Second Chances at Signing Up for Medicare – AARP
If you or your spouse still works and you have health insurance through either of your employers, you might decide to sign up for premium-free Part A, which helps pay hospital costs and some skilled nursing care after a hospital stay as an inpatient. Most people don’t pay premiums for Part A because they or their spouse had Medicare taxes deducted from their paychecks for at least 10 years.
However, you might delay enrolling in Part B — which helps pay for doctor visits and other outpatient services, such as lab tests, medical equipment and X-rays — and costs $170.10 a month for most people in 2022. You might also hold off on choosing a Part D prescription drug plan because you have coverage through an employer.
When your job-based health insurance ends, either because of retirement or another reason, you can sign up for Part B during a special enrollment period. After that, you can sign up for a stand-alone Part D prescription drug policy and a Medigap policy, which can cover most of Medicare’s deductibles and copayments. Or you could buy a private Medicare Advantage plan, which can provide both medical and drug coverage.
You can’t have Medigap and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. No matter which route you choose, be sure you’re aware of the enrollment deadlines:
For Part B, you’ll need to sign up before your employer coverage ends or within eight months of losing your job-based coverage to avoid a late-enrollment penalty.
Your six-month Medigap open enrollment period, when you can’t be rejected for any policy sold in your area because of health problems, generally begins the first day of the month you have Part B and are 65 or older. After that, Medigap insurers may be able to reject you or charge more because of preexisting conditions.
For Part D, you have a shorter special enrollment period — two months after the month that your previous prescription drug coverage ends. You don’t have to sign up for Part D as long as you have what government officials call creditable coverage, which is prescription drug coverage that is considered to be as good as or better than Part D. It can come from an employer, retiree plan, Tricare military health care or another source.
The end of creditable coverage can happen for several reasons, including your retirement or your spouse’s retirement and the end of employer-provided drug coverage, the shutdown of your retiree drug plan or your move from your plan’s service area. You can decide to buy a Part D plan to cover prescriptions or enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage.
11 steps to enroll online in Part B
If you need to enroll in Part B during a special enrollment period, visit the Social Security Administration (SSA) website. To complete the form, you’ll need your Medicare number, documentation of your spouse’s or your health insurance and an email address. Be sure to use a Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser.
1. At the bottom of the opening page, check a box indicating that you understand the agency’s policies. Click Start application and you’ll be taken to the application page.
2. Scroll down and fill out the application for enrollment. Provide your Medicare number, then click Yes when you’re asked if you want to sign up for Part B. Type in your name, address and phone number. In the Remark field, mention the date you would like your Part B coverage to start.
