When Does Medicare Start
Home / FAQs / General Medicare / When Does Medicare Start?
The start date for Original Medicare is different for everyone. If you are new to Medicare at 65, your start date will not be the same as someone who delayed Original Medicare coverage and is just signing up at age 70.
Find Medicare Plans in 3 Easy Steps
We can help find the right Medicare plans for you today
Thus, there is a multi-part answer to the question, when does Medicare start? Below, we review all the possible scenarios when starting Medicare coverage.
Your Medicare Special Enrollment Period
If your employer has at least 20 employees and youre still working and covered under that plan when you turn 65, you can delay your enrollment in Medicare . In that case, youll get an eight-month special enrollment period to sign up for Medicare if and when you leave your job or your employer stops offering coverage. It will start the month after you separate from your employer, or the month after your group health coverage ends whichever happens sooner.
Sign up during those eight months, and you wont have to worry about premium surcharges for being late. And the eight-month special enrollment period is also available if youre delaying Part B enrollment because youre covered under your spouses employer-sponsored plan, assuming their employer has at least 20 employees.
But note that in either case, it has to be a current employer. If youre covered under COBRA or a retiree plan, you wont avoid the Part B late enrollment penalty when you eventually enroll, and you wont have access to a special enrollment period to sign up for Part B youll have to wait for the general enrollment period instead.
How Long Does It Take To Sign Up For Medicare At 65
Signing Up for Medicare at Age 65. You can first sign up for Medicare during your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period. Your IEP includes the month you turn 65, the three months before, and the three months after. Watch this video below for a quick overview of all the required Medicare qualifications. Open video transcript.
Also Check: Do You Have To Enroll In Medicare
Apply For Retirement Benefits
Starting your Social Security retirement benefits is a major step on your retirement journey. This page will guide you through the process of applying for retirement benefits when youre ready to take that step. Our online application is a convenient way to apply on your own schedule, without an appointment. You can also apply by phone or by appointment at a Social Security office.
You Automatically Get Medicare
- You should already have Part A and Part B , because you have ALS and youre already getting disability benefits.
- We mailed you a welcome package with your Medicare card.
Sign up for Part B if you live in Puerto Rico or outside the U.S.
- Well mail you a welcome package with your Medicare card 3 months before your Medicare coverage starts.
Sign up for Part B if you live in Puerto Rico or outside the U.S.You get Part A automatically. If you want Part B, you need to sign up for it. If you dont sign up for Part B within 3 months after your Part A starts, you might have to wait to sign up and pay a monthly late enrollment penalty.
- Well mail you a welcome package with your Medicare card 3 months before your Medicare coverage starts.
Sign up for Part B if you live in Puerto Rico or outside the U.S.You get Part A automatically. If you want Part B, you need to sign up for it. If you dont sign up for Part B within 3 months of turning 65, you might have to wait to sign up and pay a monthly late enrollment penalty.
Read Also: Will Medicare Pay For In Home Physical Therapy
At What Age Can You Get Medicare
You are eligible for Medicare when you turn 65. You may be working, not working or retired. You may or may not be receiving Social Security or other retirement benefits. As far as Medicare eligibility goes, your age is what matters.
Key word your. Medicare is individual insurance. Its your age that counts, not your spouses, even if you are both covered by the same employer insurance when one of you turns 65.
Also, Medicare is separate from Social Security benefits, and there are different eligibility requirements for each. The age for Medicare eligibility is 65. The age for full Social Security benefits depends on what year you were born.
Does Medicare Start On Your Birthday
Original Medicare coverage does not start on your actual birthday. At the earliest, coverage begins on the first day of the month you turn 65. So, if your birthday is July 24, your coverage will begin July 1.
However, there is one exception to this rule. If you are born on the first of the month, your Medicare coverage will begin one month earlier. So, if you are born on September 1, your Initial Enrollment Period will be the same as those born in August.
Find Medicare Plans in 3 Easy Steps
We can help find the right Medicare plans for you today
- Was this article helpful ?
You May Like: Is Humana A Medicare Supplement
Medicare Special Enrollment Period
Special situations may come up that give you the chance to sign up for or change your Medicare plan outside of your Initial Enrollment Period or the Annual Enrollment Period.
There are several special cases that make you eligible for a Special Enrollment Period.
Here are some common situations:
- You move: If you move to an address outside your plans service area, into a nursing home, or you have different plan options at your new address, youll be able to apply for a new plan.
- You want to switch to a 5-star Medicare plan: Every year, Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Medicare considers these plans excellent. You can make the switch once to a 5-star plan anytime from Dec. 8 through Nov. 30 if one is available in your area.
- You lose your current coverage: This applies if you or your spouse will retire or change to a job that doesnt offer coverage. It doesnt apply if your insurance company cancels your coverage because you didnt pay your monthly premiums.
- Your plan changes its contract with Medicare: Enrollment in a plan depends on the plans contract with Medicare, and for various reasons these contracts could change.
Your new coverage begins on the first day of the month after you sign up.
Read Also: How Much Is Premium For Medicare
Can I Avoid Penalties
There are some special circumstances in which you can sign up late for Medicare without paying penalties. After the initial enrollment period, you can sign up for optional programs during special enrollment periods.
If you or your spouse continued working past your 65th birthday and had health insurance through your employer, you wont have to pay a penalty for late enrollment in any of the Medicare programs.
Beginning the month after you end your employment, or when your group health plan insurance from that employment ends, you have an 8-month window to sign up for Medicare parts A and B without penalty.
COBRA and retiree health plans are not considered as coverage under current employment and do not qualify you for a special enrollment period or save you from late enrollment penalties.
You can also qualify for a special enrollment period for Medicare parts A and B and avoid late enrollment penalties if you were volunteering in a foreign country during your initial enrollment period.
You May Like: Does Medicare Cover Any Medical Alert Systems
When Does Medicare Kick In If You Enroll During The Initial Enrollment Period
For most people, it is best to sign up for Original Medicare during your seven-month Initial Enrollment Period. This enrollment period begins three months before you turn 65 and ends three months following your 65th birthday.
If you enroll in advance, benefits will begin on the first day of the month you turn 65. If you receive Social Security benefits, your coverage will automatically start on the first day of your birth month.
However, if you must enroll yourself, you will need to make sure you apply at least one month before your birth month for coverage to begin on time.
Find Medicare Plans in 3 Easy Steps
We can help find the right Medicare plans for you today
If you enroll during your birth month or in the three months following, your Medicare will start on the first day of the month following your application.
Once you enroll in Original Medicare, you can sign up for a Medicare Part C or a Medigap plan and Medicare Part D.
Have You Or Your Spouse Worked For At Least 10 Years At Jobs Where You Paid Medicare Taxes
Generally, youre first eligible to sign up for Part A and Part B starting 3 months before you turn 65 and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65.
Avoid the penalty If you dont sign up when youre first eligible, youll have to wait to sign up and go months without coverage. You might also pay a monthly penalty for as long as you have Part B. The penalty goes up the longer you wait to sign up. How much is the Part B late enrollment penalty?
Don’t Miss: What Does Part C Cover In Medicare
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.
Who Is Eligible For Social Security Retirement Benefits
As mentioned, youll need to meet a few requirements to be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits. Just like with Medicare, youll need to be a United States citizen or permanent resident. You might also need to have worked and earned credits. The amount of credits you need depends on your circumstances and the type of benefit youre applying for.
Youll need at least 40 credits in order to apply for retirement benefits. Since you can earn up to four credits a year, youll earn 40 credits after 10 years of work. This rule applies to anyone born after 1929.
The amount youll receive per month will depend on your income throughout your working life. You can use the calculator on the Social Security website to estimate your retirement benefits.
Dont Miss: Does Medicare Cover Private Home Care
Also Check: Does A Medicare Advantage Plan Replace Medicare
Special Enrollment Period For Parts A And B
Some people with health care coverage through their job or union, or through their spouse’s job or union, wait to sign up for Medicare Part A and/or Part B . If you or your spouse are actively working for an employer with more than 20 employees when you turn 65, you can get a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Parts A and/or B:
- Any time you’re still covered by the employer or union group health plan through you or your spouses current employment or
- During the eight months following the month the employer or union group health plan coverage ends, or when the employment ends .
If you delay enrolling even longer, you may have to wait for coverage and you may pay a lifetime late enrollment penalty surcharge on your Medicare premiums.
If you’re under age 65, and eligible for Medicare because you’re disabled and working , the SEP rules also apply to you as long as the employer has more than 100 employees.
What Can I Do Next
Generally, youre first eligible to sign up for Part A and Part B starting 3 months before you turn 65 and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65.
Because the company has less than 20 employees, your job-based coverage might not pay for health services if you dont have both Part A and Part B.
Also Check: How To Check Patient Medicare Eligibility
Top 5 Things You Need To Know About Medicare Enrollment
1. People are eligible for Medicare for different reasons.
Some are eligible when they turn 65. People under 65 are eligible if they have received Social Security Disability Insurance or certain Railroad Retirement Board disability benefits for at least 24 months. If they have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , theres no waiting period for Medicare. Some people with End Stage Renal Disease may be eligible for Medicare. Its important to know the different ways that people qualify for Medicare so you can help current and former employees and their dependents anticipate their eligibility for Medicare so they can make timely and appropriate decisions about their enrollment.
2. Some people get Medicare Part A and Part B automatically and some people need to sign up for them.
People living in the United States and U.S. Territories who are already collecting Social Securityeither disability or retirementare automatically enrolled into Part A and Part B when theyre first eligible. These people will get a packet of information a few months before they turn 65 or receive their 25th month of Social Security Disability or Railroad Retirement Board benefits. At that time, they can choose to keep or decline Part B, but cant decline Part A unless they withdraw their original application for Social Security and pay back all Social Security cash benefits.
3. Enrolling in Medicare can only happen at certain times.
Do I Automatically Get Medicare When I Turn 65
Some people automatically get Medicare at age 65, but those numbers have declined as the Medicare and Social Security ages have continued to drift apart.
Most people who automatically get Medicare at age 65 do so because they have been receiving Social Security benefits for at least four months before turning 65. Traditionally, Medicare premiums are deducted from your Social Security check. For the longest time, you could retire with full Social Security benefits at 65 and start on Medicare at the same time.
You are still automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B at 65 if youre drawing Social Security, but not as many people draw Social Security that early these days because of changes to the eligibility age for full Social Security benefits.
In 2000, the Social Security Amendments of 1983 began pushing back the standard age for full Social Security benefits. The progressive changes are nearing their conclusion: Beginning in 2022, the standard age for full benefits will be 67 for anyone born after 1960.
Besides the Medicare eligibility age of 65, what remains unchanged is that you can opt to begin drawing partial Social Security benefits as early as age 62. So, if you opt for accepting partial Social Security benefits before age 65, you are automatically enrolled in Medicare.
A smaller group of people also automatically get Medicare at age 65: people who receive Railroad Board benefits for at least four months before 65.
Also Check: How Early Can I Sign Up For Medicare
Does The Eligibility Age Change For Types Of Medicare Coverage
No. You need to have Medicare Part A and Part B if you want to sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. If you sign up for a stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plan, you need Part A and/or Part B.
So, itâs not like you can get a Medicare Advantage plan, for example, when youâre younger than 65 unless you qualify by disability.
If I Retire At Age 62 Will I Be Eligible For Medicare At That Time
Medicare is federal health insurance for people 65 or older, some younger people with disabilities, and people with end-stage kidney disease. Most commonly, you are eligible for Medicare when you turn 65, but there are other health insurance options if you are younger and do not have coverage through you or your spouses employer.
What you should know
| 1. The typical age requirement for Medicare is 65, unless you qualify because you have a disability. | 2. If you retire before 65, you may be eligible for Social Security benefits starting at age 62, but you are not eligible for Medicare. |
| 3. You have options for health insurance if you are too young for Medicare. You may obtain it through your employer, or you can purchase from private-sector insurance companies through the health insurance exchange. You may be eligible for Medicaid, which is based on income. | 4. If you retire before you are 65, you may be eligible for employer-provided group health insurance under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act . |
Medicare was established in 1965 in order to provide health coverage for seniors who would otherwise not be covered by employer-sponsored health insurance plans. If you retire at the age of 62, you may be eligible for retirement benefits through social security, but early retirement will not make you eligible for Medicare.
Don’t Miss: Does Medicare Supplement Cover Drugs
