Should I Enroll in Medicare If I’m Turning 65 and Still Working?

Hello Toni,

I am turning 65 soon and working full-time with employer benefits. I’m receiving conflicting information from friends and coworkers regarding enrolling in Medicare. Some say to enroll in only Part A. Meanwhile, others say to enroll in both Medicare Parts A and B.

Please explain the rules about how to apply for Medicare when turning 65.

Thanks,
John from Rosenberg, TX

Hi John,

Enrolling in Medicare is very confusing! Unfortunately, most people think that on your 65th birthday, a magical switch is turned on, and poof—you’re on Medicare! Medicare changed the rules during the Clinton administration. At that time, Social Security extended the time for receiving 100% of your Social Security Benefits. (Social Security does the paperwork for Medicare.)

Now, onto the answer to your question.

Steps to Enrolling in Medicare

Turning 65 and Receiving Your Social Security Check:

• You should receive your “Welcome to Medicare” Kit with your Medicare card 90 days prior to turning 65.
• If you aren’t working full-time with employer benefits or covered by your spouse’s employer benefits when turning 65, please do not return your Medicare card. You do NOT want to pay for Medicare Part B. This can cause you to receive the “famous Part B penalty.”

Turning 65 and NOT Receiving Your Social Security Check:

• You will NOT automatically receive your “Welcome to Medicare” kit when turning 65 with your Medicare card.
• You must enroll in Medicare Parts “A, B, and D” to keep from receiving a “late enrollment penalty (LEP).
• You must enroll in Medicare online at www.ssa.gov/medicare at least 90 days prior to turning 65 for your Medicare Parts A and B to begin the 1^st day of the month you turn 65. Go to Medicare.gov to enroll in your Medicare Part D plan.
• Do NOT wait until right before you turn 65 to enroll in Medicare. It will take time to receive your Medicare card before the 1^st day of the month you turn 65.

Turning 65 and Still Working Full-Time

Do you have Individual Health Insurance?

• Working full-time or contract labor with individual health insurance should enroll in Medicare Parts A, B, and D when turning 65 to avoid a Medicare Part B and D penalty.
• Note: Medicare does NOT recognize individual health plans as “creditable coverage.”

Do you have Qualified Employer Benefits and Work Full-Time?

• Medicare allows you to delay your Medicare Parts A and/or B if you or your spouse are working full-time with employer benefits, not retirement benefits, and you are covered by that specific employer benefits.
• IMPORTANT! “Is still working” are Medicare’s buzzwords for delaying your Medicare Part B. Please take note of that, John and others who may be in his shoes!
• To enroll in Medicare after turning 65 and having delayed Medicare Part B due to working full-time with employer benefits, complete Social Security forms CMS-L564 “Request for Employment Information” (signed by the employer or HR) and CMS-40B “Application for Enrollment in Medicare Part B.” Under “Remarks #12,” state which month you want your Medicare Part B to start. Take your forms to your specific Social Security office either in person, by fax, or by priority mail to enroll in Medicare Part B. Remember to write the words “Special Enrollment Period” across the top of each form to keep from receiving the famous Medicare Part B penalty.

Medicare Survival Guide Advanced Edition

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What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You!

Turning 65 in America is a milestone and one of the markers is enrolling in Medicare. But the system is so complicated, and there is a lot of false information out there.

In Toni King’s Medicare Survival Guide Advanced: Basics and Beyond, Toni gives you the critical steps you need to enroll in Medicare properly. Toni shares various situations that she has experienced with her many clients during Medicare consultations and gives you the information and tools you need to enroll on time to avoid the “famous” Medicare Part B and D penalties.

Medicare Survival Guide Advanced helps you understand Medicare step by step…

Learn How to Enroll the Correct Way
• Still Working Past 65
• Turning 65
• VA Benefits
• Laid-off or Retiring

What Medicare Option Is Best for You
• Medicare Supplement vs. Advantage
• Losing Retirement Benefits

How to Avoid
• The Donut Hole
• Part B Penalties
• Part D IRMAA Penalties

If you are enrolling in Medicare and are confused by the commercials and telemarketers, or from the information that well-meaning friends or family members give, let Toni guide you through the maze of Medicare. Order TODAY!