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If you are getting ready to turn 65, you’re probably being absolutely flooded with junk mail about Medicare. In addition to that, you are hopefully gathering your information and learning more about how to get enrolled in Medicare. What are all of your options? Let’s discuss further and get into the details. Turning 65 | How Do I Enroll In Medicare?As an independent broker and Medicare advisor with Founder’s Life & Health, I am based here in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri. I am also licensed and work with clients all over the country and these blog posts (and videos) all come from comments and questions that I get from clients. One of the biggest questions I get from most of my new clients turning 65 is: How the heck do I enroll in Medicare? So that is what I am talking about today. Do I have to enroll in Medicare?Do I actively have to enroll or sign up for Medicare? And the answer is: Sometimes. It is not a clear yes or no as with most things in Medicare. If you are turning 65 and you are planning on taking Social Security benefits, then the answer is NO, you do not have to actively sign up for Medicare. Once you start taking your Social Security benefits, that is going to automatically kick Medicare into place. So Social Security and Medicare are going to go hand in hand. On the other hand, if you’re turning 65 and you are not going to be taking Social Security benefits, so you are planning on working a little bit longer, but you don’t want to use your employer’s group coverage, then you will have to actively enroll in parts A and parts B if you choose to take part B as well. So how do we go about doing that? That is question number two. How do I enroll in Medicare?How do I go about actively enrolling in Medicare? Well first let’s talk about the timing. If you’re turning 65 you will have an initial enrollment period (IEP), and that initial enrollment period runs for seven months. It is three months before you turn 65, the month of your birthday and three months after you turn 65. So that is the time in which you are supposed to enroll in Medicare. So you’re turning 65 and within the seven month window, how the heck do I go about getting my Medicare enrolled? There are three ways to go about doing it.
When do Medicare benefits begin?POSTED BY FOUNDERS LIFE & HEALTH ON OCTOBER 7, 2021Turning 65? How to Enroll in MedicareIf you are getting ready to turn 65, you’re probably being absolutely flooded with junk mail about Medicare. In addition to that, you are hopefully gathering your information and learning more about how to get enrolled in Medicare. What are all of your options? Let’s discuss further and get into the details. As an independent broker and Medicare advisor with Founder’s Life & Health, I am based here in beautiful St. Louis, Missouri. I am also licensed and work with clients all over the country and these blog posts (and videos) all come from comments and questions that I get from clients. One of the biggest questions I get from most of my new clients turning 65 is: How the heck do I enroll in Medicare? So that is what I am talking about today. Do I have to enroll in Medicare?Do I actively have to enroll or sign up for Medicare? And the answer is: Sometimes. It is not a clear yes or no as with most things in Medicare. If you are turning 65 and you are planning on taking Social Security benefits, then the answer is NO, you do not have to actively sign up for Medicare. Once you start taking your Social Security benefits, that is going to automatically kick Medicare into place. So Social Security and Medicare are going to go hand in hand. On the other hand, if you’re turning 65 and you are not going to be taking Social Security benefits, so you are planning on working a little bit longer, but you don’t want to use your employer’s group coverage, then you will have to actively enroll in parts A and parts B if you choose to take part B as well. So how do we go about doing that? That is question number two. How do I enroll in Medicare?How do I go about actively enrolling in Medicare? Well first let’s talk about the timing. If you’re turning 65 you will have an initial enrollment period (IEP), and that initial enrollment period runs for seven months. It is three months before you turn 65, the month of your birthday and three months after you turn 65. So that is the time in which you are supposed to enroll in Medicare. So you’re turning 65 and within the seven month window, how the heck do I go about getting my Medicare enrolled? There are three ways to go about doing it.
When do Medicare benefits begin?Now I have enrolled in Medicare, when do my benefits kick in? Again, as with all things Medicare, there’s all kinds of answers to that.
I enrolled in Medicare, what’s next?You have now enrolled, what’s next? You’ve gone through the process, you did what you were supposed to do and you did it all within a timely manner. So now what? Now what do you do? There are two things that you should do: First! keep an eye out for that red, white, and blue card that’s coming in the mail. Your Medicare card is going to have all kinds of valuable information on it that you’re going to need for other services. When the card comes in the mail, it’s in an unassuming paper thing, the card itself is paper, so it can easily get pitched. I’ve had it happen to several clients. After you’re enrolled, keep your eye on the mail and make sure that you don’t accidentally throw that card away. If you don’t see your card within the first two to three weeks, call the Social Security Administration back and have them send you another one because they are actually pretty good about getting the cards out on time. If you don’t see it, it means it got lost somewhere in the mail stratosphere, or it accidentally get pitched, so number one: keep an eye out for that. Second! You’ll want to think about how to fill in some of the holes or gaps that Medicare leaves in your coverage. You will have part A, you will have part B that’s not going to cover everything. For example, it does not cover prescription drug coverage. You’ll need to think about if you want to add prescription drug coverage, which you probably do. You’ll want to think about whether you want to supplement with a Medigap policy that will fill in a lot of the holes that part A and part B are not going to cover. Or if you want to look at a Medicare Advantage Plan that will substitute for all of original Medicare and include a prescription drug plan as well. If you do need additional help with that and you don’t have somebody available to you currently, please reach out to me, I am happy to help. All of my services are 100% free and I am an independent broker and Medicare advisor. I can look at what you have, I can look at your doctors, and I can look at your prescriptions and we can figure out a plan that’s going to work best for you. If an Advantage Plan is better or if a supplement is better, I can look at all of your information and give you some advice on that topic. And as a reminder, all of my services are free! Check out my YouTube channel for more videos on this topic. I love to get your questions! I’m happy to answer all of those. Reach out to me here at any time. About the AuthorHello! I’m Jo Hutchison and I’m the owner of Founders Life & Health. I’m a proud baseball mom, lover of live music and all things potato.. My husband and I have two great boys and two lazy hound dogs. My boys play a LOT of baseball so when I’m not helping my clients we can almost always be found on a baseball field somewhere in the Midwest.
I’m a member of NAIFA (National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors) and a member of NAHU (National Association of Health Underwriters). I spend a good deal of my time working on educational outlets and working on healthcare policy change to help bring comprehensive and AFFORDABLE coverage to everyone. Nothing makes me happier than sharing the tidbits of knowledge that I know about the Medicare and health insurance world so people can make the most informed decisions about what plans they need. The most important thing that I have learned through the years in this business is that each client has very different needs. Our goal is to listen to you, assess your needs, and use our experience and knowledge to help you make informed decisions about your health care coverage. We are an independent brokerage so we advocate for our clients, not the insurance companies.
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