Medicare: Turning 65 Checklist

Medicare can be very complicated and it can be difficult to know which benefits and plans you may need. New Capital has partnered with Medicare BackOffice to help clients navigate this complex area.

Medicare BackOffice is a team of dedicated insurance advisors who are licensed, contracted and certified in all 50 states to provide Medicare advice and products. They can answer questions and help get you enrolled in Medicare or provide advice on outside policies that will work with Medicare.

If you are approaching age 65, or are already enrolled in Medicare, and have questions or need some advice, please email Catherine.

Below is Medicare BackOffice’s presentation “Turning 65 Checklist”


 

Turning 65 Checklist:

About 9 Months Before Your 65th Birthday

1. Determine whether you’re eligible for Medicare benefits

How? Pick one of three ways:

  • Call Social Security at 1.800.772.1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call 1.800.325.0778. (Medicare is managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Social Security works with CMS by enrolling people in Medicare.)

  • Visit your local Social Security office. Use the Social Security Office locator at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp or call 1.800.772.1213.

  • Go online to the Medicare.gov website’s Eligibility & Premium Calculator: www.medicare.gov/eligibilitypremiumcalc#eligibility

Why? This will help you determine if you will be automatically enrolled for Part A and/or Part B (and if so, to expect your Medicare card in the mail) or if you’ll need to sign up. It also will estimate your premium amounts and provide information so you can decide whether you want Part B and whether you want to supplement Original Medicare.

Note: If you don’t sign up for Part B when you’re first eligible, your monthly premium for Part B may go up 10% for each full 12-month period that you could have had Part B, but didn’t sign up for it.


2. Review your current health insurance plan

Why? Enrolling in Medicare can impact your existing coverage. For example, if you’re on your employer’s plan, your employer can change your premiums, benefits or even cancel coverage once you’re enrolled in Medicare.

3. Explore your options for purchasing supplemental health insurance

Why? Medicare doesn’t cover everything. You may want to consider enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, or supplementing Original Medicare (Parts A and B) with a Medicare Supplement plan, and you may need Medicare Part D Prescription Drug coverage.

How? Call Medicare BackOffice at 1.877.385.8083 to speak with a Licensed Insurance Agent. We can explain your options, give you a price quote, answer your questions and help you enroll.



About 6 Months Before Your 65th Birthday

1. Contact your doctors to see if they accept Medicare

Why? Whether your doctors accept Medicare assignment and participate in Medicare Advantage networks can help you decide whether you want to enroll in Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage.

How? Call your doctors directly, or see if they’re listed on the Medicare.gov directory: https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare.

Note: If you don’t sign up for Part B when you’re first eligible, your monthly premium for Part B may go up 10% for each full 12-month period that you could have had Part B, but didn’t sign up for it.

2. Consider and/or decide whether to purchase Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage health insurance

Why? If you choose, you may enroll in a Medicare Supplement plan up to six months prior to your 65th birthday. You cannot, however, enroll in Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage until three months before your 65th birthday. (See the next checklist, “Turning 65 Checklist: About 3 Months Before Your 65th Birthday.”)

How? Call Medicare BackOffice at 1.877.385.8083 to speak with a Licensed Insurance Agent. We can explain your options, give you a price quote, answer your questions and help you enroll.


About 3 Months Before Your 65th Birthday

1. Sign up for Medicare, if you have not received your automatic enrollment information in the mail, and if you’re not already getting retirement or disability benefits. (You can sign up for Medicare even if you don’t plan to retire at age 65.)

How? Pick one of three ways:

  • Call Social Security at 1.800.772.1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, call 1.800.325.0778. (Medicare is managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Social Security works with CMS by enrolling people in Medicare.)

  • Visit your local Social Security office. Use the Social Security Office locator at https://secure.ssa.gov/ICON/main.jsp or call 1.800.772.1213.

  • Fill out a form online (if applying for Medicare only and not Social Security benefits) at https://secure.ssa.gov/iClaim/rib. Before you start, gather information on this checklist: http://www.ssa.gov/hlp/isba/10/isba-checklist.pdf.

2. Research and enroll in a Medicare Part D Prescription Drug plan, a Medicare Advantage-Part D plan, or a Medicare Supplement plan

Note: If you decide not to join a Medicare Prescription Drug plan when you’re first eligible, and you don’t have other creditable prescription drug coverage, or you don’t get extra help, you’ll likely pay a late enrollment penalty.

How? Call Medicare BackOffice at 1.877.385.8083 to speak with a Licensed Insurance Agent. We can explain your options, give you a price quote, answer your questions, and help you enroll.



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