If the employer has fewer than 20 employees, you should sign up for Part A and Part B when you’re first eligible or you may face late enrollment penalties.
A person (or a person’s spouse) with group health coverage through a current employer may be able to delay enrolling in Part A and Part B until that coverage ends, and won’t face penalties for enrolling later, but only if the employer has creditable coverage. If the coverage is creditable, you may still want to enroll in Part A (if you qualify for premium-free Part A) but delay enrollment in Part B until the employer plan ends.
If the employer plan is not creditable, you should sign up for Part A and Part B when you’re first eligible or you will face late enrollment penalties.
Twin City Underwriters offers exploratory appointments which provides a review of your existing employer plan and Medicare options to ensure the plan you choose best suits your budget, health and lifestyle needs.
If you do delay Part B enrollment because you are covered under an employer plan, remember to sign up for Part B once the coverage ends. That way, you’ll have continuous coverage and won’t face a late enrollment penalty for Part B.
If you are already receiving Social Security benefits, you will be automatically enrolled in Part A and Part B when you turn 65. If you do not want to pay a premium for Part B benefits now because you have comparable coverage under an employer plan, you will need to let Social Security know that you want to delay Medicare Part B enrollment. You can contact Social Security about this beginning three months before you turn 65. Otherwise, Medicare will assume you want to enroll in Part B and the monthly premium will be automatically deducted from your Social Security check.