When Can You Have Medicare

When Your Coverage Starts

The date your coverage starts depends on which month you sign up during your Initial Enrollment Period. Coverage always starts on the first of the month.

If you qualify for Premium-free Part A: Your Part A coverage starts the month you turn 65.

Part B : Coverage starts based on the month you sign up:

What Is Open Enrollment

• The free health insurance plan is a one-year period during which employees must choose coverage for the following year.
• It’s important for employers to review it carefully before deciding which health insurance plans to offer to employees.
• The pandemic is making it difficult to register openly as many employees work from home.

Am I Eligible For Medicare Part A

Generally, youre eligible for Medicare Part A if youre 65 years old and have been a legal resident of the U.S. for at least five years. In fact, the government will automatically enroll you in Medicare Part A at no cost when you reach 65 as long as youre already collecting Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits.

If youre already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, all you need to do is check your mail for your Medicare card, which should automatically arrive in the mail about three months prior to your 65th birthday . The card will arrive with the option to opt-out of Part B , but opting out of Part B is only a good idea if youre still working and have employer-sponsored coverage that provides the same or better coverage, or if your spouse is still working and you have coverage under their plan.

If youre not already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, youll need to enroll in Medicare during a seven-month open enrollment window that includes the three months before the month you turn 65, the month you turn 65, and the three following months. If you enroll before the month you turn 65, your benefits will start the month you turn 65 . If you enroll in the three months after you turn 65, your coverage could have a delayed effective date.

In addition to turning 65, people can become eligible for Medicare due to a disability , or due to end-stage renal disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis .

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How Does Medicare Work With Kaiser Permanente

Ever since 1945, Kaiser Permanente, an American integrated managed care consortium, has been providing health care for Americans with its hospitals, medical groups and health plans. Today, Kaiser has one of the countrys largest nonprofit health care plans and provides coverage for over 12 million people enrolled in the program.

Medicare recipients can enroll in a Kaiser Permanente program if they are a resident of Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, or the District of Columbia.

Whether you are already enrolled in a Kaiser Permanente health care plan and trying to decide if you should keep it when you enroll for Medicare benefits, or you are considering enrolling now, you may be wondering how your Original Medicare benefits will work together with a Kaiser Permanente health care plan. Here is some information that can help you decide about your future health care insurance.

How do your Original Medicare benefits work together with Kaiser?

Some Original Medicare recipients who have coverage with both Parts A and B find they still have to pay more for the health care services than they can afford and may benefit from additional coverage.

If you live in a state that offers Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage plans, you can get full coverage that includes Original Medicare Parts A and B, prescription drug coverage , and additional optional benefits like hearing, vision, and dental care.

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How Do I Get Full Medicare Benefits

If youve worked at least 10 years while paying Medicare taxes, there is no monthly premium for your Medicare Part A benefits. But if you havent worked, or worked less than 10 years, you may qualify for premium-free Part A when your spouse turns 62, if she or he has worked at least 10 years while paying Medicare taxes. However, to be eligible for Medicare, you need to be 65 years old. You also need to be an American citizen or legal permanent resident of at least five continuous years.

So, to summarize with an example:

• Bob is 65 years old. Hes on Medicare, but he pays a monthly premium for his Medicare Part A benefits. He only worked for seven years and no longer works.
• His wife, Mary, has worked for over 30 years.

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Who Is Eligible For Medicare Part A

You qualify for Medicare Part A if you:

• Meet the U.S. citizenship or permanent residency requirements and
• Youre 65 or older, or
• Youre under 65 and get
• Disability benefits from Social Security for at least 24 months, or
• Disability benefits because you have ALS , or
• Treatment as a kidney dialysis or kidney transplant patient.

What Services Does Champva Cover

CHAMPVA is a cost-sharing health insurance program. This means that it will pay a portion of the cost of health services you receive, and youll pay the remaining amount.

You wont pay a premium for CHAMPVA, but there is a deductible of $50 before CHAMPA coverage kicks in.

After you pay your deductible, CHAMPVA will pay whats known as the allowable amount for all covered services. Generally, CHAMPVA will pay 75 percent of the allowable amount, and youll pay the other 25 percent.

Covered services include:

• prescription drugs

There are two other completely covered benefits. Hospice care from any provider is 100 percent covered under CHAMPVA. You can also get prescription coverage at no cost to you if you use the Department of Veteran Affairs Meds by Mail program.

Coverage works differently if you use CHAMPVA alongside another health insurance plan, including Medicare. When you use CHAMPVA with another insurance plan, CHAMPVA becomes whats called a secondary payer.

This means your other insurance plan will be billed first, and CHAMPVA will then pay the remaining cost. This can save you a lot of money on out-of-pocket medical expenses like copayments or coinsurance amounts.

Youre eligible for CHAMPVA if youre the dependent child or the current or widowed spouse of a veteran who meets one of these conditions:

There is no premium cost for CHAMPVA coverage.

• service records
• birth certificates

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How Do You Sign Up For Medicare

Most people are automatically enrolled in Part A and Part B if they:

• Get retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board. You are enrolled the first day of the month you turn 65.
• Are younger than 65 and have been getting disability benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board for 24 months.

If you qualify for automatic enrollment, you will be sent your Medicare card 3 months before you turn 65 or your 25th month of disability.

You need to apply to get Part A and Part B benefits if you aren’t getting Social Security or railroad benefits.

You also need to sign up if you have end-stage renal disease. Medicare covers dialysis treatment for people who have permanent kidney failure.

You can get more information and sign up for Medicare by calling the Social Security office at 1-800-772-1213 or by applying online at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

Penalty for late enrollment

If you don’t sign up for Parts A and B when you are first eligibleâby the first day of the month you turn 65âyou may pay a higher premium than if you had signed up then. A penalty also may apply for late enrollment in Part D, depending on how long you went without drug coverage.

When You Become Eligible For Medicare

Lets assume you have a Marketplace plan and are turning 65 sometime this year.

Once youre eligible for Medicare, youll have an Initial Enrollment Period to sign up for Medicare. For most people, the Initial Enrollment Period starts 3 months before their 65th birthday and ends 3 months after their 65th birthday.

In most cases its to your advantage to sign up for Medicare when youre first eligible because:

• Once your Medicare Part A coverage starts, you wont be eligible for a premium tax credit or other savings for a Marketplace plan. If you kept your Marketplace plan, youd have to pay full price.
• If you enroll in Medicare after your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you may have to pay a Part B late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Medicare. In addition, you can enroll in Medicare Part B only during the Medicare general enrollment period . Coverage doesnt start until July of that year. This may create a gap in your coverage.

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When Is The Next Open Enrollment For Medicare

The next open enrollment period will begin on October 15, 2021 and end on December 7, 2021. Medicare is a government health insurance program that primarily covers Americans age 65 and older. Youth with certain disabilities or health conditions may also qualify for Medicare coverage. Medicare Open Enrollment is the one-year period from October 15 to December 7, during which people on Medicare can change their health plan.

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If You Have Parts A & B: Ways To Pay Less

Most people on Medicare have Original Medicare, also known as Medicare Parts A and B. While Original Medicare should cover most of your care, it has these gaps.

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Gaps in coverage:

• Original Medicare doesn’t cover some essentials. For instance, it does not pay for most prescription drug costs.
• Even when Medicare covers a treatment, you still have to pay copays and coinsurance.
• Most people have to pay a monthly fee, called a premium, for Medicare Part B.

Fortunately, Medicare offers these choices to supplement your Original Medicare.

Prescription Drug Plans. Also known as Medicare Part D, a Prescription Drug Plan will help you pay for prescription medicines. You’ll pay an extra fee each month for the plan, but you’ll probably save a lot on pharmacy expenses.

Private companies sell prescription drug plans, but you can sign up for them through Medicare. To compare plans in your area and sign up, use the Medicare Plan Finder. Note: you will pay a higher premium if you dont sign up for Medicare Part D when you sign up for Original Medicare.

Medigap plans. Just like it sounds, a Medigap plan will fill some of the gaps in coverage with Original Medicare. Medigap plans help:

• Pay copays and coinsurance.
• Lower the deductible, which is the amount you have to pay out-of-pocket before Medicare pays toward your care.

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Medicare Part C: Medicare Advantage

Also known as Medicare Advantage, Part C is an alternative to traditional Medicare coverage. Coverage normally includes all of Parts A and B, a prescription drug plan , and, depending on your choice of a Medicare Advantage plan, other possible benefits.

Part C is administered by Medicare-approved private insurance companies that collect your Medicare payment from the federal government.

Depending on the plan, you may or may not need to pay an additional premium for Part C. You still need to pay your Medicare Part B premium. You don’t have to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, but for many people, these plans can be a better deal than paying separately for Parts A, B, and D. Beneficiaries will still pay separate premiums if they don’t choose to have the Part “C/D” premium taken out of their Social Security check.

If you’ve been pleased by the coverage of a Health Maintenance Organization , you might find similar services using a Medicare Advantage plan.

Reasons To Delay Medicare

If youre thinking about deferring Medicare, discuss the pros and cons with your current insurer, union representative, or employer. Its important to know how or if your current plan will work with Medicare, so you can choose the most comprehensive overage possible.

Some of the common reasons you may want to consider deferring Medicare include:

• You have a plan through an employer that you want to keep.

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What Are The Different Types Of Medicare

There are four types of Medicare: A, B, C, and D. Part A covers payments for treatment in a medical facility. Part B covers medical services including doctor’s visits, medical equipment, outpatient care, outpatient procedures, purchase of blood, mammograms, cardiac rehabilitation, and cancer treatments. Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, seeks to cover any coverage gaps. Part D covers prescription drug benefits.

What Else Do I Need To Know

• Medicare can help cover your costs for health care, like hospital visits and doctors services.
• Most people dont pay a premium for Part A, but you do pay a monthly premium for Part B.
• If you cant afford the monthly premium, there are programs to help lower your costs. Get details about cost saving programs.

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C Plans Are An Alternative To Original Medicare

Medicare Advantage plans provide Part A and Part B benefits. Most plans have built-in Part D prescription drug coverage. Some also offer other benefits, such as vision and dental coverage. You must continue to pay your Part B premium when you join Medicare Advantage.

There are specific times when you can enroll in Medicare Advantage. These include:

• Your Initial Enrollment Period , which starts three months before your 65th birthday and ends three months afterward.

• The annual Open Enrollment Period from October 15 to December 7, when you can switch between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.12

• The Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1 to March 31 each year. If youre already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can switch to a different one or drop your plan and return to Original Medicare.

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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Retirees And Those Still Working

If you paid into a retirement system that didnt withhold Social Security or Medicare premiums, youre probably still eligible for Medicareeither through your retirement system or through your spouse. To receive full Medicare coverage at 65, you must have earned enough credits to be eligible for Social Security.

Each $1,470 you earn annually equals one credit, but you can only earn a maximum of four credits each year. You will receive Social Security benefits at retirement if you have earned 40 credits10 years of work if you earned at least $5,880 in each of those years. If you continue to work beyond age 65, things get a bit more complicated. You will have to file for Medicare, but you may be able to keep your companys health insurance policy as your primary insurer. Or, your company-sponsored insurance plan might force you to make Medicare primary, or other conditions may apply to you.

Theres a lot to consider that makes it prudent to talk to a person knowledgeable in Medicare about your specific choices. This could be your Human Resources department or a Medicare representative.

If you continue to work beyond 65, theres a lot to consider that makes it prudent to talk to a Medicare expert about your choices.

Medicare And What It Covers

Medicare shouldnt be thought of as a single program its made up of several parts that provide coverage for different types of services.

Medicare Part A, also known as hospital insurance, covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care and some home health services. Medicare Part A is usually free if you or your spouse paid Medicare payroll taxes for approximately ten years while working . If you dont qualify for premium-free Part A, you may have the option to pay for hospital insurance, also called premium Part A.

Medicare Part B, also known as medical insurance, covers certain doctors services, outpatient care, medical supplies and preventive services. Medicare Parts A and B combined is also known as Original Medicare.

Medicare Part D, also known as prescription drug coverage, can be added to Original Medicare.

Instead of purchasing Original Medicare, some people choose to buy a Medicare Advantage plan, which is Medicare Part C. Medicare Advantage covers hospital and medical insurance, and usually also covers prescription drugs.

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