Medicare FAQs
Medicare FAQs
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The majority of the time there are two time frames you'll want to follow to apply for Part B. As long as you have worked in the United States for ten years (40 quarters) and paid into Medicare taxes, you will be enrolled into Part A at no cost. Part A will start on the first day of the month of your 65th birthday. However, if your birthday falls on the 1st day of the month, then your benefits will start on the first day of the previous month. If you do not qualify for Part A at no cost, e.g. you didn't work here long enough to pay into it, then it can be purchased in 2017 for $413 a month. The Part B penalty is a 10% higher Part B monthly payment for every 12-month period that you could have had Part B but didn't sign up for it. The best way to avoid this is to either sign up for Part B when you are first eligible to or make sure that you have credible medical coverage through your employer. Yes. In order to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, you must be covered by Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. The late enrollment penalty is calculated by multiplying the number of months you did not have credible prescription drug coverage when you were eligible to, under a Part D plan, by 1% of the national average drug price. Medicare will contact your Medicare prescription drug plan and tell them the proper penalty to charge you. This penalty never goes away, it's permanent. As long as you have a Medicare drug plan, you will have to pay this penalty, in addition to the monthly Part D premium. The best way to avoid this penalty is to make sure that when you are first eligible you either enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, enroll in a Stand Alone Prescription Drug Plan, or make sure your employer drug coverage qualifies as credible drug coverage with Medicare. You have 63 days once your Part A or Part B starts to enroll in a credible prescription drug plan to avoid paying the penalty. The easiest way to describe this is to say that a Medicare Advantage Plan is a primary insurance plan and you do not need any other plan with it. They take over your Medicare benefits and agree to pay all of your claims, so Medicare can no longer be billed. Some Medicare Advantage plans will also include drug coverage for no extra cost. A Medicare supplement plan is a secondary insurance plan and is billed secondary to Medicare. Supplement insurance plans will only cover Medicare covered medical items and, depending on which plan you choose, help either cover some or all of the deductibles or co-insurance Medicare that doesn't cover. Supplement plans do not include drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage then you will need to enroll in a Stand-Alone Prescription Drug plan. Medicare is administered by the federal government. Medicare is for anyone who qualifies at age 65, under age 65 upon collecting Social Security Disability Income for 24 months, or anyone with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), or ESRD (End Stage Renal disease). Medicare Savings Programs help Medicare recipients pay for all or part of their Medicare premiums for those that meet income and resource requirements. |