Medicare Plans

When Do I Sign Up for Medicare Parts A & B?

Signing Up for Part A

Many People Automatically Get Part A - If you get benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), you automatically get Part A starting the first day of the month you turn age 65. If you are under age 65 and disabled, you automatically get Part A after you get disability benefits from Social Security or certain disability benefits from the RRB for 24 months. You will get your Medicare card in the mail 3 months before your 65th birthday or your 25th month of disability.

If you have ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease), you automatically get Part A the month your disability benefits begin.

You can sign up for Part A any time after you turn age 65. Your Part A coverage will start six months back from when you sign up or when you apply for benefits from Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board), but not earlier than the 1st day of the month in which you turned 65 (except if your birthday is on the 1st - in that case coverage is effective on the 1st day of the prior month).

Some People Need to Sign Up for Part A

If you aren't getting Social Security or RRB benefits (for instance, because you are still working), you will need to sign up for Part A (even if you are eligible to get it premium-free). You should contact Social Security 3 months before you turn age 65. If you worked for a railroad, contact the RRB to sign up.

If you need to sign up for Part A, you can sign up during the following times:

• Initial Enrollment Period - When you are first eligible for Medicare. (This is a 7-month period that begins 3 months before the month you turn age 65, includes the month you turn age 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn age 65.)
• General Enrollment Period - Between January 1-March 31 each year. Your coverage will begin the first of the month following the month you apply for coverage. You may have to pay a higher premium for late enrollment. See below.
• Special Enrollment Period - If you or your spouse (or family member if you are disabled) is currently working, and you are covered by a group health plan through the employer or union. See below.
• Special Enrollment Period for International Volunteers - If you are serving as a volunteer in a foreign country. See below.

If you aren't eligible for premium-free Part A, you may be able to buy it. However, if you don't buy Part A when you are first eligible, your monthly premium may go up 10%. You will have to pay the higher premium for twice the number of years you could have had Part A, but didn't join. For example, if you were eligible for Part A, but didn't join for 2 years, you will have to pay the higher premium for 4 years. You don't have to pay a penalty if you are eligible for a special enrollment period.

How You Get Part B

If you get benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), in most cases, you will automatically get Part B starting the first day of the month you turn age 65. If your birthday is on the first day of the month, your Part B will start the first day of the prior month. If you are under age 65 and disabled, you will automatically get Part B after you get disability benefits from Social Security or certain disability benefits from the RRB for 24 months. You will get your Medicare card in the mail about 3 months before your 65th birthday or your 25th month of disability. If you don't want Part B, follow the instructions that come with the card, and send the card back. If you keep the card, you keep Part B and will pay Part B premiums.

If you have ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease), you automatically get Part B the month your disability benefits begin.

When Can You Sign Up for Part B?

If you didn't sign up for Part B when you first became eligible, you may be able to sign up during one of these times:

• General Enrollment Period - Between January 1-March 31 each year. Your coverage will begin the first of the month following the month you apply for coverage. You may have to pay a late enrollment penalty.
• Special Enrollment Period - If you wait to sign up for Part B because you or your spouse is currently working, and you are covered by a group health plan based on that work, or if you are disabled and you or a family member is working, and you are covered by a group health plan based on that work. You can sign up for Part B anytime while you have group health plan coverage based on current employment or during the 8-month period that begins the month after the employment ends, or the group health plan coverage ends, whichever happens first. If you have COBRA coverage, you must enroll during the 8 month period that begins the month after the employment ends. This Special Enrollment Period doesn't apply to people with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
• Special Enrollment Period for International Volunteers - If you waited to sign up for Part B because you had health insurance while volunteering outside of the U.S. for a tax exempt organization for at least a year. You can sign up during the 6-month period that begins the first month that any one of the following happens:
  • You are no longer volunteering outside the U.S.
  • The sponsoring organization is no longer tax exempt
  • You no longer have health insurance coverage outside the U.S.

If you have Medicare because of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), you can sign up for Part B when you sign up for Part A. If you delay signing up for Part B, you can only get it during the general enrollment period, and you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty.

If you aren't getting Social Security or RRB benefits, and you want to get Part B, you will need to sign up for Part B during your initial enrollment period (the 7-month period that begins 3 months before the month you turn age 65, includes the month you turn age 65, and ends 3 months after the month you turn age 65).

If you don't sign up for Part B when you are first eligible, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty for as long as you have Medicare. 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. Usually, you don't pay a late enrollment penalty if you sign up for Part B during a special enrollment period.

Note: If you are age 65 or older, after you sign up for Part B, you have a 6-month Medigap open enrollment period which gives you a guaranteed right to buy a Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy. Once this period starts, it can't be delayed or replaced.

Back to Top | Back to Medicare Plans Home

• When Do I Sign Up for Medicare Parts A & B?
• How Much are Medicare Premiums, Deductibles and Coinsurance Rates?
• Can I Choose Medicare Advantage (Part C) Instead of Medicare Parts A & B?
• Medicare Advantage Plan Types and Enrollment Periods
• Are There Other Kinds of Medicare Health Plans?
• What Are My Options for Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage (Part D)?
• What Are Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) Policies?
• Changes Made to Medigap Plans on June 1st, 2010
• Changes Made to Medigap Plans on January 1st, 2020