Starting Medicare
Most people will fit into one of three situations when it’s time to start Medicare. You may already be getting a Social Security check, which means you are enrolled in Medicare automatically. You may not be getting Social Security yet, so you will need to sign up for Medicare yourself. Or you may be still working and covered by your job’s insurance, which means you have choices about when to start Medicare.
1. Already Getting Social Security
If you are already getting a Social Security check, you don’t need to sign up. You will be enrolled in Medicare automatically. Your Medicare ID card will come in the mail about 3 months before your 65th birthday. The cost for Part B (doctor visits) is usually $185 each month, and it comes out of your Social Security check. If your income is higher (over $106,000 for one person or $212,000 for a couple), you may pay more.
2. Not Getting Social Security Yet
If you are not getting a Social Security check, you must sign up for Medicare yourself. You can:
Go online at www.ssa.gov/medicare/sign-up
Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213
Visit your local Social Security office
Mail in an application
For Part B, you will be billed every 3 months at first. After that, you can pay each month at www.MyMedicare.gov.
3. Still Working With Employer Insurance
If you are still working and have health insurance through your job, you have choices:
You can keep your job’s insurance and only sign up for Medicare Part A (hospital help).
You can wait to sign up for Part B until you retire.
If you are still putting money into a Health Savings Account (HSA), don’t sign up for Part A or B yet.
You can also drop your job’s insurance and sign up for Medicare Part A and B instead.
