Your Initial Enrollment Period is when you first become eligible for Medicare.

You have a 7-month enrollment window to sign up for Part A and/or Part B.

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Reasons you may be eligible:

• You are turning 65 years old.

• You are newly eligible for Medicare because you have a disability and are under the age of 65.

• You are losing your creditable employer plan.

• You are diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or End Stage Renal  Disease (ESRD)

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During that same time you will need to decide on what type of plan you would like in addition to Parts A & B.

 

A couple of your options are:

• Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement and a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

• Medicare Advantage Plan.

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There are certain instances where you may accrue a penalty if you do not sign up on time, or choose not to enroll in certain Medicare Parts.

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Please call our office to set up an appointment to go through your specific circumstances.

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The Annual Enrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Plans and Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage is:

October 15th - December 7th.

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During this period, you are able to:

• Change from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan.

• Change from a Medicare Advantage Plan back to Original Medicare.

• Switch from one Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan.

• Join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

• Switch from one Medicare Drug Plan to another Medicare Drug Plan.

• Drop your Medicare Prescription Drug coverage completely.

There are certain circumstances where you may be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period. During a SEP, you may be able to change plans or enroll in a new plan.

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Some circumstances may include:

• Moving to a new address that isn't in your plan's service area.

• You are no longer eligible, or become newly eligible, for Medicaid.

• You involuntarily lose creditable drug coverage.

• You have a chance to enroll in an employer plan.

• You qualify for Extra Help paying for Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage.

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While these are just a few of the qualifying circumstances, there are many other qualifying reasons to be eligible for a SEP. Please call our office and we'd be happy to go through those with you.

It’s important to understand how your current coverage works with Medicare. If you have questions about your current insurance, the best source of information is to call us.

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Are you turning 65?

• If you aren’t getting benefits from Social Security (or the RRB) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you'll need to sign up with Social Security to get Parts A and B. However, depending on the size of the employer, you may be able to delay Parts A and B without having to pay a penalty if you enroll later.

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Over 65?

• In most cases, you don't need to do anything until you (or your spouse) retire or you lose the employer coverage. If you didn’t enroll when you were first eligible, the size of the employer determines whether you have to pay a penalty if you enroll later.

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Under 65 with a disability?

• Medicare is available for certain people with disabilities who are under age 65. These individuals must have received Social Security Disability benefits for 24 months or have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease).