Medicare

The Cheapest Medicare Drug Plan Is Usually the Most Expensive One

Every autumn people pick a Medicare drug plan by sorting the list by monthly premium and taking the cheapest one. It is the single most expensive habit in Medicare. A plan’s premium is a small, fixed number; what your drugs cost under it is a large, variable one, and the second number is the one that decides your year. Here is how to compare plans on the thing that actually matters, with the 2027 figures and the traps that make a “covered” drug cost you anyway.

September 24, 202612 min read

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Medicare

Medicare Advantage or Medigap? In Florida, One of These Doors Locks Behind You

Annual Enrollment is sold as the season when everything is changeable. For one decision, that is not quite true. You can move from Medicare Advantage back to Original Medicare any autumn you like — but no federal rule says a Medigap insurer has to sell you a supplement once your first six months are behind you, and Florida adds no rule of its own. Here is how the two paths really differ, where the one-way door is, and which exits exist.

September 21, 202613 min read

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A storm system moving in over the water off the South Florida coast

Medicare

If a Storm Made You Miss an Enrollment Deadline, You May Still Have Four Months

There is a rule almost nobody mentions until it is too late: when FEMA declares an emergency or a major disaster for your county, people who missed an enrollment deadline because of it can get another chance. Medicare gives four months from the start of the incident. The Marketplace gives 60 days from the end of it. But the rule is narrower than it sounds, and the detail that surprises people most is that you do not have to live in the disaster area to use it.

September 17, 202613 min read

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A family reviewing health insurance paperwork with an advisor at a desk

ACA / Obamacare

The 2027 Marketplace Deadline You Have Probably Read Is Wrong — Here Is What Actually Applies in Florida

Most of what you will read this month about the 2027 Marketplace deadline is based on a rule a federal court struck down in June. Here is what a July 2026 CMS statement actually says about your enrollment window, the subsidy rule that no longer applies, and the one change that did survive and makes your income estimate matter more than ever.

September 7, 202616 min read

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A health advisor sitting with a mother and daughter at home, reviewing coverage options

Medicare & ACA

The Florida Coverage Gap: Medicaid, ACA, or Medicare — Which One Do You Qualify For in 2026?

Florida never expanded Medicaid, so hundreds of thousands of residents earn too much for Medicaid and too little for a marketplace subsidy. Here is the 2026 income ladder in real dollars, and how to tell which of the three doors is open to you.

August 20, 202625 min read

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A Medicare beneficiary reading her plan's Annual Notice of Change letter at home

Medicare & ACA

Medicare Annual Enrollment 2026: Your October 15–December 7 Game Plan for 2027 Coverage

Medicare's Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7, 2026 for 2027 coverage. The Part D cap rises to $2,400, the deductible to $700, and the program holding down drug-plan premiums ends. Here's how to read your ANOC and compare plans properly.

August 17, 202626 min read

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Life Insurance

Final Expense Insurance in South Florida: 2026 Funeral Costs, Burial Policies, and Bringing a Loved One Home

A funeral is one of the largest bills a family faces on the shortest notice — and for many South Florida families the cost doesn't stop at the funeral home. Here's what it really costs in 2026, how final expense insurance works, and how to plan for repatriation.

August 10, 202623 min read

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A home with roof damage after a hurricane

Hurricane Preparedness

Filing a Hurricane Insurance Claim in South Florida: The 2026 Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Paid

After a storm, the claim is where money is won or lost. Here's the 2026 guide for South Florida: Florida's 1-year filing deadline, what your insurer must do, wind vs. flood claims, your hurricane deductible, and the mistakes that get claims denied.

August 3, 202616 min read

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A pharmacist helping an older customer at the pharmacy counter

Medicare & ACA

The New $2,100 Cap on Medicare Drug Costs: What It Means for South Florida Seniors in 2026

For the first time, Medicare caps your out-of-pocket drug costs — $2,100 in 2026. Here's the plain-English guide for South Florida seniors: how the cap works, the new monthly payment plan, the $35 insulin rule, and the first negotiated drug prices.

July 27, 202617 min read

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The JCKC Notebook.