Turning 65? Here’s your Medicare timeline

Your seven-month window

Your Initial Enrollment Period starts three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after it. If you sign up before your birthday month, coverage starts the first day of your birthday month. Waiting until later in the window can push your start date back.

Will you be enrolled automatically?

If you already collect Social Security benefits, you will usually be enrolled in Parts A and B automatically and receive your Medicare card in the mail. If you don’t, you will need to sign up through Social Security, online or by phone.

Questions to answer before you choose a plan

• Will you still have health coverage through your job or your spouse’s job?
• Which doctors and hospitals do you want to keep?
• Which prescriptions do you take, and at which pharmacy?
• Do you travel or spend part of the year in another state?
• Would you rather pay a higher monthly premium for predictable costs, or a lower premium with copays as you go?

Don’t miss the Medigap window

If a Medicare Supplement is a good fit, your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts when your Part B begins. During that time you can buy any Supplement sold in your state without health questions.