Q&A

Questions and Answers

According to Medicare.gov the answer to this question depends on three circumstances:

  1. You are turning 65
    • If you aren’t getting benefits from Social Security (or the RRB) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you’ll need to sign up with Social Security to get Parts A and B. However, depending on the size of the employer, you may be able to delay Parts A and B without having to pay a penalty if you enroll later. Learn more about whether you should get Parts A and B.
  2. You are over 65
  3. You are under 65 and have a disability

According to Medicare.gov if you are currently working, and have coverage through your job, the size of your employer determines whether you may be able to delay Par A and Part B without having a penalty if you enroll later.   You should sign up for Part A and Part B if your employer has fewer than 20 employees or you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty.

The answer depends if you have other options for health insurance (for example, employer coverage, COBRA, TRICARE, VA, etc.).  Check the medicare.gov website for details.

Many people wonder if they should get their Medicare even though they are planning to continue working and are enrolled in their company Group Health Insurance.  

The best place to get that question answered is to go to medicare.gov because there are many circumstances that can affect your decision.

For many people it is about their employer health insurance coverage and the answer is: it depends!

Some company’s group health insurance plans can cost you more than a with Medicare and offer you less coverage.  You can contact your company’s Human Resources department and speak to the person in charge of your insurance to find out what your plan is costing you and what it covers.  Then compare the coverage and cost to a Medicare Health Plan or Medicare Supplement to find out which one is better for you.  Contact me if you need help with the comparison and the insurance jargon.  Keep in mind that if you have a spouse or dependents on your company insurance plan, cancelling your group plan will leave your dependents without insurance.  In that case, you don’t have an option to go into Medicare.

Some companies have special plans for Medicare eligible employees or retirees.  These plans have advantages and disadvantages.  Sometimes they are more expensive than Medicare Health Plans but they can cover better your prescriptions, for example.  Many companies Medicare plans for retirees might require you to sign up with specific agencies that they have contracted.  I won’t be able to assist you if they force you to go through these agencies. 

Getting Medicare and getting Social Security retirement are two different things.  These two things many times happened at the same time but not all the time.  You can get one without the other.   You can get Medicare when you turn 65 (because your employer does not offer health insurance or your employer health insurance is more expensive than Medicare) and do not apply for Social Security retirement until you are ready to retire.

If you have “Creditable” (as good or better than Medicare) health insurance from an employer or union, you can get Medicare any time you want.  Make sure you mention that you currently have health insurance to Social Security when you contact them to get your Medicare. 

If you don’t have “Creditable” health insurance, you can only enroll during the Medicare General enrollment period from January until March 31 and your coverage starts the month after you sign up.   Note that Original Medicare does not include Prescription Drug coverage.   You can sign up for Prescription Drug coverage or a Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) that includes drug coverage only before your Medicare become effective.  Otherwise, you must wait until the Medicare Annual Enrollment period from October 15 until December 7 of each year.

Read more about Part A & Part B sign up periods at medicare.gov.

Also, note that there are penalties imposed by Medicare for people that do not have “Creditable” health insurance coverage and does not enroll in Part B or Part D when they are first eligible.  See Late Enrollment Penalty.

Click here to check out the Medicare Costs at a Glance from the Medicare.gov website.

You can apply for Medicare online by going to the social security website:

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/

Scroll down and click the blue button labeled “Apply for Medicare Only.”

You can apply for Medicare “Part B only” online by going to the social security website:

https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/

There are very specific instructions on how to apply and how to fill out the forms.

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