Free printable guide
Medicare Appointment Preparation: Printable Guide
A preparation guide for organizing the facts and questions that can make a Medicare counseling appointment more useful.
Open printable PDFWhy this matters
Free, unbiased Medicare counseling is available in every state through SHIP, the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. SHIP counselors are not connected to any insurance company, but appointments are short, and the time goes further when the papers and questions are ready.
Many Medicare choices can only be changed at certain times of year. Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and plans mail their Annual Notice of Change by September 30.
Inside the printable
What this guide helps you do
- Knowing the key Medicare dates, including Open Enrollment from October 15 to December 7
- Writing the main question in one clear sentence
- Gathering your Medicare card, notices, medicine list, and preferred doctors
- Recording each answer, its source, and the next step
- Recognizing calls that pretend to be from Medicare
- Following up after the appointment until the problem is solved
Official contacts in this guide
Free public and nonprofit services. No affiliate links. Numbers checked September 2026; confirm hours on each official website.
- State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Free, one-on-one Medicare counseling, not connected to any insurance company. 877-839-2675
- Medicare 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048
- BenefitsCheckUp Free National Council on Aging screener for benefits