Calling all eligible for Medicare Part B who haven’t enrolled. This is the last call to enroll in Medicare Part B during the General Enrollment Period that ends on March 31.
If you sign up now, you’ll have Part B coverage for:
- Doctor Visits
- Routine Medical Care
- Preventive Care
- Ambulance Service
WHY YOU SHOULD SIGN UP
This General Enrollment Period is for people who did not sign up for Part B around the time that you turned 65. You have three months before you turn 65, the month of your 65th birthday and three months after that.
This General Enrollment Period is for everyone who didn’t sign up during that initial seven-month period.
If you are working full-time and have coverage, you don’t have to enroll yet. But if you are not working, have COBRA or a retiree health plan you must sign up for Part B or face penalties.
So this is the time to do it.
The Medicare Rights Center’s Joe Baker says, “Time and time again we hear from callers on our helpline who did not enroll in Part B when they first became eligible. The complex rules that govern how employer and retiree health insurance coordinate with Medicare often create a perfect storm of confusion for consumers.
There is an exception. You may be eligible for a special enrollment period after this, if you or your spouse had coverage through an employer when you became eligible for Medicare. You can enroll within eight months after you or your spouse stop working.
LONG WAIT FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY
There is not another General Enrollment Period until January 1, 2015 for coverage that begins in July of 2015. That means you’ll have a big gap in coverage.
ANOTHER EXCEPTION
If a government official misinformed you about enrollment rules, you may be able to enroll retroactively in Part B without a penalty. But this is can be a complicated, frustrating drama.
WATCH OUR VIDEO ABOUT PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO ENROLL IN MEDICARE PART B
It’s very easy to apply. You can do it online at www.socialsecurity.gov, or visit your local Social Security office.
Figuring out Medicare Choices
The Medicare Rights Center offers a free interactive tool to help figure out Medicare issues www.medicareinteractive.org.
DO YOU HAVE A PART B STORY? TELL US IN OUR COMMENT SECTION.
