Editorial Standards

Who we are — and what we are not

The Clearing is an independent Medicare education platform. We are not an insurance agency, brokerage, carrier, or Medicare plan. We do not sell insurance. We do not receive commissions, referral fees, or any compensation from insurance carriers or Medicare Advantage plans. Our revenue comes from readers and members — not from plan referrals.

Fern, our AI Medicare guide, is an educational tool. It does not recommend, compare, or enroll you in specific plans. It helps you understand your options so you can make an informed decision — with a licensed professional, a SHIP counselor, or on your own.

Primary sources — what we cite

Every factual claim about Medicare rules, costs, enrollment windows, or coverage is sourced from one or more of the following primary sources:

• Medicare.gov — the official U.S. government Medicare website
• CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) — the federal agency that administers Medicare, including the Medicare & You handbook, plan data, and regulatory guidance
• SSA (Social Security Administration) — enrollment windows, Part B premium determinations, and IRMAA income thresholds
• SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Programs) — free, unbiased Medicare counseling programs in every state; we link to SHIP resources and follow SHIP curriculum standards
• State Departments of Insurance — for state-specific Medigap rules, guaranteed issue rights, and consumer protections

We do not cite insurance carrier marketing materials, broker-produced content, or commercially sponsored Medicare comparison sites as primary sources. When we reference a statistic or regulatory detail, we link directly to the primary source document.

Date logic — published and last reviewed

Every article on this site shows two dates:

• Published — the date the article was first made public
• Last reviewed — the date we last verified the Medicare facts in the article against current CMS or SSA guidance. We update this date when we review content, even if the text does not change. If the text changes, we note what changed.

Medicare rules change annually — premium amounts, income thresholds, plan availability, and enrollment window details are updated each fall for the following plan year. We review time-sensitive content at least once per year, typically after CMS releases the annual Medicare & You handbook (usually September–October).

AI-assisted writing — human judgment required

Some content on this site is drafted with AI assistance. All AI-assisted content is reviewed, edited, and approved by Dan League before publication. No AI-generated content is published without human review. Factual claims are verified against primary sources regardless of how the draft was produced.

Fern, our AI guide, draws on the same source standards. It is designed to be educational, not advisory. It will tell you what Medicare rules say — not which plan to choose. Always verify important decisions with Medicare.gov or a licensed professional.

Corrections policy

If you find an error — a fact that has changed, a date that is wrong, or a claim that does not match the primary source — please write to us at hello@joinclear.ing with the subject line "Correction." We will review it within five business days and update the article if the correction is warranted. We note substantive corrections at the bottom of the affected article.

What this site does not do

• We do not recommend specific Medicare Advantage plans, Medigap carriers, or Part D plans
• We do not provide personalized insurance advice
• We are not affiliated with any government agency
• We do not accept sponsored content or paid placement
• We do not share your information with insurance carriers or brokers

For a full description of our limitations, see our Disclaimer.

Questions about our standards

Write to hello@joinclear.ing. We read everything.