Medicare Made Easy

What is Medicare?

Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides essential medical coverage for people age 65 or older, as well as certain younger individuals with disabilities. This program helps seniors cover the cost of multiple medical expenses, including doctor visits, preventative care, and hospital stays. While it won’t cover the total cost it does significantly reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

Medicare doesn’t usually cover the total expense; however, it helps seniors reduce out-of-pocket healthcare costs like long-term care services, doctor visits, and preventative care.

It helps cover a wide range of healthcare services, including hospital stays, doctor visits, preventive care, and prescription medications, depending on the plan. By reducing out-of-pocket costs and offering access to a broad network of providers, Medicare offers peace of mind and financial protection.

Do I Quality for Medicare

How do I know if I qualify for Medicare?
You automatically qualify for Medicare at age 65 if you:
• Are a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident (living in the U.S. for at least 5 continuous years), and
• You or your spouse have worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years (40 quarters).
• You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).
You may not automatically qualify if:
• You haven’t worked (or your spouse hasn’t worked) enough to get the 10-year Medicare tax requirement.
• You are not a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
• You are under 65 (except in cases of disability, ESRD, or ALS).
Even if you don’t quality for premium-free Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), you can still buy into it – and you are still eligible for Part B (medical insurance) if you are 65+ and meet the residency/citizenship rules.
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Signing up for Medicare

How do I sign up for Medicare?

Generally, when you turn 65. This is called your Initial Enrollment Period. It lasts for 7 months, starting 3 months before you turn 65, and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65. Some people get Medicare automatically, others actively sign up — it depends if you start receiving retirement or disability benefits from Social Security before you turn 65.

If you’re getting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security at least 4 months before turning 65 you’ll get Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) automatically when you turn 65. You’ll still need to make important decisions about your coverage, like whether you need to add drug coverage.

You can sign up between January 1-March 31 each year. This is called the General Enrollment Period. Your coverage starts the month after you sign up. You might pay a monthly late enrollment penalty, if you don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period.

Over 65 and working

What if I’m OVER 65 and still working?

If you’re over 65 and still working, you have options regarding Medicare enrollment, and the best choice depends on your specific situation, particularly your employer’s plan. You can choose to enroll in Medicare, delay enrollment, or have a combination of both, but it’s crucial to understand how your employer’s plan interacts with Medicare