Medicare & You Handbook: What It Covers, How to Get It

Medicare & You is the official Medicare handbook from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare mails an updated printed copy to every Medicare household in late September, so the edition arriving now covers 2027. You can also download it as a PDF from Medicare.gov at any time, switch to the electronic version through your Medicare account, or order it in large print, braille and other languages by calling 1-800-MEDICARE. It summarizes Medicare benefits, costs, your rights and protections, your health and drug plan options, and answers to common questions. What it cannot tell you is which plans serve your New Jersey county, or how New Jersey's own programs work. This guide fills that gap.

What is inside

• A summary of what Parts A, B, C and D cover.
• Your coverage choices: Original Medicare, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage and Part D.
• Costs, including the premiums and deductibles for the year as published when it went to print.
• Enrollment periods and how to avoid late penalties.
• Your rights and protections, including appeals.
• Programs for people with limited income.
• Preventive services and screenings Medicare covers.
• Answers to frequently asked questions.

What is new in the 2027 edition

The Medicare & You 2027 handbook opens with a What is new and important page. In its own words and page references, the 2027 edition highlights:

• More ways to log in to your Medicare.gov account: ID.me, CLEAR (CLEARme.com) and Login.gov, identity services meant to help prevent fraud (page 14).
• A new care model called ACCESS that some people may be eligible to join, described as technology-supported care that may lower overall costs (page 78), and access to certain GLP-1 drugs for weight loss for people who meet the requirements (page 92).
• A stepped-up fight against fraud, including AI tools, with a reminder to check your Medicare Summary Notices and guard your Medicare number (page 109).
• A change to eligibility: you must now meet certain citizenship, nationality or immigration status requirements to sign up for Medicare (page 9).
• Third-party health apps listed on Medicare.gov that connect to your Medicare information.
• The Rural Health Transformation Program, which supports states in improving rural care (page 52).
• Telehealth flexibilities extended through December 31, 2027 (page 53), and virtual options in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (page 48).

A section map of the 2027 handbook

Source: Medicare & You 2027 (CMS publication 10050).

Where the handbook stops and New Jersey begins

The handbook is written for the whole country. These are the New Jersey details to pair with each section, from CMS 2027 plan data (via THE BRAIN) and nj.gov:

Source: NJ County Offices on Aging (Area Agencies on Aging and ADRC).

How to get a copy

Source: Medicare & You handbook.

How to use it well

Read the sections that match where you are. If you are turning 65, start with enrollment and the overview of your coverage choices. If you are already on Medicare, the yearly cost section and plan comparison section matter most in the fall.

The handbook is national. It explains the rules everywhere, but it does not tell you which plans serve Camden, Burlington or Ocean County, how New Jersey's Medigap rules work, or what PAAD pays. That is what the guides on this site add, and what Jackie goes through with you at a consultation.

Figures to pencil in beside the handbook

Some 2027 numbers were set by CMS this year and some are still to come. Keep this short list with your copy:

Source: CY2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D Rate Announcement.

Other languages and accessible formats

Pages 124 to 126 of the 2027 handbook explain how to get Medicare information in another format or language. Medicare provides auxiliary aids and services at no cost, including braille, large print, data or audio files, relay services and TTY, and if you ask for an accessible format you get extra time to act on anything delayed by the request. Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048).

For another language, the handbook says you have the right to help and information in your language at no cost: call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask for an interpreter.

To stop the paper copy, the cover of the 2027 edition invites you to switch to the electronic handbook at Medicare.gov/go-digital.

How Jackie uses the handbook with you

The handbook works well as a reference you apply to your own situation: look up the official rule, then check how it plays out for your doctors, drugs and budget in New Jersey. This is how a consultation with Jackie typically uses it, by phone, Zoom, or in person:

• Start with At a glance on page 11 and talk through the two paths, Original Medicare with a supplement and drug plan, or Medicare Advantage.
• Look at your doctors and prescriptions against the actual 2027 plans in your county, which the handbook does not list.
• If cost is a worry, read Section 7 and check the New Jersey limits for the Medicare Savings Programs, Extra Help, PAAD and Senior Gold.
• If you are leaning toward a supplement, read Section 5 and then the New Jersey Medigap rules, because switching later can mean health questions.
• Mark the pages that matter for you, so the handbook becomes your own reference.

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The bottom line

Keep the Medicare & You handbook as your official reference: it arrives each fall, you can download it from Medicare.gov at no cost, and it comes in large print, braille and other languages on request. Use it alongside the New Jersey details above, and when you are ready to turn the handbook into a decision, call or text Jackie at (856) 727-4221 for a no-cost consultation.