Texas Medicare Enrollment works the same as enrollment in any state. Your original Medicare benefits are sometimes referred to as traditional Medicare. This consists of Medicare Part A (Hospital Benefits) and Medicare Part B (Outpatient Benefits). Often there is a great deal of confusion about how and when to get enrolled in Medicare as opposed to social security.
For some people who are already collecting social security, you will find that you will automatically receive your Medicare card in the mail a few months before you turn 65. For these folks, Medicare kicks right in at age 65 and nothing else is required unless you don’t want the benefits. While Part A has no premium for anyone who has worked 10 years in the U.S., Part B does cost a monthly premium, and if someone still has group health insurance at work, he or she may decide to decline Part B until later on when they retire.
For everyone else, there is action required on your part. Following these simple steps should help you keep everything on track.
1) Contact Social Security to verify your eligibility for Medicare a few months before your 65th birthday if you are not currently receiving social security benefits. Since you don’t reach full benefit age for social security payments until you are 66, many people wait to enroll in Social Security if they are still working. However, this does not affect your eligibility for Medicare at age 65.
2) Decide whether you will want Medicare for your primary insurance, or if you will have it coordinate with group insurance that you may have access to through your job. If you have group insurance with rich benefits at little cost to you, you may decide to opt out of Part B for awhile since it does have a cost to you. On the other hand, if your group insurance has a high deductible, you might want to pay for Part B, since it will coordinate with your group insurance to reduce your out of pocket costs.
3) Apply for your Medicare benefits at a local social security office or even enroll online or by phone. The SS representative will give you the proper forms, including one your employer will need to complete if you are leaving your group health coverage in lieu of Medicare as your primary insurance. The form notifies social security that when you will need your Medicare benefits to kick in. Allow about three to four weeks after you contact social security before you expect to see your Medicare card in the mail.
After these steps have been completed, you’ll be set up with either Medicare for your primary coverage or a secondary coverage aftter your group health plan pays. Remember that Medicare Part D is optional, but if your group health coverage is not as good as Medicare Part D’s standard benefit, then you could be racking up a late enrollment penalty. Texas carriers offer several inexpensive Medicare Part D plans that you can enroll in to help offset the cost of your prescription drugs.
If you do not have group health coverage, then Medicare will likely be your primary insurance, and you’ll need the services of an independent Texas Medicare insurance specialist to assist you in locating suitable coverage to pay for the many things that Medicare does not cover. Medicare supplement coverage and Part D drug coverage both have limited windows of enrollment as you turn 65, so you’ll want to get the facts before your open enrollment period expires.
Tackling Medicare on your own is always difficult. For assistance with your Texas Medicare Enrollment, contact Danielle Kunkle’s agency for free help in getting properly set up.