medicare resources

Go to SSA.gov

• If you’re already getting benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), you’ll automatically get Part A and Part B starting the first day of the month you turn 65.
• If you’re under 65 and have a disability, you’ll automatically get Part A and Part B after you get disability benefits from Social Security or certain disability benefits from the RRB for 24 months. 
• If you have ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease), you’ll get Part A and Part B automatically the month your Social Security disability benefits begin.

If you’re close to 65, but NOT getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement

Board (RRB) benefits, you’ll need to sign up for Medicare. Contact Social Security 3 months before you turn 65. You can also apply for Part A and Part B at socialsecurity.gov/benefits/medicare.

If you have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) and you want Medicare, you’ll need to sign up. Contact Social Security to find out when and how to sign up for Part A and Part B. For more information, visit Medicare.gov/publications to view the booklet “Medicare Coverage of Kidney Dialysis & Kidney Transplant Services.”

If you didn’t get automatically enrolled in premium-free Part A (for example, because you’re still working and not yet getting Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) benefits), you can sign up for premium-free Part A (if you’re eligible) any time during or after your Initial Enrollment Period begins.

If you’re eligible for premium-free Part A, you can enroll in Part A anytime after you’re first eligible for Medicare. Your Part A coverage will go back (retroactively) 6 months from when you sign up, but no earlier than the first month you’re eligible for Medicare. 

When you have other insurance and Medicare, there are rules for whether Medicare or your other insurance pays first. 

Medicare pays first if:

• You have retiree insurance (insurance from your or your spouse’s former employment)
• You’re 65 or older, have group health plan coverage based on your or your spouse’s current employment, and the employer has fewer than 20 employees
• You’re under 65 and have a disability, have group health plan coverage based on your or a family member’s current employment, and the employer has fewer than 100 employees  
• You have Medicaid

Medicare Part A and Part B cover certain medical services and supplies in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other health care settings. Medicare Part D covers prescription drugs.

Your red, white, and blue Medicare card shows whether you have Part A (listed as HOSPITAL), Part B (listed as MEDICAL), or both, and the date your coverage begins. If you have Original Medicare, you’ll use it to get your Medicare-covered services. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare health plan, in most cases, you’ll use your plan’s card to get your Medicare-covered services. 

You can get all of the Medicare-covered services in this section if you have both Part A and Part B.

A Medicare Advantage Plan is another way to get your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans, sometimes called “Part C” or “MA Plans,” are offered by Medicare-approved private companies that must follow rules set by Medicare. Most Medicare Advantage Plans include drug coverage (Part D). In many cases, you’ll need to use health care providers who participate in the plan’s network and service area for the lowest costs. These plans set a limit on what you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket each year for covered services, to help protect you from unexpected costs. Some plans offer out-of-network coverage, but sometimes at a higher cost. Remember, you must use the card from your Medicare Advantage Plan to get your Medicare-covered services. Keep your red, white, and blue Medicare card in a safe place because you’ll need it if you ever switch back to Original Medicare.

If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll still have Medicare but you’ll get most of your Part A and Part B coverage from your Medicare Advantage Plan, not Original Medicare. 

Learn more here.

If you are on an Original Medicare plan, you can most likely keep your doctor as long as they accept Medicare. If you are on a Medicare Advantage plan, it gets more complicated and there are multiple factors that dictate whether you can keep your doctor. 

For more information, schedule an appointment with us.

Generally, Medicare does not cover outside the US. Learn more about International Insurance.