Where to Get Medicare Help in Colorado

For general Medicare questions call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 1-877-486-2048), available 24 hours a day, or use Medicare.gov, where Medicare Plan Finder lists the plans offered in your ZIP code. Social Security handles enrollment in Parts A and B, replacement cards, premiums and Extra Help. Health First Colorado and your county Department of Human Services handle Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs. And for a free, no-obligation review of your Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Part D options with someone local, call Lisa Asmussen at our office in Brighton, (303) 887-8584.

Who to call, at a glance

Medicare.gov and 1-800-MEDICARE

Medicare itself is the place for facts about your coverage, and it covers every plan, not only the ones a particular agent offers. The phone line is open 24 hours a day, and most of the same help is online at Medicare.gov.

• Medicare Plan Finder on Medicare.gov lists the Medicare Advantage and Part D plans offered in your ZIP code, with each plan's premium, drug costs and star rating. CMS published the 2027 Star Ratings on October 8, 2026, and they appear on Plan Finder for the October 15 to December 7, 2026 enrollment period.
• Questions about Original Medicare claims and your Medicare Summary Notice, the statement that lists the services billed to Medicare.
• Ordering the Medicare & You handbook in print, large print, braille or other formats, or switching to the electronic copy.
• An interpreter in your language at no cost: call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask for one.
• Your Medicare.gov account. The 2027 handbook lists more ways to log in, including ID.me, CLEAR and Login.gov.

A free, no-obligation review with Lisa

I am Lisa Asmussen, a Medicare broker first certified to sell Medicare plans in 2018, and I work from our office at 992 South Fourth Avenue in Brighton. I take a commonsense approach: I ask questions, listen to your answers, and only then recommend the type of coverage that fits. There is no cost to meet with me, and you are under no obligation to enroll in anything.

• Turning 65 or leaving a job: we map your Initial Enrollment Period, the Part B and Part D deadlines, and the paperwork, such as forms CMS-40B and CMS-L564 if you delayed Part B because of employer coverage.
• Comparing Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Part D plans against your own doctors, prescriptions and pharmacy, using the 2027 plans filed for your county.
• Colorado Medigap rules: Colorado has no birthday rule, so we plan the supplement decision at 65 carefully, because switching later can mean health questions.
• Every fall, reading your Annual Notice of Change together and deciding whether to keep your plan or switch between October 15 and December 7.
• If income or savings are tight, checking the 2026 limits for Extra Help and the Medicare Savings Programs, and pointing you to the right county office to apply.

Health First Colorado and your county

Health First Colorado is the state Medicaid program, run by the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF). It also runs the Medicare Savings Programs, which can pay your Part B premium and, with QMB, your Medicare deductibles and coinsurance. Applications go through the Department of Human Services in your county of residence, or online through Colorado PEAK, and the Health First Colorado Member Contact Center answers questions at 1-800-221-3943 (State Relay 711).

Approval for QMB, SLMB or QI-1 brings Extra Help with Part D drug costs automatically. For 2026, HCPF memo OM 25-078 sets the resource limit for these programs at $11,450 for one person and $17,910 for a couple.

In Brighton itself

• Our office at 992 South Fourth Avenue for a free, no-obligation plan review, comparison and enrollment, (303) 887-8584.
• Adams County Human Services, Pete Mirelez Human Services Center, 11860 Pecos Street, Westminster: Health First Colorado and Medicare Savings Program applications, 720-523-2000.
• The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) is the Area Agency on Aging for Adams County, with rides to the doctor and a long-term care ombudsman.
• Social Security for Part A and Part B sign ups, cards and premiums: ssa.gov or 1-800-772-1213.

County human services and aging offices

Medicare Savings Program and Health First Colorado applications go through the Department of Human Services in your county of residence (HCPF). Numbers the counties publish:

Area Agencies on Aging: help beyond your health plan

Colorado has 16 Area Agencies on Aging, according to Larimer County, and each funds local programs for people 60 and over such as rides, meals and legal help. They do not sell or choose health plans; they are the place to start when the question is about staying safe and independent at home.

Around Brighton, DRCOG is the Area Agency on Aging for Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Gilpin and Jefferson counties, with rides and a long-term care ombudsman. Weld County has its own Area Agency on Aging at 315 N. 11th Ave., Building A, Greeley, (970) 400-6950.

Which door for which problem: three examples

• Your first Part B bill after retiring is higher than $202.90 because of IRMAA, based on income from two years ago: that is Social Security. Ask for form SSA-44, a life-changing event request, and bring proof that your work ended.
• Your Medicare Advantage plan refuses to cover a drug you took last year: first ask the plan for a coverage determination or exception with your prescriber, then appeal using the steps in the denial letter. Bring the letter to your review with me and we will go through the steps and the deadline together.
• Your income dropped and you want the state to pay your Part B premium: that is a Medicare Savings Program application with your county Department of Human Services, and approval brings Extra Help with drug costs automatically.

Social Security

Contact Social Security to sign up for Parts A and B if you are not enrolled automatically, replace a Medicare card, ask about your Part B premium or IRMAA, apply for Extra Help, update personal information or report a death. Many tasks can be done online at ssa.gov.

If you kept working past 65 and delayed Part B, Social Security needs form CMS-40B to enroll you and form CMS-L564, completed by your employer, to show you had group coverage. If retirement or another life change lowered your income, form SSA-44 asks Social Security to reconsider an IRMAA surcharge.

Appeals and quality-of-care concerns

If you think Medicare services are ending too soon in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health agency, hospice or outpatient rehabilitation facility, you can ask for a fast appeal through a Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organization (BFCC-QIO). The phone number is printed on the notice you receive and listed on Medicare.gov. The same organization handles quality-of-care complaints.

For a denied claim or drug, follow the appeal steps on your Medicare Summary Notice or your plan's Explanation of Benefits, and note the deadline printed there. 1-800-MEDICARE can explain the process for Original Medicare, and your plan explains its own.

A local licensed agent in Brighton

Headwaters Health and Wealth is an independent agency at 992 South Fourth Avenue in Brighton, reachable at (303) 887-8584, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Lisa Asmussen, a Medicare broker first certified to sell Medicare plans in 2018, helps people compare and enroll in Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Part D plans and reviews coverage every year. There is no cost to meet with us.

We do not offer every plan available in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.

Before you call: what to have ready

• Your red, white and blue Medicare card, and your plan member card if you have one.
• The letter or bill you are calling about: a Medicare Summary Notice, an Explanation of Benefits, a denial letter or an Annual Notice of Change.
• A list of your doctors and your prescriptions with doses and your pharmacy.
• For income programs: recent proof of income, bank statements and your county of residence.
• A pen and the date, so you can write down who you spoke to and what they said.

Protecting yourself from Medicare scams

The Medicare & You 2027 handbook asks everyone to check Medicare Summary Notices, receipts and statements for services you did not get, to guard your Medicare card and number, and to report suspected fraud (page 109). If something looks wrong, call 1-800-MEDICARE, and the HHS Office of Inspector General takes reports at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477).

A licensed agent should tell you which organizations and products they represent, and you can always check plan information independently on Medicare.gov or with 1-800-MEDICARE before you sign anything.

Getting help in other languages and formats

If you need help in a language other than English, call 1-800-MEDICARE and ask for an interpreter; the 2027 handbook says that help is free. Medicare publications, including the Medicare & You handbook, are available in large print, braille and other formats.

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The bottom line

Use 1-800-MEDICARE and Medicare.gov for Medicare itself, Social Security for enrollment and premiums, and Health First Colorado and your county Department of Human Services for Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs. When you are ready to compare and enroll in a plan, or just want someone local to explain your options in plain English, call Lisa in Brighton at (303) 887-8584 for a free, no-obligation review.