Medicare
What is IRMAA and how does income affect Medicare?
IRMAA is an extra charge on your Part B and Part D premiums when your income is above a set level. Social Security figures it from your tax return of two years ago.
Medicare Advantage
What is a D-SNP (dual eligible special needs plan)?
A Medicare Advantage plan built for people who have both Medicare and Medicaid. Common in Hidalgo County and often missed.
Auto
How does a car insurance deductible work?
A deductible is the part of a repair bill you pay yourself. It applies to collision and comprehensive coverage, and not to liability.
Auto
What happens if you drive without insurance in Texas?
Fines, an impounded car, license and registration holds, an SR 22 filing, and the higher price a gap in coverage leaves behind.
Medicare
What does Medicare Part A and Part B cover?
Part A pays for hospital stays. Part B pays for doctor visits and tests. Here is what each one covers, what you still pay, and what neither one touches.
Health and ACA
Can I use a broker to sign up for Obamacare, and does it cost extra?
Using a licensed agent costs you nothing. How agents are paid, what one should do for you, and what one cannot do.
Auto
Do I need uninsured motorist coverage in Texas?
What uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays in Texas, why insurers have to offer it, and how it fills the gaps a health plan leaves.
Auto
What is the minimum car insurance required in Texas?
What 30/60/25 pays, what it leaves out, and why most South Texas drivers are safer with higher liability limits.
Medicare Advantage
Can I switch from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare?
Yes, in two windows each year. The harder question is whether a Medigap company will still sell you the policy that covers your share.
Health and ACA
How do I renew or change my Marketplace plan?
Doing nothing renews you automatically, and that is rarely the right outcome. Here is what to check every November before the deadline.
Part D
What happens to my Part D if I have Medicaid too?
With Medicare and Medicaid together, Part D pays for your drugs, you get Extra Help without applying, and you can change drug plans more often than once a year.
Part D
What is prior authorization and step therapy for my medication?
Prior authorization means the plan must approve a drug before it pays. Step therapy means trying a lower cost drug first. Both can be appealed and show in Plan Finder.