Turning 65? Confused by the mail piling up? We compare plans from multiple insurance companies, side by side, and help you choose with confidence — at no cost to you, ever.
Call (573) 993-3996 I'm Turning 65A short, friendly phone call. We learn about your doctors, prescriptions, budget, and how you like to use your coverage. No pressure, no jargon.
We shop plans from multiple insurance companies and show you a clear side-by-side of the options that actually fit your situation.
Pick your plan, we handle the enrollment. Then we're your go-to team all year long — and we review your coverage every fall.
Your first enrollment window only comes once. Learn exactly what to do (and when) so you avoid lifetime late penalties.
Turning 65 GuideMedicare Advantage or a Supplement? There's no one right answer — only the right answer for you. See how they differ.
Compare OptionsCosts, enrollment windows, drug coverage, dental — get straight answers to the questions we hear every day.
Read the FAQCall a carrier directly and they can only sell you their own plans. As an independent agency, Dillinger Insurance represents multiple companies — so our recommendation is built around your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget.
Best of all, our help costs you nothing. Agents are paid by the insurance companies, and your premium is exactly the same whether you use us or go it alone. The only difference is having a local Springfield team in your corner.
Get Free HelpSame premium either way — with us, you get a local advocate for life.
Most folks have real answers within one conversation. Call (573) 993-3996.
VA health care, TRICARE For Life, and Medicare can work together beautifully — or leave costly gaps if they're set up wrong. We help Veterans coordinate their benefits the right way.
Veteran Medicare GuideOne call. Plain English. Real options compared side by side. That's the Dillinger way.
Call (573) 993-3996A, B, C, D — it sounds like alphabet soup until someone lays it out clearly. Here's the whole system in plain English.
Covers inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health care. Most people pay no monthly premium for Part A because they (or a spouse) paid Medicare taxes while working.
Part A has a deductible per benefit period and coinsurance for longer stays.
Covers doctor visits, outpatient care, lab work, preventive services, and durable medical equipment. Part B has a monthly premium (higher earners pay more) and an annual deductible, after which Medicare typically pays 80% of approved costs.
That remaining 20% has no annual cap under Original Medicare alone — which is why most people add more coverage.
Private plans that bundle Parts A and B (and usually D) into one plan, often with extras like dental, vision, and hearing. Plans use provider networks and have an annual out-of-pocket maximum.
Learn more about Advantage plans →Private plans that cover prescription medications. Even if you take no medications today, enrolling when first eligible avoids a lifetime late enrollment penalty.
Learn more about Part D →Once you have Parts A and B, nearly everyone goes one of two directions:
| Path 1: Original Medicare + Supplement + Part D | Path 2: Medicare Advantage (Part C) |
|---|---|
| See any doctor in the U.S. who accepts Medicare | Use the plan's network of doctors and hospitals |
| Predictable costs — Supplement fills most gaps | Lower (often $0) premiums, pay-as-you-go copays |
| Separate Part D plan for prescriptions | Drug coverage usually built in |
| No referrals needed for specialists | Often includes dental, vision, hearing extras |
| Higher monthly premium, fewer surprises | Annual out-of-pocket maximum protects you |
Fifteen minutes on the phone beats fifteen hours of internet research. Local, free, no pressure.
Call (573) 993-3996Your Initial Enrollment Period only comes once. Get it right the first time and you'll avoid late penalties, coverage gaps, and years of headaches.
You get a 7-month window to enroll in Medicare: the 3 months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and the 3 months after. Enrolling in the 3 months before your birthday month means your coverage starts the month you turn 65 — no gap.
Confirm whether you'll keep working past 65 and how your current coverage interacts with Medicare. Gather your doctor and prescription lists. This is the ideal time to call us.
Enroll in Parts A and B (automatic if you're already drawing Social Security; otherwise through ssa.gov or your local office). Then choose your path: Advantage, or Supplement + Part D.
Coverage begins. Your new cards arrive, we confirm your doctors and pharmacy are set, and you're done — with a local team to call whenever questions come up.
If you (or your spouse) are actively working and covered by an employer group plan, you may be able to delay Part B without penalty — but the rules depend on employer size and whether the coverage counts as "creditable."
Get this wrong and you can face permanent penalties and months-long gaps in coverage. Get it right and you might save significant premium dollars. This is one of the most common (and costly) areas of confusion we untangle.
One call now saves months of confusion later. We'll map your exact dates and options — free.
Call (573) 993-3996All-in-one plans from private insurance companies — often with $0 premiums and extra benefits. Here's how they really work.
A Medicare Advantage plan replaces how you receive your Part A and Part B benefits — a private insurer administers your coverage instead of Original Medicare. Most plans include Part D drug coverage, and many add dental, vision, hearing, fitness memberships, and over-the-counter allowances.
You'll typically pay copays as you use care (a set amount per doctor visit, per hospital day, and so on), and every plan has an annual out-of-pocket maximum — a safety cap Original Medicare alone doesn't have.
Advantage plans keep costs low by using provider networks:
The single most important step before enrolling: verify your doctors, hospitals, and prescriptions are covered by the specific plan. We do that for you, for free.
We'll check your doctors and prescriptions against real plans, side by side. Free, local, no pressure.
Call (573) 993-3996Keep Original Medicare, see any doctor who accepts it, and let a Supplement fill in the gaps. Maximum freedom, maximum predictability.
Original Medicare pays roughly 80% of your Part B costs — with no cap on your 20%. A Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan is private insurance that pays some or all of that remaining share, plus deductibles and coinsurance, depending on the plan letter you choose.
Supplements are standardized by letter (Plan G, Plan N, and so on) — a Plan G's benefits are identical no matter which company sells it. The differences are price and rate history, which is exactly where an independent agency earns its keep.
| Plan G | Plan N | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly premium | Higher | Lower |
| You pay | Part B deductible only, then generally covered | Part B deductible, small office/ER copays, possible excess charges |
| Best for | "Set it and forget it" predictability | Lower premium in exchange for small copays |
Remember: Supplements don't include drug coverage, so most people pair one with a Part D plan.
Because Supplement benefits are standardized, paying more for the same letter is just paying more. We shop the rates for you — free.
Call (573) 993-3996The plan that's cheapest for your neighbor might be the most expensive one for you. Part D is all about your medication list.
Part D plans are sold by private companies and each has its own formulary (covered drug list), pricing tiers, and preferred pharmacies. The same prescription can differ dramatically in cost from one plan to the next.
That's why the only way to pick a Part D plan correctly is to run your exact medications and pharmacy through the current-year plans — which is exactly what we do on every call, at no charge.
If you go without "creditable" drug coverage for 63+ days after your Initial Enrollment Period, Medicare adds a permanent late enrollment penalty to your Part D premium — and it grows for every month you waited.
Formularies and pricing change every January. A 10-minute annual review during AEP (Oct 15 – Dec 7) routinely saves our clients real money.
The same drug at the same plan can cost less at a "preferred" pharmacy. We check which Springfield pharmacies are preferred on your plan.
Generics, 90-day fills, and mail order can slash costs. We flag the opportunities; your doctor makes the call.
We'll run it against the current plans and show you the true annual cost of each — premiums, deductibles, and copays combined.
Call (573) 993-3996Medicare runs on windows. Know which one applies to you and you'll never pay a penalty or get stuck in the wrong plan.
| Enrollment period | When | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) | 7 months around your 65th birthday | First chance to enroll in Parts A, B, D, or an Advantage plan |
| Annual Enrollment Period (AEP) | October 15 – December 7 | Switch, join, or drop Advantage and Part D plans for Jan 1 start |
| MA Open Enrollment (OEP) | January 1 – March 31 | One switch between Advantage plans, or back to Original Medicare |
| Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) | Triggered by life events | Moving, losing employer coverage, and other events open a personal window |
| General Enrollment Period (GEP) | January 1 – March 31 | Enroll in Part B if you missed your IEP (penalties may apply) |
| Medigap Open Enrollment | 6 months after Part B starts | Buy any Supplement with no health questions |
Your plan mails its Annual Notice of Change. Don't toss it — it tells you what's changing about your plan in January.
AEP. We review your plan against everything new for the coming year. Most years the answer is "stay put" — but the years it isn't, this review pays for itself many times over.
New prescription? Doctor question? Confusing bill? Call us. That's what a local agency is for — you never have to sit on hold with a carrier again.
Become a Dillinger client and we track your enrollment periods for you — and reach out when action is needed.
Call (573) 993-3996Original Medicare leaves some surprising gaps. Here's what it doesn't cover — and the affordable ways to fill each one.
Original Medicare doesn't cover routine cleanings, fillings, crowns, or dentures. Standalone dental plans (or an Advantage plan with dental built in) keep your smile — and your budget — intact.
Routine eye exams and glasses aren't covered by Original Medicare. Affordable vision plans cover exams, frames, lenses, and contacts.
Hearing aids can cost thousands out of pocket. Hearing benefits — standalone or through an Advantage plan — make them dramatically more affordable.
A cancer diagnosis brings costs no medical plan fully absorbs — travel, lodging, lost income, deductibles. These plans pay a lump-sum cash benefit directly to you, to use however you need.
Pays fixed cash amounts for hospital stays — a popular pairing with Advantage plans to offset daily hospital copays.
Simple, affordable whole life coverage designed to protect your family from funeral and end-of-life costs. Most applications have no medical exam.
Nobody needs everything on this page. The goal is a coverage package that matches your health, your family situation, and your budget — without paying for overlap you'll never use.
On one call we can look at your medical coverage and these extras together, so every piece fits and nothing is duplicated.
Free review of what you have, what's missing, and what it would cost to fix.
Call (573) 993-3996VA health care is a great benefit — but it isn't the whole picture. Coordinating VA, TRICARE, and Medicare correctly gives you more choice, more protection, and often extra benefits at little or no added cost.
Call (573) 993-3996Your VA benefits cover care you receive through the VA. Medicare covers care from civilian doctors and hospitals. They don't pay each other's bills — which is exactly why so many Veterans choose to have both.
With VA coverage alone, an emergency at a non-VA hospital, a specialist outside the VA system, or a long drive to the nearest VA facility can leave you exposed. Adding Medicare gives you the freedom to use community providers whenever it's the better option.
Keep using the VA for what it does well, and use Medicare (often with a $0-premium Medicare Advantage plan) for civilian care, emergencies close to home, and extras like dental, vision, and hearing that can stack on top of your VA benefits.
Military retirees with TRICARE must enroll in Medicare Parts A and B at 65 to keep their coverage. TRICARE For Life then acts as powerful wrap-around coverage that pays after Medicare — often leaving little to nothing out of pocket.
Eligible spouses and dependents covered by CHAMPVA generally must have Parts A and B at 65 for CHAMPVA to continue paying as secondary coverage. Timing your enrollment right keeps the benefit intact.
Bring your questions. We'll show you exactly how your VA or TRICARE benefits and Medicare fit together — and what it means in dollars.
Call (573) 993-3996Dillinger Insurance is an independent insurance agency and is not affiliated with, connected to, or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, TRICARE, or any government agency. Program rules summarized here are general in nature; confirm your individual eligibility and requirements with the VA, TRICARE, or Medicare.
The questions we hear every day in Springfield — answered without the jargon.
Really. Agents are paid by the insurance companies, and your premium is identical whether you enroll through us or directly. Working with us simply means you get comparison shopping, enrollment help, and year-round service at no extra cost.
Not always. If you or your spouse are still working with qualifying employer coverage, you may be able to delay some parts of Medicare without penalty. The rules depend on employer size and whether your coverage is "creditable" — call us and we'll walk through your exact situation.
An Advantage plan replaces how you receive Medicare benefits through a private plan with a network, usually with low premiums and built-in extras. A Supplement works alongside Original Medicare, letting you see any doctor who accepts Medicare with very predictable costs, for a higher monthly premium. Neither is universally better — it depends on your doctors, prescriptions, travel, and budget.
With a Supplement, yes — any provider who accepts Medicare. With an Advantage plan, it depends on the plan's network, which is why we verify your specific doctors and hospitals against any plan before you enroll.
We strongly recommend it. Going without creditable drug coverage for 63+ days triggers a permanent late enrollment penalty. A low-premium plan protects you from the penalty and covers you the day you need your first prescription.
Usually, yes — during the Annual Enrollment Period (Oct 15 – Dec 7), the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan 1 – Mar 31), or a Special Enrollment Period if you qualify. Switching Supplements may involve health questions in most states, so timing matters.
Three things: your Medicare card (if you have one), a list of your doctors, and a list of your prescriptions with dosages. With those, we can give you real comparisons on the first call.
No. Dillinger Insurance is a local, independent Springfield, Missouri agency. When you call (573) 993-3996, you reach people who live where you live and will still be here next year when you have a question.
We're a Springfield, Missouri agency built on a simple idea: Medicare decisions are easier with a knowledgeable neighbor at the table.
Call (573) 993-3996Phone: (573) 993-3996
Email: dillingerinsurance@gmail.com
Location: Springfield, Missouri
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm
Evenings and weekends by appointment
About 15–20 friendly minutes. We'll ask about your doctors, prescriptions, budget, and timeline. Then we'll either answer your questions on the spot or schedule a follow-up to walk through plan comparisons built around your details.
You'll never be rushed, and you'll never be asked to decide on the first call.
Call now, or email us and we'll get right back to you. Free help from a local Springfield team.
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