When Can You Start Getting Medicare
A somewhat cynical old saying declares that only two things in life are guaranteed: death and taxes. But theres also something positive you can count on, and thats Medicare.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program that U.S. citizens and qualified legal residents are guaranteed access to once they reach eligibility.
There are a few ways to become eligible for Medicare. The most common one is your age. Lets assume you meet the citizenship qualification above and go explore more about becoming eligible for Medicare via age.
Who Is Eligible For Medicare Advantage Plans
Youll automatically qualify for Medicare Advantage once you qualify for Part A and Part B coverage. Advantage plans are sold by private companies and are designed to cover some of the out-of-pocket costs Original Medicare does not cover.
4 Medicare Advantage Eligibility Requirements
While regular Medicare Advantage does not cover ESRD, you may qualify for a Medicare Special Needs Plan . SNPs are special types of Advantage plans specifically designed for a particular condition or financial situation.
You can keep your Medicare Advantage plan if you purchased it before developing ESRD. You can also buy an Advantage plan after being medically determined to no longer have ESRD usually from a successful kidney transplant.
Don’t Leave Your Health to Chance
How Do I Know Im Enrolled In Medicare
After you apply for Medicare, Social Security will review and process your application. Theyll contact you if they need more information.
When youre approved for Medicare Part A and/or Part B, Social Security will send you a welcome packet that includes the following:
- Your confirmation letter
- Your red, white and blue Medicare ID card
- A Welcome to Medicare booklet that walks you through decisions you may have to make with your Medicare coverage
- The Medicare & You handbook
If youve applied for a private Medicare plan such as a Medicare Advantage, Medicare Cost, Medigap or Medicare Prescription Drug plan, when your enrollment is accepted youll get a separate confirmation letter and ID card.
Medicare helps pay for your health care costs and covers preventive care including a visit with your doctor each year. So once you get Medicare Part B, schedule your initial Welcome to Medicare visit with your doctor. And each year you get an Annual Wellness Visit with your doctor.
For more helpful tips, review this checklist, how to use Medicare your first year.
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I Am Turning 65 Next Year When Can I Sign Up For Medicare
If you are eligible for Medicare, your initial enrollment period for Part A and Part B begins three months before the month of your 65th birthday and ends three months after it. For example, if your 65th birthday is in June, your enrollment period will extend from March 1 through September 30. If you join during one of the 3 months before you turn 65, coverage will begin the first day of the month you turn 65. If you join during the month you turn 65, your coverage will begin the first day of the month after you turn 65. If you join in the month after you turn 65, coverage will begin 2 months later, and if you join 2 or 3 months after you turn 65, coverage will begin 3 months later. A recent change in law limits these gaps in coverage. Starting in 2023, if you enroll in Medicare during the first 3 months after your turn 65, coverage will begin the first day of the month following the month you enroll.
Once you have Part A and Part B, you are then also eligible to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan and/or a Part D plan. If you are already receiving Social Security benefits when you turn 65, you will automatically be enrolled in Part A and Part B. If you are not already receiving Social Security benefits and you want to enroll in Medicare, you should contact Social Security.
Will I Get Medicare At 62 If I Retire Then
If you retire before the age of 65, you may be able to continue to get medical insurance coverage through your employer, or you can purchase coverage from a private insurance company until you turn 65. While waiting for Medicare enrollment eligibility, you may contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program to discuss your options.
Here are some ways you may be eligible for Medicare at age 62:
- You may qualify for Medicare due to a disability if you have been receiving SSDI checks for more than 24 months.
- You have been diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease .
- You are getting dialysis treatments or have had a kidney transplant.
Medicare information is everywhere. What is hard is knowing which information to trust. Because eHealths Medicare related content is compliant with CMS regulations, you can rest assured youre getting accurate information so you can make the right decisions for your coverage. Read more to learn about our Compliance Program.
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Coordination Of Coverage With Esrd
If you have employer-sponsored or union-sponsored insurance and you become eligible for Medicare due to ESRD, Medicare will coordinate with your existing coverage for 30 months.
During that time, your private insurance will be your primary coverage, and Medicare will pick up a portion of the remaining costs. After those 30 months, if you still have coverage under your group health plan, it will become secondary coverage and Medicare will become primary.
Medicare Eligibility By Disability
Most Medicare recipients under the age of 65 reach eligibility during their 25th month receiving Social Security disability benefits. If you qualify for Medicare because of a disability, your Initial Enrollment Period will begin during the 22nd month you receive these benefitsthree months before youre eligible for coverage.
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Signing Up For Premium
You can sign up for Part A any time after you turn 65. Your Part A coverage starts 6 months back from when you sign up or when you apply for benefits from Social Security . Coverage cant start earlier than the month you turned 65.
After your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you can only sign up for Part B and Premium-Part A during one of the other enrollment periods.
If I Retire At Age 62 Will I Be Eligible For Medicare
En español | Nobody can become eligible for Medicare before age 65, unless he or she qualifies at an earlier age on the basis of receiving Social Security disability benefits.
If you retire at any time before 65, you may be able to get health insurance from any of the following sources:
- Your spouses current employer, if youre married and the employer provides health care that covers you
- Your former employer, if youre eligible for retiree health benefits
- COBRA coverage, which extends your former employers coverage for a certain period of time usually 18 months but requires you to pay the full premiums, including what your employer used to pay toward them
- Private insurance purchased through marketplaces set up under the Affordable Care Act
- Private insurance purchased on the open market.
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Medicare General Enrollment Period
If you dont sign up for Medicare Part A and/or Part B when youre eligible, you can apply for Medicare for the first time using the General Enrollment Period from Jan. 1 through March 31 every year. Coverage begins July 1.
This enrollment period is only available to people who didnt sign up during their Initial Enrollment Period and who arent eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.
Note: You may have to pay a higher premium for Part A and/or Part B due to late enrollment.
What Is The Medicare Eligible Age
You may decide to retire at 62 because you can start collecting Social Security at that age and you feel ready to move on to a new stage in life. According to the Social Security Administration, you may start receiving retirement benefits as early as age 62. Your employer health benefits will likely end when you retire and you may wonder about your Medicare eligibility age.
Medicare is the government health care program for people age 65 and older and people younger than 65 with certain disabilities. Your Medicare eligible age is not correlated to when you retire and retiring early will not make you eligible for Medicare. Generally the only ways to be eligible for Medicare before age 65 is to:
- Have end-stage renal disease
- Have ALS
- Have a disability and have been receiving Social Security disability benefits for at least 24 months
If you retire at 62 and do not have a disability, you will generally have to wait three years for Medicare coverage. You can look on eHealth for an affordable individual or family health insurance plan as you wait to reach your Medicare eligible age.
There are certain advantages to waiting to retire beyond age 62 besides reaching the Medicare eligible age. If you retire early, your benefits are reduced a fraction of a percent for each month before your full retirement age, according to the Social Security Administration. The amount your benefit will be reduced depends on your year of birth.
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Find A $0 Premium Medicare Advantage Plan Today
For California residents, CA-Do Not Sell My Personal Info, .
MedicareAdvantage.com is a website owned and operated by TZ Insurance Solutions LLC. TZ Insurance Solutions LLC and TruBridge, Inc. represent Medicare Advantage Organizations and Prescription Drug Plans having Medicare contracts enrollment in any plan depends upon contract renewal.
The purpose of this communication is the solicitation of insurance. Callers will be directed to a licensed insurance agent with TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, TruBridge, Inc. and/or a third-party partner who can provide more information about Medicare Advantage Plans offered by one or several Medicare-contracted carrier. TZ Insurance Solutions LLC, TruBridge, Inc., and the licensed sales agents that may call you are not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or the federal Medicare program.
Plan availability varies by region and state. For a complete list of available plans, please contact 1-800-MEDICARE , 24 hours a day/7 days a week or consult www.medicare.gov.
Medicare has neither reviewed nor endorsed this information.
Tips For Getting Retirement Ready
- A financial advisor can be a big help in figuring out how medical expenses will affect your retirement. Finding the right financial advisor that fits your needs doesnt have to be hard. SmartAssets free financial advisor matching tool matches you with financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. If youre ready to be matched with local advisors that will help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- Medical costs arent the only expenses youll need to grapple with in retirement. Think about where youll want to retire to see how cost of living could impact your lifestyle. SmartAssets cost of living calculator can help you figure out your costs so youll know how much youll need to save. And our retirement calculator can help you see if youre on track with those savings.
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When Are You Eligible To Enroll In Medicare
You can apply for Medicare during several enrollment periods.
The first, Initial Enrollment Period , includes the three months before your 65th birthday, the month of your 65th birthday and the three months after your 65th birthday.4
If you didnt apply for Medicare within the seven months surrounding your 65th birthday, the window to apply opens again at the beginning of each year, from January 1 to March 31 . But keep in mind that if you enroll during the GEP, your actual Medicare coverage wont begin until July of that year.5
If you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for 10 years or more, youre eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A . If, though, you or your spouse worked for less than a decade, you will still qualify for Medicare but you may need to pay a monthly premium for Part A, which will be based on how long you or your spouse worked.
Everyone who enrolls in Medicare Part B is required to pay a monthly premium. The standard premium for 2021 is $148.50, those who are considered higher-income beneficiaries will pay more.
And if you opt for Medicare Part D , you may pay a premium, depending on how you get the coverage. This can be through a standalone drug plan or as part of a Medicare Advantage that includes drug coverage.
Medicare Eligibility For People Under 62
There are a few exceptions for Medicare age limits that can allow people younger than 65 and under age 62 to enroll in Medicare.
- If you have ALS , you are immediately eligible for Medicare regardless of your age as soon as your Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board disability benefits begin.
- You may also qualify for Medicare if you have kidney failure that requires dialysis or a kidney transplant, which is known as end-stage renal disease .
- You may also qualify for Medicare at age 62 or any age before 65 if you receive disability benefits from either Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board for at least 24 months.
If you qualify for Medicare under the age of 65 because of a disability, you might also qualify for a Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan.
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Delaying Enrollment Could Result In A Permanent Penalty
As described above, you can’t reject premium-free Medicare Part A without also giving up your Social Security benefits. But since your work history is allowing you access to Medicare Part A without any premiums, few people consider rejecting Part A coverage.
The other parts of Medicare, however, do involve premiums that you have to pay in order to keep the coverage in force. That includes Medicare Part B and Part D , as well as supplemental Medigap plans. Medicare Part C, otherwise known as Medicare Advantage, wraps all of the coverage into one plan and includes premiums for Part B as well as the Medicare Advantage plan itself.
So it’s understandable that some Medicare-eligible people, who are healthy and not using much in the way of medical services, might not want to enroll in Part D and/or Part B. Similarly, people who are eligible for Part A but with premiums might want to avoid enrolling in order to save money on premiums. But before deciding to postpone enrollment in any part of Medicare, it’s important to understand the penalties and the enrollment limitations that will apply if you decide to enroll in the future.
There are penalties associated with delaying your Medicare enrollment unless the reason you’re delaying is that you are still working and you’re covered by the employer’s health plan. If that’s the case, you’ll be eligible for a special enrollment period to sign up for Medicare when you eventually retire.
How To Apply For Medicare Through Social Security
Apply online: The easiest way to complete the Medicare enrollment application is online at ssa.gov. Its convenient to sign up from home. You can start and stop the application and save your information. After you submit your application, youll get a receipt to print and keep. You can also check the status of your application.
Apply in person: Visit your local Social Security office. You can find the nearest office with the Social Security office locator. They recommend that you make an appointment.
Apply by phone: Call Social Security at 800-772-1213 .
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Can I Apply For Medicare At Age 62 Or Do I Have To Be 65
Although you may be able to begin withdrawing Social Security benefits for retirement at age 62, Medicare isn’t available to most people until they turn 65. But if you are under the age of 65, you could be eligible for Medicare if you meet any of the following criteria.
- You have been receiving Social Security disability benefits for at least 24 months.
- You receive a disability pension from the Railroad Retirement Board and meet certain criteria.
- You have Lou Gehrigs disease .
- You have ESRD requiring regular dialysis or a kidney transplant, and you or your spouse has paid Social Security taxes for a length of time that depends on your age.
If none of these situations apply to you, you’ll have to wait until age 65 to begin receiving your Medicare benefits. However, you can begin the sign-up process three months before the month you turn 65 during your IEP .
Retiree Coverage Continuing Past Age 65 You’ll Still Need To Enroll In Medicare A And B
Some companies will not cut a retiree off completely at the age of 65, but instead continue to offer supplemental retiree benefits, which can be used in conjunction with Medicare . The supplemental retiree health benefits may include prescription drug coverage , doctor visits, and other outpatient health care. Medicare will be your primary coverage if you’re covered under a retiree health plan, with the plan offered by your former employer serving as secondary coverage.
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What If Youre Over 65
Dont worry: You can still sign up for Medicare if you didnt do so at age 65. But you may have to pay a 10% penalty on the monthly premiums for Part B for every 12-month period you didnt opt in for Medicare coverage after becoming eligible.
There is an exception, though: If you have group coverage through your employers plan or were covered through your spouses job and that coverage ends, you qualify for whats called a Special Enrollment Period . This is an 8-month period during which you can sign up for Part A and/or Part B to give you coverage starting when your or your spouses employers coverage ends.
Less commonly, if you didnt work long enough to qualify for premium-free Part A and you didnt sign up at age 65, you may have to pay a penalty for that coverage as well.6
