Turning 65? Here's your Medicare timeline.
Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) lasts seven months: the three months before your 65th birthday month, your birthday month, and the three months after. Enroll on time and you avoid late penalties that last for life. Here's the whole thing, month by month.
Get your lists together
Write down your doctors, your prescriptions with dosages, and your pharmacy. Then learn the one big fork in the road: all-in-one Medicare Advantage, or Original Medicare plus a Supplement and Part D. See them side by side.
Your window opens
Enroll in Medicare Parts A and B through Social Security, online, about 15 minutes. Still working with employer coverage? You may be able to delay Part B; check before you skip it. Then pick your plan. That part is what we do, free.
Coverage begins
If you enrolled before your birthday month, coverage typically starts on the 1st. Your cards arrive by mail. Before any appointment, confirm your doctors are in network, we do this for every client.
Last call, no penalty
Your IEP closes at the end of the third month after your birthday month. Enroll in Part B late and it costs roughly 10% more for every year you waited, permanently. Missed it? Call us; a Special Enrollment Period may still apply.
Still working at 65?
If you or your spouse have coverage from an employer with 20 or more employees, you can usually delay Part B without penalty and keep your work coverage.
When that employment ends, an 8-month Special Enrollment Period opens for Part B, but only about 2 months for drug coverage. The order of operations matters. One call with HR and one with us prevents expensive mistakes.
Questions, answered
Does Medicare start automatically at 65? +
Only if you're already receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits. Then Parts A and B start automatically on the first day of your birthday month. Everyone else must apply through Social Security.
Do I have to enroll at 65 if I'm still working? +
Not always. With employer coverage from a company of 20 or more employees, you can usually delay Part B penalty-free. Smaller employer? Medicare usually needs to come first. This is the single most common place people get burned. Check with your HR and with us before deciding.
What does Medicare cost at 65? +
Part A is premium-free for most people who worked 10 or more years. Part B has a monthly premium that Medicare sets each year, and your plan choice, Advantage, or Supplement plus Part D, determines the rest. We price your real options in your ZIP code, free.
Should I pick Medicare Advantage or a Supplement? +
It depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your budget, and how you like to use healthcare. See our plain-English comparison at medcora.com/compare.html, or let a broker walk you through both routes in about ten minutes.
Turning 65 this year? Lock in your plan before the window closes.
Three quick questions, two minutes. A licensed broker calls you back within 15 minutes during business hours.