How The Clearing helps
Start with the Medicare moment you're in.
A simple way to use The Clearing before Medicare decisions get noisy.
Your situation → the decision → what to check next.
How to use The Clearing
Three steps, in the right order.
Name the situation
What Medicare moment are you actually in?
Understand the decision
Are you choosing a path, reviewing coverage, checking timing, responding to a notice, or preparing to talk with someone?
Know what to check
Doctors, prescriptions, timing, premiums, networks, notices, state rules, or trusted-helper questions may matter before plan names do.
What's free
The free site helps you see the path.
You can use The Clearing's free resources to get oriented before joining anything.
- Plain-language articles on how Medicare works
- The Medicare Decision Map
- Situation guides for turning 65, helping a parent, and more
- Tools to organize questions and understand timing
- Resources to use before and after talking with an agent
What membership adds
Membership helps you stay with the decision.
When a Medicare moment arrives — and it keeps changing — membership gives you a calmer place to keep going.
- Fern, your guided support layer
- Member discussions and topic sessions
- Deeper guides, checklists, and organized resources
- A way to involve a spouse, caregiver, or adult child
- A place to return as questions change over time
Fern
The guided support layer inside membership.
Fern helps members organize what matters, name what still needs to be checked, and prepare for the next step — whether that's a conversation with an agent, a call to Medicare, or a decision about a plan change.
Fern does not choose plans, recommend carriers, or replace official sources like Medicare.gov or SHIP.
Other sources of help
The Clearing works alongside other resources.
Medicare.gov
The official source for rules, coverage information, plan data, and enrollment.
SHIP (State Health Insurance Assistance Program)
Free, plan-neutral counseling through your state. A very good resource when you can reach it.
Licensed agents and brokers
Explain available plans and help people enroll. Typically paid by the carrier.
Fee-based Medicare coaches
Provide independent analysis for a fee, without carrier commissions.
The Clearing
Built for the step before that: understanding where you are, what decision you are making, and what to check before relying on advice.
Use help. Keep your footing.
Where to start
Start from where you actually are.
Turning 65 →
Understand your enrollment windows and what decisions come first.
Helping a parent →
Navigate Medicare on behalf of someone else with more confidence.
Leaving employer coverage →
Understand what changes and what to check before your coverage ends.
Reviewing current coverage →
Annual Enrollment Period and what to verify before you change anything.
Not sure where to start →
Use the Medicare Decision Map to see the order decisions actually happen.
Start with the basics →
Start with what needs verification before comparing plans.
You do not have to start with a plan.
Start with the Medicare moment you're in. The Clearing can help you understand the decision, organize what matters, and know what to check next.