Will Medicare enrollment be automatic?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I am already receiving SSI. I heard that if a person is getting SSI, their enrollment in Medicare is automatic and they don't have to fill out and submit an application. Is this true? What about Part D?
 

debodun said:
I am already receiving SSI. I heard that if a person is getting SSI, their enrollment in Medicare is automatic and they don't have to fill out and submit an application. Is this true? What about Part D?
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Yes.. You will automatically receive your card for part A and B a few months before your 65th birthday. They will begin deducting for part B the month you turn 65 and your coverage will begin the 1st of the month after. You will have to purchase your own Supplemental insurance including part D.

If you are still working and wish to continue your employer insurance, you must decline part B. You can pick this up later. You must however, bring in an affidavit from your employer showing you have had insurance in order to avoid the penalty for postponing part B.
 

Mine is different I'm sure. But I live abroad and will be 65 in Feb. I recently received a letter from Medicare saying I'll be getting a card. I won't use it and certainly don't want Part B. I was afraid they'd give me Part B anyway and take a payment out of my SS. So I checked and I only get Part B if I apply for it. It wasn't automatic.
 
My husband is turning 65 in November.. He has been collecting SS since he was 63. He received his part A &B medicare card 2 months ago. He received a letter a few weeks ago saying his part B premium will automatically deduct from his October SS payment and giving him his new SS benefit amount. He didn't have to do a thing..
 
QuickSilver said:
My husband is turning 65 in November.. He has been collecting SS since he was 63. He received his part A &B medicare card 2 months ago. He received a letter a few weeks ago saying his part B premium will automatically deduct from his October SS payment and giving him his new SS benefit amount. He didn't have to do a thing..
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I'm sure it's different for me. I did have to send some form back for overseas residents and I ticked a box that said something like 'I will not be returning to the US to live'. I did my application for SS before I turned 62 and it was a phone interview with the Federal Benefits office of the US Embassy in London. So I have to direct all questions to them. I emailed them and they said I would only get Part B if I applied for it.
 
When I retired at age 58, my employer said I would be carried on their heath insurance plan (including prescriptions) until I was Medicare eligible, then they would become the "secondary" insurers. If they still cover prescriptions, then I don't need Part D?
 
And it's not just what your employer said, you want to make sure all of the coverage provisions are in writing, spelled out with no ambiguity, including any end of coverage dates for the difference insurances they're providing you.
 
Absolutely. In this changing insurance climate, what happens if your employer goes bankrupt, or their insurance carrier pulls out of your state? Insurance-wise, we've all got to really watch our backs. I would check with the insurance carrier, to be sure you will be covered and exactly for what. You really can't rely on what the employer said, because it's the insurance carriers who will make the decisions (and they don't care -- and aren't bound by -- what your employer told you), and you sure don't want to end up holding the bag.
 
debodun said:
When I retired at age 58, my employer said I would be carried on their heath insurance plan (including prescriptions) until I was Medicare eligible, then they would become the "secondary" insurers. If they still cover prescriptions, then I don't need Part D?
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It all depends your Medicare eligibility. You said you retired at age 58, unless you were on Medicare disability (pre-65 Medicare) you don't need part D until you have Medicare Part A and/or Part B at age 65.

If you have Medicare already (A and/or B) than you would need to check with your former employers HR Dept. to find out if your employer prescription drugs coverage is "creditable". (Coverage that is deemed by Medicare equal to or better than what Medicare Part D offerings include). If it is not deemed "credible coverage" than you will pay a Part D penalty for not having Part D when eligible.
 
Yes. I started collecting SS at age 62. Shortly before my 65th birthday, I received a notice that I would be enrolled in Medicare automatically.
 

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