Six real ways to pay less for Medicare.

Medicare savings advice usually comes in two flavors: obvious or shady. Here are six moves that are neither, each one legitimate, each one used by real clients, each one worth actual money in 2026.

1. Re-shop your Part D plan every single fall

The highest-yield habit in Medicare. Formularies and tiers change every January, and the plan that was cheapest for your medications last year frequently is not this year. Re-pricing your exact drug list during AEP takes twenty minutes and routinely saves hundreds. Our clients get it done for them, free.

2. Appeal IRMAA the year you retire

The income surcharge on Part B and D keys to your tax return from two years ago, when you were still earning a salary. Retirement is a qualifying life-changing event: file form SSA-44, show the income drop, and the surcharge recalculates to your new reality. New retirees leave real money on this table every year simply because nobody mentions the form.

3. Get screened for Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help

If your income is modest, the state can pay your $202.90 Part B premium (over $2,400 a year) and Extra Help can cut drug costs to a few dollars per fill. The screening takes minutes; the full walkthrough is in our Extra Help lesson.

4. Interrogate your pharmacy setup

Preferred pharmacies and 90-day mail order carry meaningfully lower copays on many plans. Same drug, same plan, different counter, different price. While you are at it, price the cash alternatives; for a handful of generics, discount programs occasionally beat your copay, and a good advisor will tell you when.

5. Right-size your Medigap letter (and shop the carrier)

If you hold a legacy Plan F, price Plan G before your next renewal; the premium difference often exceeds the $283 deductible F spares you. Already on G? Same-letter coverage is identical by law, so a carrier with a friendlier rate history can lower cost without touching benefits, health questions permitting. The math lives in our G vs N lesson.

6. Use the plan you already pay for

Advantage members: your extras (dental allowance, OTC card, gym membership) expire December 31 and unclaimed allowances are pure donation to the carrier. Everyone: Medicare's preventive services and the annual wellness visit cost you nothing and catch expensive problems while they are still cheap ones.

The theme

None of these require luck or loopholes, just an annual half-hour of attention, which happens to be exactly what a standing yearly review with the Professor provides. Bring this list; leave with the savings.