signing up for Medicare Part B - I'm confused

[aurora_maire]

I’m retiring on Jan. 10. I went online tonight to set up my Social Security payments to begin on Feb. 1. In the process, I was asked if I wanted to sign up for Part B. (I have Part A already.) If you answer yes, there is no option to say when you want it to begin, which for me will be Feb. 1 when my current employment insurance ends. I saved the application without submitting because it’s my understanding that you can’t sign up for Part B without a form from your HR department stating that your insurance has ended, and you have to apply by mail or in person. If this is correct, I’m not sure what answering yes on the SS application means.

In my research tonight some sites say that you should apply for Part B before you actually retire. But my HR department told me that I will get the form after I retire, so that’s only going to give me a couple weeks to get Part B set up. Will that be enough time?

Any retirees here who can share your experience with this?

[OttoDaFe]

You don’t say how old you are, which affects your enrollment window. Generally, you have seven months around your 65th birthday (the month of your birthday, three months before and three months after); enrolling later than three months after your birthday may incur a penalty unless you were covered by private insurance up till the date you start Medicare. If that’s the case you will need to supply a form CMS-L564 — filled out by your employer — certifying that fact.

I applied in person so I’m not familiar with the web page, but I found the manual form quite easy to follow (at least, for a government document). It may be helpful to you as well.

[PastTense]

It looks like your understanding is wrong–that in fact you can sign up anytime:

Once your Initial Enrollment Period ends, you may have the chance to sign up for Medicare during a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). **If you’re covered under a Group health plan based on current employment, you have a SEP to sign up for Part A and/or Part B anytime **as long as:

You or your spouse (or family member if you're disabled) is working.
You're covered by a group health plan through the employer or union based on that work.

You also have an 8-month SEP to sign up for Part A and/or Part B that starts at one of these times (whichever happens first):

The month after the employment ends
The month after group health plan insurance based on current employment ends

https://www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/how-do-i-get-parts-a-b/part-a-part-b-sign-up-periods

Here is a FAQ on the procedure. And again:

You can use the Part B SEP while you have job-based insurance, or for eight months after you no longer have job-based insurance (either from your job, your spouse’s job, or sometimes a family member’s job).

Medicare-Part-B-SEP.pdf

Forms are at:

CMS40B-E.pdf

CMS-L564E.pdf

Note the FAQ does say:

After submission, you will receive a letter in the mail from SSA with your enrollment decision. If you are approved, your Medicare coverage will either be effective on the first of the month that you enrolled or on the first of the following month, depending on your situation. If you are denied enrollment, you have the right to appeal the decision.

But if I were in your situation I would rather risk paying an extra $150 (or whatever) premium to be absolutely sure I was covered rather than take a chance.

PS: You should probably also be looking at Medicare Supplement policies now and signing up in the next couple weeks to start February 1.

But probably people here have gone through this situation and will be able to provide better information.

[aurora_maire]

First I need to apologize. In my confusion last night I totally made a mess of the original post and the subject line doesn’t actually reflect the content. I appreciate the responses, but let me try again.

I know how to sign up for Part B. You do it in person or by mail with a form from your HR department. I’ll be in the Special Enrollment Period since I will have private insurance until Jan. 31. I know which Advantage plan I want. I’m just beginning the process to get all this set up.

So last night I was signing up online for Social Security benefits. I came to the question “Do you want to enroll in Part B?”. To me that reads as an offer to enroll me. But I know that SS can’t do that. Hence my confusion. If it asked “Do you plan to enroll in Part B” the answer would be “yes”. But that’s not what is being asked. And if I answer “no”, I’m concerned this could screw things up when I actually do enroll next month. Since it’s a yes/no question with no indication of what effect the answers have, I don’t know which is correct.

So what I hoping for in this post is someone who has recently signed up for SS benefits and remembers this question. I’d like to know how they responded.

[VOW]

My first question is–are you 65? Unless Medicare recognizes you as disabled, you do no qualify for Medicare until you turn 65. If you retire at say, 63, then you will have to keep your present insurance, or go without coverage until you turn 65.

If you continue to work beyond age 65, it is my understanding that private insurers will not allow your present coverage to continue. You may purchase the private insurer’s Medicare supplement, but you are expected to sign up for Medicare.

You need to talk to Medicare and your HR now, before you retire.
~VOW

[Chefguy]

Fun fact: this coming year Social Security payments will go up 1.6% (COLA increase). Medicare premiums, on the other hand, will go up about 7%. Are we tired of all the winning yet?

[doreen]

@VOW

My first question is–are you 65? Unless Medicare recognizes you as disabled, you do no qualify for Medicare until you turn 65. If you retire at say, 63, then you will have to keep your present insurance, or go without coverage until you turn 65.

If you continue to work beyond age 65, it is my understanding that private insurers will not allow your present coverage to continue. You may purchase the private insurer’s Medicare supplement, but you are expected to sign up for Medicare.

That depends - Medicare is secondary to insurance through your employer if your employer has more than a certain number of employees ( I think 20) and you are still actively working. Medicare is primary if your employer has fewer than the specified number of employees or if you are covered under your former employee’s plan as a retiree.

[doreen]

nm

[aurora_maire]

@VOW

My first question is–are you 65? Unless Medicare recognizes you as disabled, you do no qualify for Medicare until you turn 65. If you retire at say, 63, then you will have to keep your present insurance, or go without coverage until you turn 65.

If you continue to work beyond age 65, it is my understanding that private insurers will not allow your present coverage to continue. You may purchase the private insurer’s Medicare supplement, but you are expected to sign up for Medicare.

You need to talk to Medicare and your HR now, before you retire.
~VOW

I signed up for Medicare when I turned 65 last July. I’ll have my employer insurance until the end of Jan. I’ll enroll in Part B to start in February.