A number of factors determine when your Medicare coverage begins.
Turning 65
“Your initial enrollment period is your first chance to sign up for Medicare, typically when you turn 65,” says Yvonne Tepsick, owner of Tepsick Insurance Agency in Florida. “This period lasts for seven months: the three months before your 65th birthday month, the month of your 65th birthday and the three months following your 65th birthday.”
Once you request enrollment, in most cases, coverage begins the first day of the month following when you completed the enrollment process. Therefore, coverage could begin any time during a person’s seven-month initial enrollment period, as well as the one month following it.
Living With a Qualifying Disability
If you’re not yet 65 but have a disability that qualifies you for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you’re automatically eligible to receive Medicare coverage after you receive SSI benefits for 24 months. If you have ALS, you become eligible to request Medicare coverage at the same time you become eligible for disability benefits. If you’ve been diagnosed with ESRD, you can usually apply for Medicare on the first day of the fourth month of your dialysis treatments.
Once you request enrollment, you can expect your coverage to start the first day of the following month.
Missing Your Initial Enrollment Period
If you miss your initial enrollment period, you can still enroll in Medicare Part A at any time. However, to enroll in other parts of Medicare, such as Part B or Medicare Advantage, you must wait until the general open enrollment period, which runs from from October 15 to December 7, or pay a monthly late enrollment fee (unless you qualify for a special enrollment period.
Once you request enrollment, your coverage begins the first day of the subsequent month.
Qualifying for a Special Enrollment Period
A special enrollment period allows you to enroll in premium-free Medicare Part A and Part B after certain life events, such as moving, getting married or losing other health coverage, without incurring a late fee.
Coverage typically begins the first day of the month after you complete the enrollment process.