Real Results

Client Success Stories

Real savings from real people. Every case below was handled by a licensed Pocket Protector advisor — no call center scripts, no upsells, just the right Medicare plan for the situation.

Thousands
Seniors Helped by TPP Agents to Navigate Medicare
$3,400+
Avg. Annual Savings Per Case
$0
Cost to Client
Veteran — VA + Medicare Coordination
Veteran Paying $400/mo for Coverage He Didn’t Need
$7,000+1
Est. Annual Savings
A veteran was paying nearly $400 per month between his Plan G and standalone Part D, despite receiving all doctors and prescriptions through the VA. Scott moved him to a Medicare Advantage plan with a $170 Part B giveback, added dental coverage he’d been paying for out-of-pocket, and reduced his net monthly costs by roughly $570.
Scott Martin · Senior Medicare Advisor
Guaranteed Issue — Medigap
Guaranteed Issue Window — Saved With One Day to Spare
$2,500–$4,0002
Est. Annual Savings
A woman contacted The Pocket Protector three days before her guaranteed issue window closed — she had no idea about the deadline. Her previous agent had placed her in a MAPD plan and incorrectly told her she could switch to Medigap during AEP. Because of a medical condition, waiting would have meant underwriting and inflated premiums. Scott moved her to the Plan G she originally wanted, preserving her rights.
Scott Martin · Senior Medicare Advisor
Drug Formulary — Plan Switch
Hidden Drug Cost Increase Caught Before It Hit
$3,000+3
Est. Annual Savings
A client’s UHC plan was silently changing his Tier 3 medication from a $47 flat copay to 18% coinsurance — a jump to nearly $1,000/month. Scott confirmed doctor acceptance with an alternative carrier, switched the client to a plan with a $100+ monthly giveback and the $47 copay restored. The client had no idea the change was coming.
Scott Martin · Senior Medicare Advisor
Veteran — VA + Medicare Coordination
Veteran Thought He Was Disqualified from Medicare Advantage
$1,500+4
Est. Annual Savings
A veteran believed he couldn’t enroll in a MAPD plan because he never had Part D or dental. He was also afraid of a late enrollment penalty. Chris confirmed his VA benefits counted as creditable drug coverage — meaning no penalty — and enrolled him in a plan with dental, vision, and hearing included. He also walked the client through reporting VA coverage to Medicare to keep his record clean.
Christopher O’Kieffe · Senior Medicare Advisor
Veteran — Prescription Coverage Gap
VA Didn’t Cover Key Medications — Client Was Paying Cash
$2,000+5
Est. Annual Savings
A veteran relied solely on the VA for prescriptions, but the VA wouldn’t cover needed pain management medications. He assumed he was stuck paying out-of-pocket. Chris enrolled him in a MAPD plan with Part D coverage for the drugs the VA wouldn’t provide, while keeping VA access for everything else — eliminating the gap entirely.
Christopher O’Kieffe · Senior Medicare Advisor
Medicaid Loss — IRMAA Surcharge
Lost Medicaid After Selling Home — Premiums Spiked
$3,000+6
Est. Annual Savings
A client lost Medicaid after selling her house — the proceeds temporarily boosted her assets, triggering full Medicare premiums and IRMAA surcharges. Chris explained exactly why it happened, walked her through the SSA appeal process, and sent her the correct form to document the home sale as a one-time life event so she could get the surcharge reduced.
Christopher O’Kieffe · Senior Medicare Advisor
New to Medicare
New Beneficiary Shocked by Medicare Costs vs. Employer Plan
$4,000–$7,0007
Lower Worst-Case Cost
Peggy was new to Medicare and frustrated that Part B plus a supplement cost more than her employer plan. Chris reviewed her total cost picture and showed her that while premiums were higher, her actual out-of-pocket exposure was lower under Medicare — and a long-delayed surgery would be easier to get approved. She moved forward with confidence.
Christopher O’Kieffe · Senior Medicare Advisor
TRICARE Coordination
Client Overpaying Because Claims Weren’t Going to TRICARE
$2,000+8
Est. Annual Recovery
A client was overwhelmed by medical bills and couldn’t understand why out-of-pocket costs were so high. Chris discovered she had TRICARE but wasn’t submitting claims for secondary coverage — none of her bills were being processed through it. He showed her exactly how to submit claims correctly, immediately reducing her financial burden.
Christopher O’Kieffe · Senior Medicare Advisor

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Transparency

Savings Methodology

Every figure on the Client Success Stories page is derived from costs and plan details reported by the client. Here’s exactly how each number was calculated.

How we calculate savings: All figures compare verified before/after costs using the client’s actual premiums, out-of-pocket spend, and plan details. Conservative estimates are used where exact figures weren’t available. Savings are annualized (monthly delta × 12) unless noted. Individual results will vary.
1
Veteran Paying $400/mo — Giveback & Dental
Before: ~$400/mo (Plan G + PDP premiums) After: $0/mo net (MA plan w/ $170 Part B giveback) Dental offset: ~$170/mo (was paying OOP for dental) Monthly delta: $400 + $170 giveback = ~$570/mo $570 × 12 = $6,840/yr → $7,000+ with dental savings
Actual savings depend on specific plan premiums, giveback amounts, and prior dental spend. Figures are representative of client’s reported costs.
2
Guaranteed Issue Window — Medigap Rate-Up Avoided
GI Plan G rate: ~$150–$200/mo (standard issue, no health questions) Underwritten rate w/ condition: ~$350–$550/mo (rated up or declined) Monthly delta: $200–$350/mo avoided surcharge $200–$350 × 12 = $2,400–$4,200/yr → $2,500–$4,000 est.
Underwritten Medigap premiums vary by carrier, state, age, and health status. Some applicants with pre-existing conditions face 25–75% rate-ups or outright denial. GI rights eliminate this risk entirely.
3
Hidden Drug Cost Increase — Copay vs. Coinsurance
Old copay (2025): $47/mo flat (Tier 3, UHC plan) New coinsurance (2026): 18% of ~$5,500 list = ~$990/mo Drug cost delta: $990 − $47 = $943/mo increase avoided Plus giveback: $100+/mo Part B giveback on new plan ($943 + $100) × 12 = $12,516/yr potential → $3,000+ conservative est.
Conservative estimate accounts for the $2,000 OOP cap under the Inflation Reduction Act. The $3,000+ figure reflects real net savings after the cap, including the giveback.
4
Veteran Disqualification Myth — Penalty Avoided + Benefits Added
Part D late penalty avoided: ~$36–$60/mo (permanent, cumulative) Dental/vision/hearing added: ~$50–$80/mo value (was uninsured OOP) Penalty savings: $36–$60 × 12 = $432–$720/yr Benefit value: $50–$80 × 12 = $600–$960/yr $432 + $600 = $1,032/yr minimum → $1,500+ with avoided OOP dental
Part D late enrollment penalty is 1% of the national base premium per month for every month without creditable coverage. VA coverage prevents this penalty entirely.
5
VA Medication Gap — Cash-Pay Eliminated
OOP pain meds (cash price): ~$200–$400/mo MAPD Part D copay (Tier 2/3): ~$20–$47/mo Monthly delta: $200 − $35 avg = ~$165/mo $165 × 12 = ~$1,980/yr → $2,000+ est. savings
Cash prices for pain management medications vary widely. Estimate assumes mid-range brand/specialty medication. MAPD plan had $0 premium, so no offsetting plan cost.
6
Medicaid Loss / IRMAA — Home Sale Appeal
Standard Part B (2026): ~$185/mo IRMAA Tier 1 surcharge: +$74/mo (based on temp. income spike) Part D IRMAA: +$13/mo Lost Medicaid MSP: +$185/mo (was paying $0 for Part B) Total IRMAA exposure: $74 + $13 = $87/mo If appeal succeeds: IRMAA removed retroactively $87 × 12 = $1,044 IRMAA + MSP restoration → $3,000+ total
IRMAA tiers depend on MAGI from two years prior. Home sale proceeds can create a one-year spike adjustable via Form SSA-44. MSP restoration depends on state Medicaid re-determination.
7
New-to-Medicare — Premium vs. Total Cost Comparison
Employer plan: ~$250/mo premium, $5,000–$8,000 OOP max Medicare + Plan G: ~$185 + $150 = $335/mo premium Plan G OOP max: $0 after Part B deductible ($257/yr) Premium difference: +$85/mo ($1,020/yr more in premiums) OOP exposure reduction: −$5,000 to −$8,000/yr Net benefit: $4,000–$7,000/yr lower worst-case cost
Plan G covers all Medicare-approved costs after the Part B deductible. For someone needing surgery, this eliminates coinsurance and hospital deductibles that apply under most employer plans.
8
TRICARE Secondary Filing — Coinsurance Recovery
Medicare pays: 80% of approved amount TRICARE (secondary) pays: remaining 20% coinsurance Client was paying: full 20% OOP (claims not submitted) Example: $10,000 in annual claims 20% not submitted to TRICARE: $2,000/yr paid OOP TRICARE secondary filing recovers ~$2,000/yr going forward
TRICARE for Life acts as secondary payer to Medicare, covering most remaining out-of-pocket costs. Savings scale with utilization. Past claims may also be retroactively submitted depending on filing deadlines.