New to Medicare
Check automatic enrollment, Part A and B start dates, job-based coverage, and the choice between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
Find out how you become enrolled
Medicare eligibility at 65 does not always mean automatic enrollment. Medicare distinguishes people receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits at least four months before 65 from those starting retirement benefits later. Check your Social Security and Medicare records to see whether Parts A and B will start automatically or you must apply. An ESRD or disability path can follow different rules from the standard age-65 schedule.
Official source: Medicare: Get started ↗ · Medicare: How to sign up ↗ · SSA: Sign up for Medicare ↗
Set the dates before making a plan choice
For most people first eligible at 65, the Part A and B Initial Enrollment Period covers three months before the birthday month, that month and three months after. Signing up later in this window can delay the start of coverage; a birthday on the first day of a month can shift the usual calculation. Write the actual A and B effective dates from the Medicare card or SSA record before cancelling other insurance or joining a private plan.
Official source: Medicare: When coverage starts ↗ · Medicare: When to sign up ↗ · SSA: Check application status ↗
Resolve any job-based coverage
Ask whether your coverage comes from your or your spouse’s current employment, how many employees the company has, which payer pays first, and when the job and coverage end. Current-employment group coverage may support a Part B Special Enrollment Period; COBRA and retiree coverage do not prolong that period. If you contribute to an HSA, Medicare coverage beginning retroactively can affect contribution eligibility. Preserve the employer’s written answers.
Official source: Medicare: Working past 65 ↗ · Medicare: Who pays first ↗ · Medicare: COBRA coverage ↗ · SSA: When to sign up ↗
Choose the coverage structure
Original Medicare is Parts A and B, with separate decisions about a Part D plan and possible Medigap. Medicare Advantage is a private-plan alternative that requires both A and B and usually includes Part D. Compare routine provider access, out-of-network rules, referrals, authorization, prescriptions, premiums and maximum medical exposure. Before abandoning a Medigap policy, check whether a future right to buy one will exist.
Official source: Medicare: Original versus Advantage ↗ · Medicare: Joining a plan ↗ · Medicare: Buying Medigap ↗
Price the actual plan and complete enrollment
Keep a list of doctors, hospitals, drugs, doses, pharmacies, residence ZIP code and likely travel. Compare the exact plan-year Evidence of Coverage, drug list and provider network. SSA takes Part A and B applications; Medicare and the chosen plan handle private-plan elections. Save each confirmation and confirm the new effective date. The standard 2026 Part B premium is $202.90 for most beneficiaries but exact personal and plan costs can differ.
Official source: Medicare: 2026 costs ↗ · SSA: Sign up for Medicare ↗ · Medicare: Compare plans ↗