Medicare Enrollment in Texas is handled by the social security office. When you get original Medicare, your traditional benefits will be made up of Medicare Part A hospital coverage as well as Medicare Part B outpatient coverage. Don’t let signing up for social security confuse you – it is a separate process from enrolling in Medicare.
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) Verify your eligibility for Medicare by contacting social security in the months preceding your 65th birthday, especially if you aren’t yet receiving social security. The age at which one qualifies for full social security benefits is age 66, and sometimes this confuses people who have delayed taking social security because they are still working. Remember that your eligibility for Medicare is at age 65, and is based on your work history.
2) Determine if you need Medicare to be your primary insurance, or if it will coordinate as a secondary insurance to an employer group health plan that you are covered under. You could decide to delay your enrollment into Medicare Part B if you have great insurance at your job and the benefits are really good. There’s no point in paying for Part B benefits if your employer already provides comparable benefits to you at a good price. However, if you have group insurance that is expensive for you or has high deductibles and expensive copays, you may decide you want to enroll in Part B after all, because it will coordinate with your employer plan to pick up some of the expenses you would normally be responsible for.
3) Put in your application for Medicare benefits via social security’s website, toll-free phone number or even in person at the closest social security field office. They will provide you with application forms, including one that your employer needs to fill out if you are voluntarily opting out of the group health plan. This form notifies Medicare when to have your benefits begin. After this is completed, you will usually see your Medicare card arrive via the post office in just a few short weeks.
Following these simple steps will help you align your Medicare as either secondary insurance to group health insurance coverage, or as your primary source of insurance. You need to also consider whether you will enroll in Part D. While Part D is optional, Medicare will assess a penalty agiainst you for late enrollment if your group health plan doesn’t have coverage that’s as least as good as Medicare Part D. Some people with group health plans enroll in Part D anyway, so that they have numerous options for copays on their necessary prescription drug coverage.
Last but not least, if you accept Medicare as your primary insurance and have no access to other coverage, be sure to contact an independent insurance agent who can explain the important of getting a medicare supplement for the things Medicare doesn’t cover. You’ll also need assistance with how to enroll in a Part D drug plan. Both of these things have limited windows of opportunity for you to enroll without any health underwriting, so be sure that you act before that window closes.
Tackling Medicare on your own is always difficult. To get help withyour Texas Medicare Enrollment, contact Danielle Kunkle’s agency for free assistance in getting properly set up.
