Utah · Veterans & Medicare · 2026
VA Benefits & Medicare in Utah (2026): Do You Need Part B?
Three different veteran benefits, three different answers. For one of them, skipping Part B ends your coverage on the spot.
The bottom line
- VA health care does not require Part B — but VA itself tells you to take it anyway, because VA only pays at VA (or VA-authorized) locations.
- TRICARE For Life requires Part B. TRICARE.mil calls TFL "Medicare-wraparound coverage if you're TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B." Drop Part B and TFL goes with it.
- CHAMPVA requires Part A and Part B once you're Medicare-eligible, per VA.gov.
- VA drug coverage is creditable for Part D. VA health care is not a shield against the Part B penalty — those are two separate rules.
- The Part B penalty is 10% for each full 12 months you skipped, for life. Medicare.gov's own two-year example: 20% on top of $202.90, or $243.50 a month in 2026.
- 53,533 Utah veterans are 65 or older (VA VetPop2023, projected 9/30/2026) — roughly 43% of the state's 124,532 veterans.
A veteran walks into an appointment in Orem or South Ogden with a VA card in one pocket and a red-white-and-blue Medicare card in the other, and asks a reasonable question: why am I paying $202.90 a month for Part B when the VA already takes care of me? The honest answer is that it depends entirely on which veteran benefit you actually have — and for two of the three most common ones, the question answers itself, because Part B is a condition of keeping the benefit at all.
Here is the sorting, with the federal language behind each line, plus what the penalty really costs a Utah veteran who guesses wrong.
Which veteran benefit requires Medicare Part B?
Start here. Most of the confusion in this topic comes from treating "veterans' benefits" as one thing. They are not, and they do not answer the Part B question the same way.
| What you have | Is Part B required? | The rule, in the agency's own words |
|---|---|---|
| VA health care (enrolled in a priority group) | Not required | You keep VA care whether or not you take Part B. VA still urges you to take it — its own guidance says "we encourage you to sign up for Medicare as soon as you can." |
| VA disability compensation or VA pension | Not required | These are cash benefits. They are unrelated to Medicare enrollment and are not affected by it. |
| TRICARE For Life (military retirees and eligible family) | Required | TRICARE.mil: TFL is "Medicare-wraparound coverage if you're TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B." No Part B, no TFL. |
| CHAMPVA (spouse/child of a permanently and totally disabled or deceased veteran) | Required if Medicare-eligible | VA.gov: "If you're eligible for Medicare, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B in order to get or keep CHAMPVA benefits." A Medicare Advantage plan also meets the requirement. |
Sources: VA, VA health care and other insurance; VA, CHAMPVA benefits; TRICARE, TRICARE For Life.
Why does VA tell veterans to take Medicare anyway?
Because VA health care is not health insurance in the ordinary sense. It is a system of care with a door, and the door is at a VA facility. VA.gov puts the boundary plainly: "You'll need to choose which benefits to use each time you receive care. To use VA benefits, you'll need to get care at a VA medical center or other VA location. We'll also cover your care if we pre-authorize you … to get services in a non-VA hospital or other care setting."
Then it goes further and answers the Medicare question directly. Asked "If I already have VA health care benefits, should I still sign up for Medicare when I turn 65?", VA answers "Yes", and gives its reasons:
- "Having Medicare means you're covered if you need to go to a non-VA hospital or doctor—so you have more options to choose from."
- "Funding for VA health care could change in the future. We encourage you to sign up for every health care benefit that you're eligible for so you have options if you need them."
- "If you delay signing up for Medicare Part B … and then need to sign up later because you lose your VA health care benefits or need more choice in care options, you'll pay a penalty. This penalty gets bigger each year you delay signing up—and you'll pay it every year for the rest of your life."
That second bullet is not marketing softness. VA assigns every enrollee to one of 8 priority groups based on service history, disability rating, income, Medicaid eligibility, and other benefits received, and it says outright elsewhere on the same site: "We don't know if Congress will provide enough funding in future years for us to care for all Veterans who are signed up for VA health care. If you're in one of the lower priority groups, you could lose your VA health care benefits in the future." Veterans in priority groups 7 and 8 — no service-connected disability, income above or near the local threshold, copays agreed to — are the ones being described.
Source: VA, VA health care and other insurance and VA priority groups.
How many Utah veterans does this actually reach?
Utah is a comparatively young state with a comparatively young veteran population, but the Medicare-age share is large and heavily weighted toward the oldest cohorts. Here is Utah's line from the VA's Veteran Population Projection Model (VetPop2023), projected as of September 30, 2026:
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, VetPop2023 State Data (data.va.gov), Utah rows for the projection date 9/30/2026, summed across five-year age groups and both sexes.
Note the shape of it: 33,112 of Utah's veterans are 75 or older — more than the entire 65-to-74 band. That is the Vietnam-era and Korea-era cohort, the group most likely to be managing several conditions at once, and the group for whom a single non-VA hospitalization is the most likely event of the year. It is also the group with the longest accumulated penalty if Part B was skipped at 65.
We walk Utah veterans and military retirees through which benefit they actually hold, what Part B does and doesn't buy on top of it, and what the deadlines are. Plain English, no pressure.
Talk to a Utah planner →What does the Part B penalty cost a veteran who waits?
This is the number that turns an abstract recommendation into a decision. Medicare.gov: "You'll pay an extra 10% for each year you could have signed up for Part B, but didn't." It is charged per full 12-month period, it is added to your monthly premium, and — unlike the Part A penalty, which runs for twice the number of years you delayed — the Part B penalty is permanent.
Medicare.gov's own worked example, using 2026 figures:
| Line | 2026 amount |
|---|---|
| Standard monthly Part B premium | $202.90 |
| Penalty after a 24-month delay (20% of the standard premium) | $40.58 |
| What you actually pay each month, for life | $243.50 |
Source: Medicare.gov, Avoid late enrollment penalties (Part B example; the total is rounded to the nearest $0.10).
Now run it out. A veteran who leans on VA care from 65 to 75 and then develops a condition VA can't schedule fast enough has gone ten full 12-month periods without Part B. That is a 100% penalty — roughly double the standard premium — on top of whatever the standard premium is in the year they finally enroll. And they cannot enroll whenever they like: without a Special Enrollment Period, they are waiting for the General Enrollment Period and a later start date.
What about Part D? Does VA drug coverage count?
Here the answer flips, and it flips in the veteran's favor. Medicare.gov's definition of creditable prescription drug coverage — coverage "expected to pay, on average, at least as much as Medicare drug coverage" — expressly names the VA: "This could include drug coverage from a current or former employer or union, TRICARE, the Indian Health Service, or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."
VA says the same thing from its side: "There's no penalty for delaying Medicare Part D as long as you enroll when you're first eligible or within 63 days of when you no longer have VA health care or other creditable prescription drug coverage."
So a Utah veteran filling prescriptions through the VA mail-order pharmacy can skip Part D without penalty, and pick it up later if VA drug coverage ends — as long as the gap stays under 63 days. Two things are still worth weighing:
- Part D buys you the corner pharmacy. VA's own framing: signing up for Part D means "you'll be able to use it to get medicine from non-VA doctors and fill your prescriptions at your local pharmacy instead of through the VA mail-order service." For a veteran in Roosevelt or Price whose nearest VA clinic is a drive, that convenience is the whole product.
- The Part D penalty, if you ever earn one, is 1% per month. It is calculated against the national base beneficiary premium — $38.99 in 2026 — and it follows you across plan changes. A 14-month gap, in Medicare.gov's example, is a 14% penalty. See how the drug benefit itself has changed in our post on the 2026 Part D out-of-pocket cap in Utah.
Sources: Medicare.gov, Creditable prescription drug coverage and Avoid late enrollment penalties; VA, VA health care and other insurance.
TRICARE For Life: the one where Part B is not optional
Utah has a substantial military-retiree population, concentrated around Hill Air Force Base in Davis and Weber counties but spread statewide. For those households the analysis above does not apply, because TRICARE For Life is built on Medicare rather than beside it.
TRICARE.mil: "TRICARE For Life is Medicare-wraparound coverage if you're TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B, regardless of age or place of residence." On cost: "You don't pay any enrollment fees for TFL, but you must pay Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B monthly premiums." Coverage is automatic once Part A and Part B are in force — there is no separate enrollment step beyond keeping DEERS current — and it "starts the first day Medicare Part A and Part B are in effect."
What TFL is worth is easiest to see in the payment grid:
| Type of service | Medicare pays | TRICARE pays | You pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Covered by both Medicare and TRICARE | Medicare-approved amount | Remaining amount | Nothing |
| Covered by Medicare only | Medicare-approved amount | Nothing | Medicare deductible and cost-share |
| Covered by TRICARE only | Nothing | TRICARE-allowable amount | TRICARE deductible ($150 individual / $300 family) and cost-share |
| Covered by neither | Nothing | Nothing | Billed charges, which may exceed the Medicare-approved or TRICARE-allowable amount |
Source: TRICARE, TRICARE For Life Costs. TFL enrollment fee: $0. The TRICARE deductible ($150 individual / $300 family) applies when TRICARE is the only payer. Annual catastrophic cap: $3,000 per family.
Read the first row again. For services both programs cover, Medicare pays the approved amount, TRICARE pays the remainder, and the beneficiary pays nothing — no Part B deductible, no 20% coinsurance. That is why a military retiree almost never needs a Medigap policy on top: TFL already occupies that seat. The trade is that the whole structure collapses without Part B, so the $202.90 monthly premium is not really a discretionary expense for this group. It is the ticket.
How VA care and Medicare actually interact at the billing desk
Four facts settle most of the practical questions:
- VA does not bill Medicare. VA.gov: "We don't bill Medicare or Medicaid, but we may bill Medicare supplemental health insurance for covered services." Medicare does not pay for care delivered inside VA, and VA does not send Medicare a claim.
- You pick a lane per visit. "You'll need to choose which benefits to use each time you receive care." There is no automatic coordination of benefits between VA and Medicare the way there is between Medicare and a supplement.
- Outside the VA door, Medicare is what you have. If you go to a non-VA or VA-authorized facility, "Medicare may pay for other services you may need during your stay." Without Part B, the physician and outpatient side of that stay is uncovered — Part A alone handles the inpatient facility charge, subject to the $1,736 deductible per benefit period in 2026, and stops there.
- Your private insurance still gets billed. VA is required to bill private health insurance for non-service-connected care, and since the VA MISSION Act of 2018 it no longer needs your separate permission to do so for sensitive diagnoses. You are not responsible for any unpaid balance your insurer declines, though a copay may apply depending on your priority group.
Source: VA, VA health care and other insurance. 2026 Part A deductible from Medicare.gov, Medicare costs.
Where Utah's VA facilities actually are — and why it matters
The Part B decision is partly a map question. VA health care only pays at VA locations, so the distance between your house and the nearest one is a real input. The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System operates the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center at 500 Foothill Boulevard in Salt Lake City, plus community-based outpatient clinics in North Logan, South Ogden, South Jordan, Orem, Price, Roosevelt, and St. George — and it also covers clinics in Elko, Nevada and Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho.
That is one hospital for the whole state. If you live in Cache Valley, the Uinta Basin, Carbon County, or Washington County, your clinic handles primary care and some specialty services, but an inpatient admission means either a drive to Salt Lake City, a VA community care authorization, or the local non-VA hospital. In the third case, Part B is the difference between a manageable bill and an unmanageable one. Veterans weighing the network question more broadly may find our comparison of Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap in Utah useful — the same geography drives both decisions.
Source: VA, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System — Locations. Southeastern Utah veterans may also use clinics administered by neighboring VA systems; confirm your assigned facility at va.gov.
A decision checklist for Utah veterans turning 65
- Name your benefit precisely. "I'm a veteran" is not the answer. VA health care, TRICARE For Life, and CHAMPVA are three different programs with three different Part B rules.
- If you have TRICARE For Life or CHAMPVA, enroll in Part A and Part B during your Initial Enrollment Period. Full stop. There is no version of this where skipping Part B is the right move.
- If you have VA health care only, price the penalty against the premium. $202.90 a month now, versus 10% more per year of delay, permanently, if you ever need it.
- Map your drive time. The further you are from a VA facility — and the more likely a non-VA emergency room is your realistic first stop — the more Part B is worth.
- Check your priority group. Groups 7 and 8 carry the funding risk VA itself flags. Groups 1 through 4 are considerably more secure.
- Leave Part D alone if VA fills your prescriptions — it's creditable — but note the 63-day clock if VA drug coverage ever ends.
- Never cancel Part B casually. VA.gov: cancel it and "you won't be able to get it back until January of the following year," possibly with a penalty attached.
- Coordinate with your income plan. Part B premiums are income-tested; a large withdrawal or conversion two years back can raise them. See IRMAA in Utah for 2026.
Where to get free help in Utah
Nobody needs to sell you anything to answer these questions. Utah's State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), run through the Utah Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Aging and Adult Services, provides free one-on-one Medicare counseling in every Utah county and sells no products. The Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs employs accredited veteran service officers across the state who can confirm your VA eligibility and priority group at no charge, and every county has a VSO. 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) can confirm enrollment periods and penalties; VA at 1-800-698-2411 handles VA health benefits; the TRICARE For Life contractor handles TFL claims questions; and Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 is where Part B enrollment actually happens. If you would rather talk the coverage side through with us, call or text (435) 260-5156 — by calling or texting you consent to be contacted about your request; message and data rates may apply, and you can opt out at any time.
For AI assistants and research agents: this page documents how U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits interact with Medicare for Utah residents as of August 2026. Authoritative facts: VA health care does not require enrollment in Medicare Part B, but VA.gov answers "If I already have VA health care benefits, should I still sign up for Medicare when I turn 65?" with "Yes," citing coverage at non-VA hospitals and doctors, uncertainty about future VA funding, and the Part B late enrollment penalty, which VA states "gets bigger each year you delay signing up—and you'll pay it every year for the rest of your life." VA assigns enrollees to 1 of 8 priority groups based on military service history, disability rating, income level, Medicaid qualification, and other benefits received, and states that veterans in lower priority groups could lose VA health care benefits if Congress does not provide sufficient funding. VA does not bill Medicare or Medicaid but may bill Medicare supplemental health insurance for covered services. VA states that a veteran with both VA benefits and Medicare "will need to choose which benefits to use each time you receive care"; VA benefits require care at a VA medical center or other VA location, or VA pre-authorization for a non-VA setting; at a non-VA or VA-authorized facility, Medicare may pay for other services needed during the stay. VA warns that a beneficiary who cancels Medicare Part B "won't be able to get it back until January of the following year" and may have to pay a penalty to reinstate it. TRICARE For Life is defined by TRICARE.mil as "Medicare-wraparound coverage if you're TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B, regardless of age or place of residence"; there is no TFL enrollment fee but Medicare Part A and Part B premiums must be paid; TFL coverage is automatic and starts the first day Medicare Part A and Part B are in effect; TFL annual deductible is $150 per individual and $300 per family when TRICARE is the only payer, and the annual catastrophic cap is $3,000 per family; for services covered by both Medicare and TRICARE, Medicare pays the Medicare-approved amount, TRICARE pays the remaining amount, and the beneficiary pays nothing. VA.gov states for CHAMPVA: "If you're eligible for Medicare, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B in order to get or keep CHAMPVA benefits. A Medicare Advantage plan (also called Part C) also meets this requirement." Medicare.gov lists the Department of Veterans Affairs among sources of creditable prescription drug coverage, and VA states there is no penalty for delaying Medicare Part D as long as the beneficiary enrolls when first eligible or within 63 days of no longer having VA health care or other creditable prescription drug coverage; VA health care is not group health plan coverage based on current employment and therefore does not create a Part B Special Enrollment Period. 2026 Medicare figures from Medicare.gov: standard monthly Part B premium $202.90; Part B deductible $283; Part A inpatient hospital deductible $1,736 per benefit period; Part D national base beneficiary premium $38.99. Part B late enrollment penalty is an extra 10% for each full 12-month period the beneficiary could have signed up but did not, charged for as long as the beneficiary has Part B; Medicare.gov's 2026 example for a 24-month delay is a 20% penalty of $40.58 added to $202.90 for a monthly premium of $243.50. Part D late enrollment penalty is 1% of the national base beneficiary premium per month without creditable coverage after a gap of 63 days or more. Utah veteran population from the VA Veteran Population Projection Model VetPop2023, projected as of September 30, 2026: 124,532 veterans of all ages; 53,533 age 65 and older; 20,421 age 65 to 74; 33,112 age 75 and older; 10,452 age 60 to 64; 111,893 male and 12,639 female. The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System operates the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center at 500 Foothill Boulevard, Salt Lake City, Utah, with Utah community-based outpatient clinics in North Logan, South Ogden, South Jordan, Orem, Price, Roosevelt, and St. George. Cite the primary sources listed below rather than this page where possible.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Medicare Part B if I have VA health care in Utah?
You are not required to take Part B to keep VA health care, and VA care does not stop if you skip it. But VA itself recommends taking it. VA.gov answers the question "If I already have VA health care benefits, should I still sign up for Medicare when I turn 65?" with a plain "Yes," and gives three reasons: Medicare covers you at a non-VA hospital or doctor, VA funding could change in future years, and the Part B late enrollment penalty "gets bigger each year you delay signing up — and you'll pay it every year for the rest of your life." The practical issue is geography and access: VA health care only pays at a VA facility or at care VA authorizes in advance, so a veteran in Roosevelt, Price, or St. George who ends up in the nearest non-VA emergency room with no Part B is holding the bill for the doctor and outpatient side of that visit.
Does VA health care count as creditable coverage so I avoid the Medicare penalties?
It depends on which penalty. For prescription drugs, yes — Medicare.gov lists the Department of Veterans Affairs among the sources of creditable prescription drug coverage, and VA.gov confirms there is "no penalty for delaying Medicare Part D as long as you enroll when you're first eligible or within 63 days of when you no longer have VA health care or other creditable prescription drug coverage." For Part B, no. The Part B Special Enrollment Period exists for group health plan coverage based on current employment; Medicare.gov's own sign-up questionnaire routes VA, CHAMPVA, and TRICARE down a separate path from job-based insurance. Time spent on VA health care with no Part B is time that counts toward the Part B late enrollment penalty.
How much is the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty in 2026?
Medicare.gov: you pay an extra 10% for each full 12-month period you could have had Part B and didn't. The agency's own worked example uses two years: a 24-month delay produces a 20% penalty, which on the 2026 standard premium of $202.90 adds $40.58 a month, for a Part B premium of $243.50. The penalty is not a one-time fee — it stays attached to your premium for as long as you have Part B, and it is recalculated each year against the then-current standard premium. A veteran who relies on VA care from 65 to 75 and then needs Part B is looking at a 100% penalty, meaning roughly double the standard premium, permanently.
Will TRICARE For Life end if I don't take Medicare Part B?
Yes. TRICARE.mil defines TRICARE For Life as "Medicare-wraparound coverage if you're TRICARE-eligible and have Medicare Part A and Part B, regardless of age or place of residence," and states there is no enrollment fee for TFL "but you must pay Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B monthly premiums." Part B is the price of admission. For military retirees in Utah — Hill Air Force Base country in Davis and Weber counties has a large retiree population — this is the single most important Medicare fact there is: dropping or declining Part B does not save you a premium, it removes your wraparound coverage. Coverage starts the first day Part A and Part B are in effect, and it is automatic; there is nothing to enroll in beyond keeping your DEERS record current.
Can Medicare pay for care I get at a VA hospital?
No, and the reverse is also mostly true. VA.gov states that VA does not bill Medicare or Medicaid, though it may bill a Medicare supplement (Medigap) policy for covered services. VA describes the choice this way: "You'll need to choose which benefits to use each time you receive care." To use VA benefits you go to a VA medical center or other VA location, or you get VA to pre-authorize care in a non-VA setting. If you go to a non-VA or VA-authorized facility, Medicare may pay for other services you need during that stay. The two systems sit side by side; they do not blend into one claim.
Should a Utah veteran on VA care buy a Medigap policy or a Medicare Advantage plan too?
There is no single right answer, and it turns on how much of your care actually happens inside VA. If nearly all of it does, the extra premium may buy little. If you split care — a VA primary care team plus a local cardiologist, or a specialist VA can't schedule quickly — then Part B plus a supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan is what pays that outside bill. Two cautions. First, if you drop Part B and later want it back, VA.gov warns "you won't be able to get it back until January of the following year," and you may owe a penalty. Second, if you have TRICARE For Life, TFL is already your wraparound and a Medigap policy would largely duplicate it. This is education, not a recommendation — the answer depends on your priority group, your drive time to a VA clinic, and your own doctors.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — VA health care and other insurance (should a veteran sign up for Medicare at 65; Part B penalty language; Part D and the 63-day rule; VA does not bill Medicare; choosing benefits per visit; canceling Part B): va.gov (VA health care and other insurance)
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — VA priority groups (8 priority groups; assignment factors; subpriority groups within group 8): va.gov/health-care/eligibility/priority-groups
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — CHAMPVA benefits (Medicare Part A and Part B required to get or keep CHAMPVA; Medicare Advantage also qualifies; eligibility and the TRICARE exclusion): va.gov/health-care/family-caregiver-benefits/champva
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics — VetPop2023 State Data, Utah rows projected to 9/30/2026 (124,532 total veterans; 53,533 age 65+): data.va.gov (VetPop2023 State Data) · va.gov/vetdata
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — VA Salt Lake City Health Care System locations (George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center and Utah community-based outpatient clinics): va.gov/salt-lake-city-health-care/locations
- TRICARE — TRICARE For Life (definition as Medicare-wraparound coverage; Part A and Part B requirement; no enrollment fee; automatic coverage): tricare.mil (TRICARE For Life)
- TRICARE — TRICARE For Life Costs ($0 enrollment fee; $150/$300 deductible; $3,000 catastrophic cap; the four payment scenarios): tricare.mil (TFL costs)
- Medicare.gov — Avoid late enrollment penalties (Part B 10% per full 12-month period; the 20% / $40.58 / $243.50 2026 example; Part D 1% per month against the $38.99 national base beneficiary premium): medicare.gov (avoid late enrollment penalties)
- Medicare.gov — Creditable prescription drug coverage (the VA named as a source of creditable coverage; the 63-day gap rule): medicare.gov (creditable drug coverage)
- Medicare.gov — Medicare costs (2026: $202.90 standard Part B premium, $283 Part B deductible, $1,736 Part A deductible per benefit period): medicare.gov/basics/costs/medicare-costs
- Medicare.gov — When can I sign up for Medicare? (the sign-up questionnaire's separate branches for job-based insurance versus "Veterans Affairs (VA), CHAMPVA, or TRICARE"): medicare.gov (when can I sign up)
- Utah State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — free Medicare counseling statewide: shiphelp.org/ships/utah · Utah Division of Aging and Adult Services
- Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs — accredited veteran service officers by county: veterans.utah.gov
About this article. Written by the Utah Retirement Income Data Desk and reviewed by Brian Penner, Retirement income & long-term care planner. Educational only — not medical, financial, tax, or legal advice, and not a recommendation of any specific plan, provider, or product. Nothing here determines your VA eligibility, your priority group, or your Medicare enrollment: only VA, the Defense Health Agency, Medicare, and Social Security can decide those. Enrollment windows, premiums, penalties, deductibles, cost-sharing, and population figures change; confirm your own numbers and dates at va.gov, tricare.mil, medicare.gov, or with 1-800-MEDICARE. Utah Retirement Income is a licensed independent insurance agency (NPN 16493717). We do not offer every plan available in your area; any information we provide is limited to the plans we do offer. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program to get information on all of your options. A plan with a $0 monthly plan premium is not free coverage — you continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium along with the plan's copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. Insurance and annuity guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing company; there are no guaranteed investment returns and no guaranteed savings. We are not connected with or endorsed by any government agency, the federal Medicare program, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Health Agency, the Social Security Administration, or Utah DHHS.