Learning Center
Learning Center: Plain-English Insurance Guides for Idaho
Straight explanations of Medicare, health insurance through Your Health Idaho, life insurance, final expense, annuities, long-term care, disability, hospital indemnity, dental, vision and hearing, short-term medical and travel coverage. Every figure is labelled with its year and linked to the official source.
Last reviewed: · Reviewed by the Personal Touch Ins. & Benefits Data Desk · 24 guides
These guides are general education from our Boise agency. They explain the rules and the 2026 numbers, and the 2027 numbers where the government has published them, so you can walk into any conversation about coverage already knowing the vocabulary. When you want to apply the rules to your own doctors, prescriptions and budget, we are a phone call away.
Medicare
Eligibility, enrollment windows, 2026 costs, and how to compare Medicare Advantage, Medigap and Part D in Idaho.
Who Is Eligible for Medicare? Age, Disability and Sign-Up Rules
Who qualifies at 65 or earlier, who is enrolled automatically, and who has to sign up.
Read the guide →Medicare Enrollment Periods: Every Window, Date and Deadline
IEP, Open Enrollment, the MA Open Enrollment Period, GEP, SEPs and Medigap open enrollment.
Read the guide →Medicare Costs in 2026: Premiums, Deductibles and Coinsurance
The 2026 Part A and Part B numbers, and what they mean for your budget.
Read the guide →Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap in Idaho: How to Choose
Networks, costs, drug coverage, and Idaho’s 63-day Medigap birthday rule.
Read the guide →Medicare Part D Explained: Coverage, Costs and the Out-of-Pocket Cap
The 2026 and 2027 deductible and cap, $35 insulin, and how to compare drug plans.
Read the guide →IRMAA Explained: Medicare’s Income-Related Premiums for 2026
The 2026 income brackets, what each adds to Part B and Part D, and how to appeal.
Read the guide →Medicare Late Enrollment Penalties: Part A, Part B and Part D
How each penalty is calculated, how long it lasts, and how to avoid it.
Read the guide →Turning 65 in Idaho: A Step-by-Step Medicare Checklist
What to do before, during and after your 65th-birthday month.
Read the guide →Working Past 65: How Medicare Works With Employer Coverage
Who pays first, when delaying Part B is safe, HSAs, and the 8-month window.
Read the guide →Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help in Idaho
The 2026 income and resource limits for help with Medicare and drug costs.
Read the guide →How to Check Your Doctors and Drugs Before Choosing a Medicare Plan
A practical method for networks, formularies, pharmacies and yearly cost.
Read the guide →Coverage pages: Medicare Advantage · Medicare Supplement · Medicare Part D
Health Insurance (ACA)
How Your Health Idaho works, who gets a premium tax credit, when you can enroll, and what the metal levels mean.
The Health Insurance Marketplace in Idaho: How Your Health Idaho Works
Why Idahoans use Your Health Idaho, not HealthCare.gov, and the 2027 dates.
Read the guide →Premium Tax Credits in 2026 and 2027: Who Qualifies and How Much
The 400% limit, the 2026 and 2027 percentages, and year-end reconciliation.
Read the guide →Special Enrollment Periods: Getting Health Coverage Outside Open Enrollment
Qualifying life events, the 60- and 90-day windows, and the documents to keep.
Read the guide →ACA Metal Levels Explained: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum
What each tier pays, cost-sharing reductions on Silver, and the 2026–2027 caps.
Read the guide →Coverage pages: ACA / Your Health Idaho
Life Insurance
Term, whole and indexed universal life, side by side, in plain English.
Coverage pages: Term Life · Whole Life · Indexed Universal Life
Final Expense
Small whole life policies built to cover funeral and end-of-life costs.
Coverage pages: Final Expense Insurance
Annuities
How annuities work, the main types, and the fees and surrender rules to read first.
Coverage pages: Annuities
Long-Term Care
What long-term care costs, what Medicare does not pay for, and how long-term care insurance and hybrid policies work.
Coverage pages: Long-Term Care Insurance
Disability Insurance
How private short- and long-term disability coverage works alongside Social Security disability benefits.
Coverage pages: Disability Insurance
Supplemental Health
Hospital indemnity, dental, vision and hearing coverage: what they pay, and what Medicare and health plans leave out.
Hospital Indemnity Insurance: How Fixed Cash Benefits Work
Fixed daily payouts, how they fit with health plans and Medicare, and the fine print.
Read the guide →Dental, Vision and Hearing Coverage: What Medicare and Health Plans Leave Out
What Original Medicare excludes, how standalone plans work, and waiting periods.
Read the guide →Coverage pages: Hospital Indemnity · Dental, Vision & Hearing
Short-Term Medical
How short-term health plans differ from ACA coverage, and when one makes sense in Idaho.
Coverage pages: Short-Term Medical
Travel Insurance
Medical coverage when you travel, including what Medicare and Medigap do and do not cover abroad.
Coverage pages: Travel Insurance
More Ways to Learn
- Calculators: IRMAA, Medicare penalties, Medigap costs, life insurance needs and more.
- Answers: one question, one straight answer.
- Medicare resources: videos, official guides and contacts.
- Blog: longer posts with real-life Idaho scenarios.
- Webinars: small-group Medicare education sessions.
Learning Center FAQs
Who writes the Learning Center guides?
The guides are written and reviewed by the Personal Touch Ins. & Benefits Data Desk, the team at our Boise agency that checks every figure against the official source, such as Medicare.gov, CMS, the IRS, HealthCare.gov or Your Health Idaho, and lists those sources at the end of each guide.
How current are the figures in these guides?
Each guide shows the date it was last reviewed and labels every figure with the year it applies to. We use 2026 figures, plus 2027 figures only where the government has officially published them. When a 2027 number has not been announced yet, the guide says so.
Do the guides tell me which plan to choose?
No. The guides are general education. The right plan depends on your doctors, prescriptions, budget and county. For a side-by-side comparison of the plans we represent, call us at 208-350-9933 or send us a message.
Does it cost anything to talk with an agent after reading a guide?
No. There is no charge to talk with us or to have us compare plans. Plan premiums are the same whether you enroll through us, directly with the insurance company, or through the government website.
Ready to Put the Guides to Work?
Tell us what you are trying to decide. We will compare the plans we represent side by side, in plain English, with no pressure and no obligation.