Resources
Medicare Questions Houston Seniors Ask
These come up every week at kitchen tables in Bellaire, in church halls off the Katy Freeway, and on the phone from Kingwood. If your question is missing, call us. We would rather explain it once than let you guess.
- Direct answers, no script
- Written for Harris and Fort Bend County
- Rechecked whenever CMS changes the rules
Questions
What Greater Houston callers ask first
Does it cost anything to work with Houston Senior Insurance?
Nothing. You pay us zero. Carriers build the same commission into plan pricing whether you call them directly or call us, so your premium in Houston is identical either way.
When can I first enroll in Medicare?
Your Initial Enrollment Period runs seven months: three months before your 65th birthday month, that month, and three months after. Sign up in the first three and your card is active on day one.
Can I keep my current doctors?
Original Medicare plus Medigap works with any provider who accepts Medicare, from the Texas Medical Center to a small clinic in Third Ward. Advantage plans run on networks, so we check your doctors and your hospital in the current directory before you sign anything.
Is Medicare Advantage better than Medigap?
Neither wins on paper. Medigap costs more each month and very little at the counter, with no network to worry about. Advantage costs less each month, charges copays, restricts you to a network, and usually bundles drugs and extras. Your doctors, your prescriptions, and how you feel about surprise bills decide it.
What happens if I don't sign up for Part B on time?
Without active employer coverage, Medicare tacks 10% onto your Part B premium for every full 12 months you waited. That surcharge usually follows you for life. Run our Part B penalty calculator for a number.
I don't take any prescriptions. Do I still need Part D?
Usually yes. Go 63 days without creditable drug coverage and the Part D penalty attaches permanently. A cheap plan today beats a lifetime surcharge later, and Houston humidity has a way of turning healthy 65 year olds into people who need a prescription by 70.
Do I have to change plans every year?
No. You should still look. Networks, drug tiers, and copays reset every January 1. Fifteen minutes each fall is enough to confirm nothing important moved.
Which hospitals do Houston Medicare plans use?
Houston has one of the densest medical markets in the country. Most plans build around Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, Kelsey-Seybold, HCA Houston Healthcare, and the specialty centers inside the Texas Medical Center. Contracts shift each plan year, so confirm your hospital before January.
Can you help if I'm under 65 and on Medicare due to disability?
Yes. Texas treats under 65 Medicare differently, and Medigap options are thinner and pricier. We will show you what is genuinely available in Harris County and what it costs.
Do you serve towns outside Houston?
Yes. We cover Harris and Fort Bend County and drive the whole metro: Katy, Sugar Land, Pearland, Pasadena, Cypress, Spring, The Woodlands, Bellaire, Missouri City, Kingwood, and Clear Lake.
New to all of this? The Medicare overview and the Medicare checklist are the best places to start.
Question still unanswered?
Call and ask. No charge, no obligation. Plenty of our Houston calls end with us telling people to keep the plan they have.