| Dear Marci, I am 67 years old, and I have been enrolled in Medicare Part A since I turned 65. I did not enroll in Medicare Part B then, though, because I have been covered by insurance through my wife’s employer. My wife will retire this year and we will lose her insurance coverage. How can I enroll in Medicare Part B, and what other steps should I take? -Alex (Wilmington, NC) Dear Alex, Based on what you’ve said, you are likely eligible for the Part B Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll in Medicare Part B without having to wait for the General Enrollment Period and without a late enrollment penalty. In order to use the Part B SEP, you must meet two criteria:You must have insurance from current work (from your job or your spouse’s job, or, in some cases, certain family member’s job) or have had such insurance within the past eight months.And, you must have been continuously covered by job-based insurance or Medicare Part B since becoming eligible for Medicare, including the first month you became eligible for Medicare.Note: You can have no more than eight consecutive months without coverage from wither Medicare or insurance from current work. You are ineligible for the Part B SEP after going for more than eight month without Part B or job-based insurance.In most cases, you should enroll in Medicare immediately after losing job-based insurance to avoid gaps in coverage. You can contact Social Security for more information on using the SEP, by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting your local Social Security office. If you use the Part B SEP, the effective date of your coverage depends on when you use the SEP:If you are still covered by insurance through current employment, or if it is the first full month after that coverage ends, you can choose whether Medicare Part B will become effective either:The month you enroll, orAny of the three months after the month you enrollIf you use the Part B SEP in the second month, or later, after your coverage ends, Medicare Part B will become effective the month after the month when you enroll.Once you have enrolled in Part B, you should take steps to ensure that you have creditable drug coverage, and should consider the options of enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan or purchasing a Medigap policy.If you have creditable drug coverage(coverage that is as good as or better than the Medicare prescription drug benefit) through your current insurance coverage, you will have a special enrollment period to choose a Part D plan for 63 days after you lose that coverage. You can also enroll in a drug plan or make changes to your drug coverage every year during Fall Open Enrollment, and there are several Special Enrollment Periods (SEPs) you could be eligible for to make changes to your coverage.Remember that if are without Part D or creditable drug coverage for more than 63 days while eligible for Medicare, you may face a Part D late enrollment penalty (LEP).You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan after you have enrolled in Part B and before your Part B coverage is effective. You will also have opportunities to join a Medicare Advantage Plan or change your coverage during Fall Open Enrollment every year. In some circumstances, you could be eligible for an SEP to change coverage.When you enroll in Part B, you’ll enter your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, one of your protected times to buy a Medigap supplemental policy. This takes place the first six months that you are 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During the Medigap open enrollment period, Medigap companies must sell you a policy at the best available rate regardless of your health status, and they cannot deny you coverage.For help evaluating your options, you can contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), by calling 877-839-2675 or visiting www.shiptacenter.org. -Marci |