If most people enrol in Medicare, they are typically choosing to leave an employer plan with which they have been satisfied for many years. Yet, all too often, I hear from people who received bad advice from their employer about their Medicare decision.

Often, these people are unaware that it is not your company's benefit representative's responsibility to be well-versed in all Medicare rules.

I had a customer last year who was 68 when he retired, but he had enrolled in Medicare at the age of 65. His company's benefits representative made some suggestions on what to do with his Medicare decision, which seemed like good advice at the time. It wasn't until he decided to retire that he realised it wasn't the case.

Because of the actions he took, he lost his guaranteed issue rights. That also meant he had to go through medical financing to get the Medigap Plan he desired. He was fortunate not to have had any medical issues at the time, even though he would not have been acknowledged if he had.

Medicare is complex, but there are two things you should be aware of so that you don't get bad advice.