A lot of people reach
the age of Medicare eligibility and continue to work. Many have health
insurance through their employers. What about Medicare?
Here’s what you need to know:
·
You still have a Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) when you
turn 65. You may want to enroll in Part A during this time. It’s premium
free, as long as you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least
10 years.
·
You have to be proactive and enroll in Medicare yourself. Medicare doesn’t
notify you about your IEP unless you currently get Social Security or Railroad
Retirement Board benefits.
·
You may qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period (SEP) that
allows you to delay enrolling in Part B and Part D without incurring late enrollment penalties. You need to get
confirmation of creditable coverage from your employer.
Retirement and Medicare Basics
Retiring soon? Know the Medicare basics. Your Medicare
health coverage choices can vary based on your age and whether you have retiree
coverage through your employer or plan sponsor. Find out what you need to know
and the questions to ask to help you retire with peace of mind.
Spouses may get SEPs, too
If you’re covered by
your working spouse’s employer health insurance plan, and you are 65 or older,
you may qualify for a Medicare Special Enrollment Period when your spouse’s
employer insurance ends. Same-sex spouses included!
>
Get Your Medicare
Special Enrollment Period Dates
Your SEP, if you qualify for one, begins when you retire or
your employer insurance ends—whichever comes first. Find your SEP dates using
this simple tool or select the tab that matches your situation.
Enter your retirement date or the
date you're losing your employer coverage (whichever happens first).
Note: This information is used only to help calculate your
enrollment dates.
MONTH
JANUARY
YEAR
2011
Qualifying Disability
How to Use Your
Medicare Special Enrollment Period
Talk with your employer health insurance plan administrator
before you make any decisions. You need to understand if, and how, your plan
may work with Medicare. You may be required to take full Medicare benefits
(Parts A and B) at age 65 in some situations, such as if your employer has
fewer than 20 employees.
During your SEP, you may:
1.
Enroll in Part B, and Part A, if you
haven’t already. You have 8 months to enroll.
2.
Enroll in a Medicare Advantage (Part
C) or a prescription drug (Part D) plan. You have 2 months to enroll. Learn
about choosing a plan.
You are not eligible for this SEP when COBRA or retiree coverage ends.
However, you may be eligible for a different SEP. Talk
with your plan administrator or call the Medicare helpline for more
information.
If you enroll in both
Medicare Part A and Part B, you may add prescription drug coverage and Medicare
supplement insurance. Or, you may choose a Medicare Advantage plan.
No comments:
Post a Comment