How this publication works
Sources first. Plain English second. No sales pitch.
The Medicare Notebook is an independent educational publication. We explain the rule, show the source, and state what the page cannot decide for you.
Who writes these pages
Evelyn Page is the pen name under which The Medicare Notebook — an independent publication — conducts its research and writing.
The name is a disclosed editorial byline, not a fabricated professional identity. We do not claim medical, insurance, legal, financial, or government credentials. The byline appears on articles; public interactions and channel communications come from The Medicare Notebook brand.
What we are — and are not
We are not Medicare, CMS, Social Security, an insurer, a broker, an insurance agent, or an advisor. We do not sell Medicare plans. No insurer, plan, or broker pays us to recommend one option over another.
Our goal is to help readers understand the official rule well enough to ask better questions and use the right official tool. Individual coverage decisions still require current information about location, eligibility, providers, prescriptions, other insurance, and personal circumstances.
Our source hierarchy
Every page begins with the most authoritative current source available. We prefer:
- Medicare.gov and current Medicare publications;
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) fact sheets, manuals, and regulations;
- Social Security Administration guidance for enrollment, premiums, and income-related adjustments;
- Federal Register rules and other U.S. government sources when the public guide is not enough.
Secondary sources may help identify a question, but they do not replace the official source for a number, deadline, or eligibility rule.
How a page is prepared
- Define the exact question. A page should answer one real decision, not repeat a broad keyword.
- Open the current official source. We do not rely on an old article or a search snippet when the live source can be checked.
- Separate rule from interpretation. Dates, amounts, eligibility conditions, and exceptions are recorded before prose is drafted.
- Write in plain English. We remove unnecessary jargon without removing the condition that makes the answer accurate.
- Check every material claim again. Sources and the “last checked” date remain visible on the page.
AI assistance and human review
Drafts may be prepared with AI assistance. AI is not listed as the author and is never treated as the source. Before publication, the page is human-reviewed for meaning, current dates, official citations, limitations, and language that could overstate what Medicare covers or what a reader should choose.
Updates and corrections
Medicare amounts and rules change. Material updates receive a new “last checked” date. If a published statement was wrong or meaningfully incomplete, we correct the page and record the change on our Updates & Corrections page.
Contact
To report a possible error, include the page URL, the sentence in question, and the official source you believe applies. Email [email protected].