Medicare Enrollment
If you already get benefits from Social Security, you’ll get Medicare Part A and Part B automatically when you’re first eligible and don’t need to sign up. Medicare will send you a “Welcome to Medicare” packet 3 months before you turn 65. You’ll still have other important deadlines and actions to take, so read all of the materials in the packet. (If you live in Puerto Rico, you’ll only get Part A. If you want Part B, you need to sign up for it.)
Apply through the Social Security Administration
You can use Social Security’s online Medicare application if you:
- Are at least 64 years and 9 months old;
- Want to sign up for Medicare but do not currently have ANY Medicare coverage;
- Do not want to start receiving Social Security benefits at this time; and
- Are not currently receiving Social Security retirement, disability or survivors benefits.
You can also apply:
- By phone – Call us at 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call us at TTY 1-800-325-0778.
- In person – Visit your local Social Security office. (Call first to make an appointment.)
It can take several weeks (30-60 days) for the Social Security Administration to process your application/claim for Medicare benefits and for you to receive your Medicare Card in the mail. You can go to www.socialsecurity.gov and sign in or create a my Social Security account to check the status of your completed application or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.
If you do not live in the U.S. or one of its territories you can also contact the nearest U.S. Social Security office, U.S. Embassy or consulate.
Medicare Enrollment periods
Initial Enrollment Period (IEP)
If you’re a U.S. citizen or you meet the lawful presence and residency requirements, the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is your first chance to sign up for Medicare. It starts 3 months before your 65th birthday, includes the month you turn 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn 65. (*Exception -If you have a first of the month birthday, coverage can begin the first day of the prior month to your birthday month and the IEP begins a in the 4th month prior to your birthday month.) You may also be able to enroll if you’re under 65 because you have a disability or special condition.(2)
When you apply for Medicare, you can sign up for Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). Because you must pay a premium for Part B coverage, you can turn it down. However, if you decide to enroll in Part B later on, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Part B coverage. Your monthly premium will go up 10 percent for each 12-month period you were eligible for Part B, but didn’t sign up for it, unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.
Apply for Medicare Benefits through the Social Security Administration
You can use Social Security’s online Medicare application if you:
- Are at least 64 years and 9 months old;
- Want to sign up for Medicare but do not currently have ANY Medicare coverage;
- Do not want to start receiving Social Security benefits at this time; and
- Are not currently receiving Social Security retirement, disability or survivors benefits.
You can also apply:
- By phone – Call us at 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can call us at TTY 1-800-325-0778.
- In person – Visit your local Social Security office. (Call first to make an appointment.)
It can take several weeks (30-60 days) for the Social Security Administration to process your application/claim for Medicare benefits and for you to receive your Medicare Card in the mail. You can go to www.socialsecurity.gov and sign in or create a my Social Security account to check the status of your completed application or call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.
If you do not live in the U.S. or one of its territories you can also contact the nearest U.S. Social Security office, U.S. Embassy or consulate.
5 things to do in your first year with Medicare
- Fill out an Authorization Form if you want your family or friends to call Medicare on your behalf. Medicare can’t give personal health information about you to anyone unless you give permission in writing first.
- Make a “Welcome to Medicare” Preventive Visit appointment during the first 12 months you have Medicare. This free, one-time comprehensive “Welcome to Medicare” preventive visit puts you in control of your health and your Medicare from the start.
- Sign up for MyMedicare.gov, our secure online service where you can access your personal Medicare information 24 hours a day, every day. You can:
- Track your health care claims
- View your “Medicare Summary Notices” (MSNs)
- Order a replacement Medicare card
- Check your Medicare Part B deductible status
- View your eligibility information
- Track your preventive services
- Find information about your Medicare health plan or Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D), or search for a new one
- Keep your Medicare information in one convenient place
- Learn what Medicare covers. You’ll get a list of tests, items, and services that are covered no matter where you live. If your test, item, or service isn’t listed, talk to your doctor or other health care provider about why you need certain tests, items, or services, and ask if Medicare will cover them.
- Decide if you want to go paperless, and get your next free copy of“Medicare & You” [PDF, 5.91 MB] electronically! Next October, you’ll get an email from Medicare linking you to “Medicare & You” onlineinstead of a paper copy in your mailbox.
General Enrollment Period
If you didn’t sign up for Part A and/or Part B (for which you must pay premiums) when you were first eligible, and you aren’t eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (see below), you can sign up during the General Enrollment Period between January 1–March 31 each year.
Your coverage will start July 1. You may have to pay a higher premium for late enrollment in Part A and/or a higher premium for late enrollment in Part B.
Medicare Annual Open Enrollment
When’s the Medicare Open Enrollment Period?
Every year, Medicare’s open enrollment period is October 15 – December 7.
What’s the Medicare Open Enrollment Period?
Medicare health and drug plans can make changes each year—things like cost, coverage, and what providers and pharmacies are in their networks. October 15 to December 7 is when all people with Medicare can change their Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage for the following year to better meet their needs.
How do people know if they need to change plans?
People in a Medicare health or prescription drug plan should always review the materials their plans send them, like the “Evidence of Coverage” (EOC) and “Annual Notice of Change” (ANOC). If their plans are changing, they should make sure their plans will still meet their needs for the following year. If they’re satisfied that their current plans will meet their needs for next year and it’s still being offered, they don’t need to do anything.
Special Enrollment Periods
Once your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you may have the chance to sign up for Medicare during a Special Enrollment Period. If you’re covered under a group health plan based on current employment, you have a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part A and/or Part B any time as long as you or your spouse (or family member if you’re disabled) is working, and you’re covered by a group health plan through the employer or union based on that work.
You also have an 8-month Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Part A and/or Part B that starts the month after the employment ends or the group health plan insurance based on current employment ends, whichever happens first. Usually, you don’t pay a late enrollment penalty if you sign up during a Special Enrollment Period.
COBRA and retiree health plans aren’t considered coverage based on current employment. You’re not eligible for a Special Enrollment Period when that coverage ends. This Special Enrollment Period also doesn’t apply to people with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
You may also qualify for a Special Enrollment Period for Part A and Part B if you’re a volunteer, serving in a foreign country.
California’s “Birthday Rule“(5)
Q: What is the “Birthday Rule” and how does it apply to the new Medigap Plans?
A: If a person already has Medigap insurance, they have 60 days of “open enrollment” following their birthday each year when they may buy a new Medigap policy without a medical screening or a new waiting period. The new policy must have the same or lesser benefits as the old policy. To avoid confusion, the new law specifies which of the new Plans are equal to the old Plans.
Q: Does an existing Medigap policyholder need to buy one of the new Medigap Plans?
A: No. If the person is satisfied with their current Medigap Plan, he/she can keep it as long as the premiums are paid. Agents should only recommend the purchase of a new Medigap Plan if the old Plan no longer meets the insureds needs or the premium is too high and he/she can buy a new Plan that meets his/her needs with a lower premium.
Q: What happens to the Medigap Plans people already have or buy before June 1, 2010?
A: Nothing happens to them. A Medigap Plan is guaranteed renewable for as long as the person wants to keep it and the premiums are paid. As long as the current Medigap policy is kept, the benefits will stay the same regardless of the changes to the law.