.gl/p8nRiF

Link #2: http://flip.it/fg6foM

Remember, there’s also a link just to the right on this page where you can schedule a conversation with me as you wrestle with all this…