Guides
Health insurance guides for Arizona, Alabama, Texas, Oregon & California.
Plain-English writeups of the things clients actually ask us about: what changed with ACA subsidies, how Medicare Advantage stacks up against Medigap, what the self-employed and small employers can do, and where short-term plans fit. Written in house and reviewed by our licensed agents.
2027 ACA Rate Increases in Alabama: Every Approved Rate
Alabama approved its 2027 ACA rates on October 2 and none of the four carriers is leaving, which is better news than Arizona got. The reason behind the increases is not medical costs, and the state's largest carrier says so in its own filing.
Cigna Is Leaving the ACA Marketplace for 2027: What Arizona Members Should Do Now
Cigna is exiting the ACA individual marketplace in Arizona for 2027. You will not be left uninsured, but the automatic replacement is where people get hurt.
Medicare Open Enrollment 2027 in Arizona: What Actually Changed
Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. Arizona has 148 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, but 58 are Special Needs Plans, so 90 are open to anyone, and your county has fewer still. Two drug cost limits also went up: the highest deductible Medicare allows rose to $700, and the out-of-pocket cap rose to $2,400.
Medicare Open Enrollment 2027 in Alabama: What Changed
Alabama has 113 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027, up from 98, but only 65 are open to anyone. The rest are Special Needs Plans. Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, and you may not need to change anything.
Texas Medicare Open Enrollment 2027: 421 Plans, but Not All in Your County
Texas has 421 Medicare Advantage plans for 2027. A shopper in Harris County can choose from 49 of them. Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, and two Part D numbers moved: the highest deductible Medicare allows went from $615 to $700, and the out-of-pocket cap went from $2,100 to $2,400.
Medicare Open Enrollment 2027 in Oregon: What Changed This Year
Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. Oregon's average Medicare Advantage premium went up for 2027 while the national average fell. The state has 95 plans, but Deschutes County has 4. And if you already have a Medigap policy, Oregon's birthday rule gives you a yearly chance to switch companies without health questions.
Medicare in California for 2027: The Medigap Birthday Rule and Your Plan Choices
California has the strongest Medicare Supplement protection of any state we work in. If you already have a Medigap policy, you get at least 60 days every year, starting on your birthday, to switch to another company without health questions. Here is how that works, who sells Medigap in California, and what Open Enrollment does and does not cover for 2027.
Covered California Open Enrollment for 2027: Your Dates Are Not the National Dates
California gives you until January 31, not January 15. Current members can switch starting October 1. Most guides you will read online have the wrong deadline for California.
Medicare Advantage vs Medigap in Arizona and Alabama: Which Is Right for You?
Two very different ways to fill the gaps in Original Medicare, compared side by side, plus the one deadline you cannot miss.
Lost Your Job? Read This Before You Elect COBRA
The benefits packet only describes COBRA, because it is the only option your employer has to offer you. It is not a recommendation, and it is often not the best deal on the table.
2027 ACA Rate Increases in Texas: Every Filed Rate
Texas carriers filed a median increase of 12.96% for 2027, less than half what Arizona filed. Here is every number, and the two exits that matter more than the percentages.
How Health Insurance Agents Get Paid (and Why Our Help Costs You Nothing)
The question you are probably too polite to ask out loud: if your help is free, who is paying you, and does that change the advice I get? It is the right question, and it deserves a complete answer.
What Changes Your Subsidy Mid-Year, and Why You Have to Report It
Your subsidy is not set once a year and left alone. A dozen ordinary life events move it, and one of them can end it entirely even if you turn the offer down.
Oregon Finalized Its 2027 Rates: What Central Oregon Employers Should Read Into Them
Oregon is one of the few states that finishes rate review before autumn, so its 2027 numbers are already final while most states are still quoting requests. The individual market took 21.6%. Small group took 15.5%. That gap is the story.
Working Past 65: Do You Need Medicare If You Have Employer Coverage?
If you are working at 65 with employer coverage, the answer to whether you can delay Medicare is not about preference. It turns on your employer's headcount, and getting it wrong can mean a penalty you pay for the rest of your life.
ACA Open Enrollment 2027: What to Do Before November 1
Open enrollment for 2027 coverage opens November 1, 2026 and closes January 15, 2027. Most of what decides your cost is settled before the window opens, and the Marketplace is not the only place these plans are sold.
ACA Subsidy Changes for 2026: What Arizona and Alabama Families Need to Know
Enhanced subsidies expired, premiums jumped, and the subsidy cliff is back. What changed, and five ways to lower your cost.
Self-Employed Health Insurance in Arizona and Alabama: Your 2026 Options
No HR department picks your plan. Your 2026 options, plus the premium deduction most employees never get.
Small Business Health Insurance in Arizona and Alabama: Group Plans, ICHRA, and QSEHRA Explained
Group plan, ICHRA, or QSEHRA? A plain-English comparison of the three ways to offer benefits in 2026.
Short-Term Health Insurance in AZ, AL, TX & OR: 2026 Rules
Both states now allow long-duration coverage, by different routes. What these plans do and do not cover before you buy.
Providence Is Ending Small Group Coverage in Oregon: What Employers Should Do Now
The letter gives you at least 180 days, and your real deadline is your own plan anniversary rather than January 1. That is more room than most employers think they have, if you use it.
How Your Income Estimate Affects Your Subsidy (and What Happens If You Guess Wrong)
Your subsidy is not based on what you earned last year. It is based on what you tell the marketplace you expect to earn next year, and that one word does a great deal of work.
Turning 26: Getting Your Own Health Insurance for the First Time
Coverage under a parent's plan ends at 26. The single most common mistake is assuming the end date and discovering the gap afterward, and it is entirely avoidable with one phone call.
HMO vs PPO vs HDHP in Plain Terms
Every plan type comes down to three questions: which doctors can I see, do I need permission slips, and how does the money work? Here are the acronyms, one at a time.
2027 ACA Rate Increases in Arizona: Every Filed Rate
Seven Arizona carriers filed ACA rate changes for 2027 and the spread runs 3.3% to 33.9%. The filed number is not your number, and for Cigna members the bigger news is not the percentage at all.
What to Do When Your Health Insurance Claim Is Denied
A denial letter is written to sound like a final answer. It is not one. It is the insurance company's opening position in a process with formal steps, real deadlines, and a stage where the insurer stops grading its own homework.
Is Dental Insurance Worth It? An Honest Cost-Benefit Guide
You would expect an insurance agency to answer this with an enthusiastic yes. Our actual answer is that it depends on how the plan is built and what your year actually looks like.
Is Vision Insurance Worth It?
Of all the coverage questions we get, this one has the simplest honest answer: it depends almost entirely on whether your household wears glasses or contacts.
How to Respond to a Big Premium Increase Without Losing Coverage
Two instincts show up in that moment: pay it and stop thinking about it, or drop coverage and hope for a healthy year. Both are usually wrong, and there is almost always a middle path.
Apex Health Advisors LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 2 to 7 organizations which offer 8 to 78 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. The line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Plan availability is set county by county, so the exact counts depend on where you live. Tell us your county and we will confirm the numbers for your address.
Ready to see your options?
Tell us a little about your situation and a licensed insurance agent gets back to you, usually the same business day and often within minutes during business hours. No spam, no obligation.
This is a solicitation of insurance. A licensed agent may contact you.