HOW TO ENROLL IN MEDICARE
DO YOU NEED TO ENROLL?
The first question you need to ask is do you need to enroll in Medicare? Have you started receiving social security benefits yet? If you have then you will be enrolled automatically into Original Medicare.
But if you haven’t started receiving social security benefits yet and Medicare will be your primary coverage then you need to enroll. There are 3 different ways you can do that
- Online
- Over the phone
- In person at your local Social Security office
ONLINE
You can sign up for your Medicare benefits online with Social Security here.
It’s important to note that you only use this if you are signing up for Medicare. If you want to start your Social Security benefits too then I do NOT recommend this option for you.
This is a smooth process that many seniors use each day.
PHONE
You can call Social Security and enroll over the phone. 1-800-772-1213 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can call Social Security TTY 1-800-325-0778.
You may find it helpful to talk to someone instead of doing it on your own behind a computer. This is a good option then but one drawback is the potential hold times. It’s common to wait 20 minutes or more before being able to talk to someone.
I recommend calling first thing in the morning if you want to use this option.
IN PERSON AT YOUR LOCAL SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE
I recommend this option for people that are planning on starting Medicare and Social Security benefits at same time. If you aren’t sure where your local office is you can look it up here.
WHEN CAN YOU ENROLL
When you are about to turn 65 you enter your Initial Enrollment Period. This is a 7 month window when you can enroll in Medicare coverage. It starts 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes your birthday month, and lasts 3 months after your birthday month.
Officially you can start 3 months before you turn 65 but I recommend waiting until you are within 3 months of your birthday.
Here’s an example for a better understanding. Your birthday is October 20th. So your Medicare coverage can begin October 1st. Your Initial Enrollment period starts July 1st and lasts until the end of January.
So the earliest you can start to enroll is July 1st. But I would recommend waiting until July 21st and enrolling then. At this point you are within 3 months of your birthday. It’s been my experience that waiting until that time period makes for a smoother enrollment process for you.
IMPORTANT TO ENROLL EARLY
You have a 7 month window to enroll in Medicare when you turn 65. But if you wait until the last 3 months then your coverage will be delayed.
If you want your coverage to start during your birthday month then you need to enroll in the 3 months prior to your birthday.
Waiting to enroll until the month you turn 65 means your Medicare coverage doesn’t start until the next month.
But if you wait to sign up until the month after you turn 65, then your Medicare coverage doesn’t start for 2 months. An example would be you turn 65 in October. But you don’t enroll in Medicare until November. Your Medicare coverage doesn’t start until January.
And if you wait until the last month of your Initial Enrollment period to sign up, then your coverage doesn’t start until 3 months later. Sticking with the same example of the October birthday, your Initial Enrollment Period would end in January. So you sign up for Medicare in January but your coverage won’t start until April.
ENROLLING IN MEDICARE IS NOT YOUR LAST STEP
Most people still need prescription drug coverage because that is something that Original Medicare does not cover. Seniors typically choose to get that by itself and add a Medicare supplement policy to fill in the coverage gaps in Original Medicare. Others prefer a Medicare Advantage policy that bundles in prescription drug coverage with their Medicare coverage.
There are more than 30 carriers offering plans in Wisconsin. Call me at 608-571-4461 so I can help you sort through all your options in about 15 minutes.
Mike Lovell
608-571-4461