When Does Medicare Start After You Sign Up

Does Medicare Start On The First Day Of Your Birth Month

Your Medicare coverage generally starts on the first day of your birthday month. If your birthday falls on the first day of the month, your Medicare coverage starts the first day of the previous month. If you qualify for Medicare because of a disability or illness, in most cases your IEP is also seven months.

Getting Help With A Medicare Insurance Plan

Now you have an idea of when your Medicare insurance coverage will be. Now its time to think about supplemental insurance to help cover the cost left over by Original Medicare.

Our licensed insurance agents can help assist with every aspect of Medicare. From teaching you to understand the Medicare hospital insurance to how the Medicare Part B premiums work.

We can help review the insurance companies in your area that offer Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage plans and help you find the coverage you need. Simply give us a call or fill out our online request form.

When Does Medicare Start After Disability

Medicare for disability generally starts after you’ve received Social Security disability benefits for two years.

If you’re not enrolled automatically after 24 months and need to apply, your Medicare will start based on when you apply.

• Initial Enrollment Period : In most cases, you’re enrolled in Medicare automatically after you receive Social Security disability benefits for two straight years or 24 months. If you enroll manually, you can apply up through your 28th month of disability payments. Your Medicare will start after your application is processed and approved, which can take up to three months.
• Special Enrollment Period : You have a Special Enrollment Period if you’re disabled and lost employer coverage you had yourself or through a family member. Your Medicare start date will vary based on when you enroll.
• General Enrollment Period : If you missed enrolling through an IEP or SEP, you can enroll during the GEP to start Medicare on July 1. You may pay late enrollment penalties.

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Are There Other Key Dates To Know

If someone did not sign up for Medicare Part B during their Initial Enrollment Period, they could apply during a General Enrollment Period that runs from .

If a person signs up during this time, their Medicare benefits will start on July 1 of the same year.

A Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period is also available between the same dates, during which a person can make one change to their Medicare coverage.

Such a change might involve switching from one Medicare Advantage plan to a different plan or returning to Traditional Medicare.

However, a person cannot switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Advantage during this time.

Can You Get Medicare Before Turning 65

You may qualify for Medicare before you turn 65 if you collect Railroad Retirement Board or Social Security disability benefits or have certain health conditions.

• If you have a disability and collect Social Security or RRB benefits for 24 months, you will be automatically enrolled in Parts A and B in your 25th month.
• People who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are automatically enrolled in Original Medicare in their first month of collecting disability benefits.
• If you qualify for Medicare due to end-stage renal disease , signing up for Medicare is optional.

Please note that, if you have ESRD, you must enroll in both Parts A and B to get full dialysis and kidney transplant benefits.

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Im Working Past 65 But My Health Coverage Is From My Spouses Employer

A pretty common situation to face, if your health care coverage is from a spouses employer, you may be able to delay Medicare or you may need to enroll when you first become eligible. In this case, the employer still needs to have 20 or more employees. However, the big difference is thatemployers can have rules for covered dependents 65 and older that may require the individual to get Medicare at 65 in order to remain on the employer plan.

Therefore, if you have employer coverage through a spouses employer, you need to ask the employers benefits administrator directly about your Medicare enrollment choices.

How Do You Enroll If You Are Not Going To Collect Ssa Benefits Yet

If you are not currently enrolled in SSA benefits prior to your Initial Enrollment Period , you will need to apply for Medicare yourself.

Most people do not pay a premium for Part A because they or their spouse) have paid enough in Medicare taxes during their employment history. Part B will always have a premium that has to be paid. You can sign up for Parts A and/or B by doing the following:

• Contact your local SSA office

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When & How Do I Sign Up For Medicare

You can sign up anytime while you are still working and you have health insurance through that employer. You also have 8 months after you stop working to sign up.

• Your 8-month Special Enrollment Period starts when you stop working, even if you choose COBRA or other coverage thats not Medicare.
• Your coverage will start the month after Social Security gets your completed forms.

Youll need to have your employer fill out a Form CMS-L564 . If the employer cant fill it out, complete Section B of the form as best you can, but dont sign it. Youll need to submit proof of job-based health insurance when you sign up.

The way you sign up depends on if you already have Part A coverage or if youre signing up for both Part A and Part B. Get forms and ways to sign up.

Avoid the penalty & gap in coverage

Should I Sign Up During My Initial Enrollment Period

For most people, the answer is yes. They need to sign up for Medicare during their seven-month initial enrollment period , which starts three months before the month you turn age 65 and ends three months after your birthday month. If your 65th birthday is in June, your IEP begins March 1 and ends Sept. 30.

If your birthday falls on the first day of a month, the whole initial enrollment period moves forward one month. For example, if your birthday is June 1, your IEP begins Feb. 1 and ends Aug. 31.

If you or your spouse is still working and you have health insurance coverage from that active employer, you may be able to wait. But otherwise, you need to sign up for Medicare during your IEP to avoid late enrollment penalties and delayed coverage.

The phrase active employer is key. If you have other insurance that isnt from your own or your spouses current employer, you will still need to sign up for Medicare during your initial enrollment period. You need to sign up during your IEP in all of these circumstances: If you have

• COBRA health coverage that extends the insurance you or your spouse received from an employer while working
• Health insurance that you bought yourself and no employer provided it
• No health insurance
• Retiree benefits from your own or a spouses former employer
• Veterans benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs health system but no insurance from a current employer

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Is There A Waiting Period For Medicare

For those who are not automatically enrolled and need to manually sign up for Medicare, it will take between one and three months for your Medicare coverage to begin, depending on when you sign up.

If you sign up during the three months before the month of your 65th birthday, your Medicare coverage will begin on the first day of your birthday month. For example, if your birthday is August 12, and you signed up for Medicare in May, June or July, your coverage will begin on August 1.

For those who sign up for Medicare during their birthday month, Medicare coverage will start one month after you sign up. So, if your birthday is July 24 and you sign up for Medicare on July 18, your coverage will begin on August 18.

If you sign up for Medicare the month following your 65th birthday, your coverage will begin two months after you sign up. For someone with an April 4 birthday who signs up for Medicare on May 1, coverage would begin on July 1.

For those who sign up for Medicare toward the end of their IEP, two or three months after their 65th birthday, coverage will begin three months after signing up.

For those who sign up for Medicare or change their Medicare plan during the Annual Election Period from October 15 to December 7, coverage will begin January 1. Changes made to Medicare Advantage plans during Open Enrollment from January 1 to March 31, will go into effect July 1.

Is Medicare Free At Age 65

You are eligible for premium-free Part A if you are age 65 or older and you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. You can get Part A at age 65 without having to pay premiums if: You are receiving retirement benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board.

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The Bottom Line: Know Your Options Enroll On Time

Dont delay making Medicare decisions and dealing with Medicare enrollment. Learn about the choices you have can you delay, must you enroll and then understand the implications of both as they relate to your overall health and financial well-being.

Late-enrollment penalties for Medicare Part B and Medicare Part D are permanent and can have a meaningful impact on your finances so think carefully about what you do and when.

Not sure where to start? A good first step for anyone approaching Medicare eligibility is to know when your enrollment dates are. You can quickly find your dates for your Initial Enrollment Period using our enrollment date calculator.

Footnote

Can I Start Medicare Before My 65th Birthday

You will have a Medicare initial enrollment period. If you sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B during the first three months of your initial enrollment period, your coverage will start on the first day of the month you turn 65.

For example, say your birthday is August 31. Your initial enrollment period will begin three months prior to your birthday month, or in this case, May. If you sign up in May, June, or July, your coverage will start on August 1.

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What Age Does Medicare Start

For most, Original Medicare coverage starts when you turn 65. However, some delay enrollment to remain on an employer plan or become eligible before age 65 due to disability. Others may take zero-premium Medicare Part A at 65 and delay Part B until a future date due to creditable coverage.

Hence, there are several possibilities for when one starts Medicare. Therefore, knowing which route works best in your situation is vital.

In some cases, you may qualify for Medicare before age 65. If someone receives Social Security Disability Income benefits for at least 24 months, they are eligible for Medicare. Additionally, those with end-stage renal disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are eligible for Medicare with no need to meet the 24-month benchmark.

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No matter when or how you become eligible for Original Medicare, you must ensure you understand how the benefits work and when your coverage begins.

Why You May Consider Signing Up For Medicare At 65

If youre approaching age 65 and any of the following situations apply to you, then you need to enroll during what’s known as your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period .

If you dont enroll during your IEP, you could face financial premium penalties for enrolling late.

Your IEP is a 7-month window that generally includes the month of your 65thbirthday, the 3 months before and the 3 months after For example, if your 65thbirthday is on June 20, then your IEP starts on March 1 and ends on September 30.

This is the time to learn about yourMedicare coverage options and get what you do or dont need coverage for. Most who have to get Medicare at age 65 will get Part A , Part B and some form of prescription drug coverage through either a stand-alone Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan.

Here are some helpful resources to learn how to avoid the Part B and Part D late penalties:

• Beware Unintended Part D Penalty

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When Does Medicare Kick In If You’re Enrolled Automatically

If you are automatically enrolled in Medicare whether due to age or disability your Medicare benefits kick in on the first day of the month you become eligible. So, if your birthday is on April 22, your Medicare benefits begin on April 1. The same is true if April marks your 25th month of collecting disability benefits.

The only exception is if your birthday is on the 1st of the month. In that case, your Medicare benefits begin the preceding month. So, if your birthday is April 1, your Medicare coverage starts on March 1.

What Happens If You Enroll In Medicare Late

Enrolling in Medicare after you are eligible to do so without an SEP may cause you to suffer a penalty, which applies to Part B and D only.

For every 12-month period you could have had Part B but didnt sign up, you incur a 10% penalty for as long as you have Part B. This penalty doesnt apply if you had creditable health coverage.

When theres a period of 63 days in a row in which you were eligible for Part D but did not enroll, you add 1% of the premium for every full month without creditable coverage.

Its important to enroll in Medicare when you are eligible if you do not have health insurance or drug coverage.

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When Does Medicare Kick In For Original Medicare

When your coverage under Original Medicare begins, you will have Part A and Part B benefits.

The best time to enroll is during your Initial Enrollment Period a seven-month period that starts three months before turning 65.

If you missed your IEP, the nearest enrollment period is the General Enrollment Period January 1 to March 31. Coverage starts July 1.

To Qualify For Medicare You Need To Get Disability Benefits From:

• Social Security

• Railroad Retirement Board

Youll automatically get Part A and Part B after you get disability benefits for 24 months. Well mail you a welcome package with your Medicare card.

If you or your spouse worked for a railroad, call the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772.

If you live in Puerto Rico or outside the U.S.

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When Are The Medicare Enrollment Dates

Medicare enrollment dates vary based on the type of enrollment you are participating in. Below is a chart of the most common types of enrollments, how you can qualify for a specific enrollment, and the enrollment period.

Ways To Apply For Disability Benefits:

• If you or your spouse worked for a railroad, call the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772.

Once your disability benefits start, well mail you a welcome package with your Medicare card.

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 for Part B and pay a monthly late enrollment penalty.

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Do I Need To Get Medicare Drug Coverage

As long as you have , you can wait to join a Medicare drug plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan with drug coverage. If youre not sure, ask your drug plan if its creditable drug coverage.

Each year your plan must tell you if your non-Medicare drug coverage is creditable coverage. Keep this information you may need it when youre ready to join a Medicare drug plan.

You can join a plan anytime while you have job-based health insurance, and up to 2 months after you lose that insurance.

andbefore

Even if you have a Special Enrollment Period to join a plan after you first get Medicare, you might have to pay the Part D late enrollment penalty. To avoid the Part D late enrollment penalty, dont go 63 days or more in a row without Medicare drug coverage or other creditable drug coverage.

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Should I Sign Up For Medicare If Im Still Working

Regardless of if youre still working and have a group health plan, you should still enroll in Medicare Part A coverage. Premium-free Part A will give you extra hospital benefits. However, with Medicare Part B enrollment, if you have group employer coverage then you can delay enrolling until you leave your group coverage insurance.

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