You may be required to get Medicare Part B even when you’re still working. If you’re covered by a spouse’s employer, and the employer requires covered dependents to enroll in Medicare when they turn 65.

If you qualify for Part A, you can also get Part B. Enrolling in Part B is your choice. But, you’ll need both Part A and Part B to get the full benefits available under Medicare to cover certain dialysis and kidney transplant services.

If you’re eligible for premium-free Part A, you can enroll in Part A anytime after you’re first eligible for Medicare. In most cases, if you don’t sign up for Medicare Part B when you’re first eligible, you’ll have to pay a late enrollment penalty.

Part A provides inpatient/hospital coverage. Part B provides outpatient/medical coverage. Part C offers an alternate way to receive your Medicare benefits (see below for more information). Part D provides prescription drug coverage.

Visit your local Social Security office. Call Social Security at 1-(TTY: 1-. If you worked for a railroad, call the RRB at 1- If you already have Part A and want to sign up for Part B, complete an Application for Enrollment in Part B (CMS-40B).

Many seniors are no longer employed at age 65, and thus rush to sign up for Medicare as soon as they’re able. But if you’re still working at 65, and you have coverage under a group health plan through an employer with 20 employees or more, then you don’t have to enroll in Medicare right now.

If you don’t qualify to delay Part B, you’ll need to enroll during your Initial Enrollment Period to avoid paying the penalty. You may refuse Part B without penalty if you have creditable coverage, but you have to do it before your coverage start date.

You can enroll in Medicare Part A and/or Medicare Part B in the following ways:

1. Online at www.SocialSecurity.gov.
2. By calling Social Security at 1-(TTY users 1-, Monday through Friday, from 7AM to 7PM.
3. In-person at your local Social Security office.

65

Part B, referred to as medical insurance, is not free. You pay a monthly premium for Medicare Part B. Part B is the portion of Medicare that more closely resembles what you may think of as traditional health insurance.

Your Medicare Part B premiums will be automatically deducted from your Social Security benefits. Most people receive Part A without paying a premium. You can choose to have your Part C and Part D premiums deducted from your benefits.

It is mandatory to sign up for Medicare Part A once you enroll in Social Security. The two are permanently linked. However, Medicare Parts B, C, and D are optional and you can delay enrollment if you have creditable coverage. Your specific circumstances affect the answer to the Medicare at 65 question.

If you didn’t get Part B when you’re first eligible, your monthly premium may go up 10% for each 12-month period you could’ve had Part B, but didn’t sign up. In most cases, you’ll have to pay this penalty each time you pay your premiums, for as long as you have Part B.

8 months

Many people ask if they should sign up for Medicare Part B when they have other insurance or private insurance. Medicare is secondary, so you can delay Part B until you retired if you want to. You can delay Part B without penalty if you have creditable employer health coverage from a large employer.

You can voluntarily terminate your Medicare Part B (medical insurance). However, since this is a serious decision, you may need to have a personal interview. A Social Security representative will help you complete Form CMS 1763. You can also contact your nearest Social Security office.

Canceling Part B because you were automatically enrolled But beware: if you opt out of Part B without having creditable coverage—that is, employer-sponsored health insurance from your current job that’s as good or better than Medicare—you could face late-enrollment penalties (LEPs) down the line.

It is possible to have both private insurance and Medicare at the same time. When you have both, a process called coordination of benefits determines which insurance provider pays first. This provider is called the primary payer.

You can have both a Marketplace plan and Medicaid or CHIP, but you’re not eligible to receive advance payments of the premium tax credit or other cost savings to help pay for your share of the Marketplace plan premium and covered services.

Yes, you can have two health insurance plans. Having two health insurance plans is perfectly legal, and many people have multiple health insurance policies under certain circumstances.

If you have coverage under a plan from your employer in addition to a spouse’s or parent’s plan, your own plan will be primary and the other plan will be secondary. This is also true if the additional coverage is with TRICARE or Medicaid, as those plans are always the secondary insurer if you have other coverage.

Dual coverage: You each sign up for coverage from your employer and you each cover each other, or the entire family, on your plan. This is called dual coverage. It will be more expensive to have two plans but it might provide more coverage in some cases.

Medicaid can provide secondary insurance: For services covered by Medicare and Medicaid (such as doctors’ visits, hospital care, home care, and skilled nursing facility care), Medicare is the primary payer. Medicaid is the payer of last resort, meaning it always pays last.

How does secondary insurance work? Secondary insurance plans work along with your primary medical plan to help cover gaps in cost, services, or both. Supplemental health plans like vision, dental, and cancer insurance can provide coverage for care and services not typically covered under your medical plan.

Best Medicare Supplemental Insurance:

• Best Overall for Medicare: Cigna.
• Most Affordable Medicare Supplemental Insurance: Humana.
• Best Customer Service: Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• Best for Claims: Aetna.
• Best for Quick Service: United Medicare Providers.
• Best for Drug Inclusion: UnitedHealthcare.