Guides for New Yorkers
The questions that come up on almost every call, answered once, properly, with the New York specifics that national articles leave out. Written and kept current by a licensed broker, not a content farm.
Pages and glossary terms; results appear as you type.
Medicare and Social Security
Medicare Annual Enrollment Period 2026
October 15 – December 7. What you can change, what to read when the ANOC letter arrives, and a five-step review that takes an hour.
Read the guide →Your Medicare Advantage plan is being discontinued. Now what?
Non-renewal letters arrive by October 2. What the letter means, your extended window to choose, the Medigap door it opens, and what happens if you do nothing.
Read the guide →Medigap Plan G vs Plan N in New York
The two plans most New Yorkers choose between, what the premium gap buys, and why the answer is different here than in age-rated states.
Read the guide →Medicare while working past 65
The 20-employee rule, the HSA trap, why COBRA doesn't count, and the exact enrollment windows when you finally stop.
Read the guide →Switching Medigap plans in New York
New York lets you change Medicare Supplement plans any month with no health questions. How it works, what the waiting-period rule really says, and when a switch is worth it.
Read the guide →EPIC explained: New York's prescription help for people 65+
Income up to $75,000 single or $100,000 married, copays of $3 to $20, and help with your Part D premium. Who qualifies, the Fee Plan vs the Deductible Plan, and how to apply.
Read the guide →IRMAA — the Medicare income surcharge
Why higher-income retirees pay more for Part B and Part D, the two-year lag that catches new retirees, and how to appeal it with form SSA-44.
Read the guide →Medicare and Medicaid together in NY: how dual-eligible plans work
If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, you have choices most people never explain: Original Medicare with Medicaid behind it, a D-SNP, or an integrated MAP plan. What each does and how to switch.
Read the guide →Medicare for New York State retirees with NYSHIP
The Empire Plan already coordinates with Medicare, reimburses your Part B premium and includes its own Part D. Why the plans advertised every October can break that, and what to do at 65.
Read the guide →Medicare and VA health care: do you need both?
VA care doesn't count for Part B but does for Part D. What that means for a Capital Region veteran at 65, when an Advantage plan adds something, and how TRICARE for Life is different.
Read the guide →Moving to New York on Medicare? What changes and what doesn't
Original Medicare travels with you; Advantage and Part D plans usually don't. The moving Special Enrollment Period, New York's Medigap rules, and the state programs nobody tells newcomers about.
Read the guide →Your Medigap premium went up. Here's what to do in New York.
Why New York Medigap rates rise for everyone at once, how far apart carriers are for the exact same plan, and the four moves that cut the bill without giving up coverage.
Read the guide →Medicare numbers change every January
Premiums, deductibles, income thresholds and plan line-ups reset each year. Where a figure matters, these guides say which year it applies to and link to the official source. If something looks out of date, tell me and I'll fix it.
Business insurance
Hiring your first employee in New York: workers' comp, DBL and PFL
The three policies New York requires the moment you have someone on payroll, what each one costs, the contractor trap, and the penalties for getting it wrong.
Read the guide →Restaurant insurance checklist before you open in New York
What the lease requires, what the law requires, and what a kitchen fire or a drunk-driving lawsuit actually costs. The policies to have in place before the first service, in order.
Read the guide →Your first job for a general contractor: the insurance they'll ask for
The certificate, the additional insured endorsements, the workers' comp forms and the Scaffold Law exclusion that will get your policy rejected. What the GC's insurance requirements mean, line by line.
Read the guide →Coverage-by-coverage detail is on the business insurance pages.
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