How this list was chosen, and who wrote it
Five criteria, applied to agencies serving the San Fernando Valley. First, independence: the agency represents several insurance companies rather than selling for one. Second, a public review record on Google under the agency's real name. Third, a real local office and a direct line: a place in the Valley, from Woodland Hills to Burbank, where a licensed person actually sits, and a phone number that person answers, not a national call center or a lead generation site that resells your number. Fourth, published license numbers, so you can verify the agent with the California Department of Insurance before the first call. Fifth, service beyond the sale: the agent who enrolls you is the one who picks up next year when a bill comes back wrong. The author is Goulson Insurance Services, an independent, family run agency with an office in Valley Village. We meet these criteria, and so do competitors named on this page; where an agency clears only some of them, its entry says which ones. Read our own entry knowing who wrote it.
Is there Medicare help near me in the San Fernando Valley?
Yes. Goulson Insurance Services keeps an office in Valley Village, in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, at (818) 731-5417, and a second office over the hill in Century City, where Lara Goulson answers (818) 472-5484. From Valley Village we are minutes from Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, the NoHo Arts District in North Hollywood, and Van Nuys Boulevard; a short drive west to Encino, Tarzana and Warner Center in Woodland Hills; north to Panorama City and Northridge around Cal State Northridge; and east across the 134 to Burbank and Glendale. Still, be careful what near me is buying you. Whether a plan fits is settled on a screen while you are on the phone: your doctors checked against each network, your prescriptions run through each drug list, out of pocket maximums laid side by side. That work is identical whether the agent sits in Valley Village or Northridge. What a nearby office genuinely adds is someone who knows which Valley hospitals belong to which networks, and a door to walk through when you would rather sit down with your paperwork.
The list
The best places for Medicare help in the San Fernando Valley, judged on independence, Google reviews, a real local office with a direct line, published licenses and service after the sale, are Goulson Insurance Services in Valley Village, Jason Rubin Insurance Services in Woodland Hills, Paul Davis Insurance Services in Northridge, Guiding Seniors, Hello Insurance Solutions in Woodland Hills and SRB Insurance Services in Sherman Oaks, with Gabriela Insurance noted at the end. We wrote this list and appear on it. Every entry, ours included, is judged against the same five criteria. Goulson Insurance Services. Meets all five: independent and family run, with a Valley office in Valley Village at (818) 731-5417 and a Westside office in Century City (Lara Goulson, founder and owner, CA License 0E69969, NPN 8407942, (818) 472-5484), 135 Google reviews on the Century City profile, licensed in 11 states, and working with clients directly in English, Spanish and Hebrew. Service is year round and hands on: we call doctors' offices with you, sort out bills that came back wrong, and get on the phone with the carrier together when a claim is denied. Jason Rubin Insurance Services LLC. An office in Woodland Hills at 5850 Canoga Avenue, #400, and a direct line, (818) 414-1385. His site offers Medicare insurance and describes him as a completely independent broker who does not work for any one insurance company, says many of his clients live in the San Fernando Valley, prints his license as "CA License #6001794", and carries the line "Helping CA Since 2009" in its heading. Paul Davis Insurance Services, Inc. An office in Northridge at 17347 W Napa Street and a direct line, (818) 888-0880. The site says Paul is an independent agent representing most of the major carriers, that the focus of his practice is helping people choose Medicare Supplement, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, and it prints its licenses as "CA License #'s: 0669770, 0M47932". Guiding Seniors. A direct line, (818) 873-9977. Its site says that for seniors in the San Fernando Valley it provides Medicare insurance services, introduces Gary as its dedicated independent insurance agent, lists Burbank, Glendale, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth and Canoga Park among the areas it serves, and prints "CA License 0F56726". No street address appears on the site, so ask where you would meet. Hello Insurance Solutions Inc. An office in Woodland Hills at 20720 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 205. Its site says it provides free personalized Medicare guidance for the seniors of Woodland Hills, calls itself a licensed independent insurance agency in California with "License #6003040", and says it works with a wide range of Medicare providers. The only number printed is toll free, (800) 650-0722, so ask whether a local person answers it. SRB Insurance Services. An office address in Sherman Oaks at 14622 Ventura Boulevard, #2101, and a direct line, (818) 438 0796. Steven Rukhman's site describes him as a local, licensed and trained independent insurance agent, prints "License# 0K08450", and says the agency represents multiple carriers. Gabriela Insurance. A direct line, (818) 856-3775. Its site calls it a health insurance broker for the San Fernando Valley, says a call connects you with a licensed agent to go over Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D and Medicare Supplement plans, and prints "CA License 0F88331". It does not use the word independent anywhere on the site, and no office address appears in the text of its pages, so it did not clear two of our five criteria; ask both questions before you rely on it. Directories: medicareagentshub.com lists licensed agents by city for comparison. Run one of these agencies? Call (818) 472-5484 to correct or expand your entry; that offer keeps an honest list honest.
How to pick from this list
Pick for fit, not fame. Start with language: the Valley has large Spanish speaking and Hebrew speaking communities, and an agent who works with you directly in your own language lets you ask the question the way you actually think it, with family members welcome in the appointment as well. Then geography: the Valley is long, so ask which end the office is on. Woodland Hills and Northridge suit the west end, Valley Village, Sherman Oaks and Studio City sit in the middle along the 101, and Burbank and Glendale lie at the eastern edge. If you want to sit across a table, choose an office you can actually reach; if you prefer the phone, that matters less. Last, ask about the year after enrollment. Who calls the doctor's office with you when a network question comes up? Who sorts out the bill that came back wrong? Who gets on the phone with the carrier when a claim is denied? A good agent on this list, ours included, will answer plainly. One who changes the subject has already answered.
Is Medicare help free? How agents get paid
Yes, Medicare help from a licensed agent is free to you. Independent agents are paid by the insurance carriers, and Medicare regulates that compensation, so their help comes at no extra cost to you. Your premium is identical whether you enroll through an agent or directly with the carrier, which means you gain personal help without paying more for the same plan. That help does not stop at enrollment. Goulson Insurance Services, an independent San Fernando Valley agency, continues to assist with billing questions, claim problems, and yearly coverage reviews at no charge. If you would rather use a public resource, California's Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, HICAP, offers free and unbiased Medicare counseling through the California Department of Aging at 1-800-434-0222. We are not affiliated with Medicare or any government agency, and we do not offer every plan available in your area. Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE list all options. Reach our Valley Village office at (818) 731-5417 or Lara Goulson at (818) 472-5484.
Questions Valley families actually ask
Will my doctors stay in the plan? Ask the agent to check your exact doctors and medications, and the hospital you would want to use, against each plan before recommending anything, and to put the result in writing. Do I have to come into an office? No. Most of the comparison happens by phone and on a screen, and the written comparison can be emailed before you sign anything, though a Valley office is there when you would rather sit down. My mother speaks Spanish, can she talk to the agent herself? With us, yes, directly in Spanish, Hebrew or English, and you are welcome in the appointment beside her. What happens in March when a bill comes back wrong? This is the question that separates agents. Ask who picks up the phone and whether it is the person who enrolled you. We call the doctor's office with you, sort out the bill, and get the carrier on the line together when a claim is denied. Does a green card by itself make a parent eligible? That one turns on how long they have lived in the United States and on their work record, and Medicare eligibility for Israelis with a green card explains both tests.
The Medicare enrollment calendar, and what to do in each window
Dates decide more than agents do. According to Medicare.gov, your current plan mails two documents in September: the Annual Notice of Change, which lists the changes in coverage and costs that take effect in January, and the Evidence of Coverage. Read the Annual Notice of Change first, because it tells you whether doing nothing is a decision you would make on purpose. Medicare Open Enrollment then runs October 15 to December 7, the changes are effective January 1, and the plan must get your enrollment request by December 7. If your plan is leaving the Medicare program in the coming year, Medicare.gov says that notice arrives in October. After December 7 the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 to March 31 for people already in a Medicare Advantage plan; outside these windows a change needs a Special Enrollment Period. Bring the September mail to whichever agent on this list you call.
Use the criteria, whoever you choose
We would love your call, and we say so openly. But the point of this page is that the criteria travel: independence, verifiable reviews, a real office with a real person, published licenses, and service after the sale. Hold any agent in the San Fernando Valley to them, including us, and you will end up in good hands.
Want to start with us? Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, with the changes effective January 1, according to Medicare.gov. Call Lara Goulson at (818) 472-5484 or our Valley Village office at (818) 731-5417. Free, in English, Spanish or Hebrew, and no pressure.
Licensed in 11 states · 5.0 rated on Google · No cost to work with you