About this site
Who we are
MedicareVeterans.org is a privately-owned, independent educational website. We publish plain-language guides that explain how Medicare works alongside the healthcare programs that serve veterans, military retirees, and their families — VA Healthcare, TRICARE for Life, and CHAMPVA.
We are not a government website. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, TRICARE, CHAMPVA, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal Medicare program, or the Social Security Administration.
Our editorial standards
Every page on this site is built from primary sources: the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (va.gov), TRICARE (tricare.mil), CMS regulations and fact sheets, the Federal Register, and nonpartisan analysis from KFF. Dollar figures — copays, deductibles, caps, and premiums — are checked against the current plan year and dated. When a figure is illustrative rather than universal (VA copays vary by priority group, for example), we say so.
Our core editorial commitments:
- Education first. Staying with Original Medicare alongside your existing benefits is always presented as a valid choice. Nothing here pushes you toward any single plan or plan type.
- Plain language. We translate program rules into sentences a person can act on, and we link to the official source so you can verify everything.
- Dated accuracy. Pages show a last-updated date and reflect the 2026 plan year. Benefit details can change; confirm specifics with the VA, TRICARE, CHAMPVA, or Medicare directly.
How this site makes money
Transparency matters, especially on a site for people who've served. MedicareVeterans.org earns referral revenue when readers choose to connect with a licensed insurance agent through MedicareAgents.com or compare plans through PlanMatch.com. That revenue funds the research and writing here. It never changes our guidance: whether you keep exactly what you have, add a drug plan, or consider Medicare Advantage is your call, and we lay out the trade-offs of each path either way.
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. For help with all of your options, contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048), or your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).
A note on trademarks and official resources
TRICARE is a registered trademark of the Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency. References to VA Healthcare, CHAMPVA, TRICARE for Life, Express Scripts, Wisconsin Physicians Service, and OptumRx are for identification and education only and do not imply endorsement. For official information: va.gov, tricare.mil/tfl, the CHAMPVA helpline at 800-733-8387, and Medicare.gov.
Corrections
If you spot an error or an out-of-date figure, we want to fix it. Flag it through the contact options on our partner sites and reference the page URL — corrections are reviewed against primary sources and published with the page's updated date.