The Medicare Mike Team aims to make this process as seamless as possible. With thousands of options for Medicare Supplement, Advantage Plans, Prescription drug plans, etc. making a decisions that is right for YOU is confusing and overwhelming at best! Let our team take out the guesswork, cut through the commercials and piles of mail, and make sure you are getting a plan tailored to YOU! Click here to schedule an appointment with Mike! Would you like to shop plans from the comfort of your home? Do you know what plan you want and want to directly enroll while still having the security and option of The Medicare Mike Team concierge service? You can shop plans and direct enroll on your own here! https://www.sunfirematrix.com/app/consumer/pfs/19710425/#/

Many people new to Medicare wonder if they will be automatically enrolled. In most cases, if you are already receiving benefits from Social Security or the Railroad Retirement Board, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B on the first day of the month when you turn 65. If your birthday is the first day of the month, you’ll start receiving it the month before. If you are not yet receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement Board benefits, you will have to enroll manually. Your initial enrollment period has a seven-month window — including your birthday month, the three months before and the three months after it. If you plan to keep your private insurance beyond this period, say through an employer if you are not planning to retire, you need to notify Medicare. You will be able to schedule a special enrollment period later. We also encourage all of our members to create an account at https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action. Here you can request your social security, notify Medicare of employer coverage, delay Social Security, etc. As always, if you need additional assistance, the Medicare Mike Team is here to help.

Medicare’s open enrollment period is Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 every year. During this time, you may change your Medicare health plans and prescription drug coverage plans. Information for annual changes, often referred to as the Annual Notice of Change Letter (ANOC) to Medicare plans is available in early October.

A health savings account (HSA) allows you to put aside money that isn’t taxed if you have a high-deductible health plan. Once you enroll in Original Medicare — Medicare Part A and Part B — you can no longer contribute to an HSA. If you plan to delay enrolling in Medicare until you stop working, be sure to stop contributing to your HSA six months or more before you plan to enroll in Medicare to avoid a tax penalty.

The best time to enroll in a Medicare supplement plan (Medigap) is during your Medigap open enrollment period. This period starts on the first day that you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B.

You may be dual eligible to enroll in Medicare and Medicaid if you meet certain financial eligibility requirements. Your eligibility for Medicaid depends on your income and financial resources. Even if you don’t qualify for Medicaid while enrolled in Medicare, you may still qualify for one of the federally funded Medicare Savings Programs to help people with limited income and resources. You can check with your state’s Medicaid office to determine if you qualify.

If you are 65 years or older, you still have to meet certain other eligibility requirements before you can enroll in Medicare. First, you have to be a United States citizen or a permanent resident who has lived in the U.S. for at least five years. In addition, you must meet one of the following eligibility requirements: 1. You or your spouse has worked at least 10 years and are eligible for either Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits. 2. You or your spouse is a government employee or retiree who has paid Medicare payroll taxes while working. You can use the Medicare Eligibility Premium Calculator at Medicare’s website to find out if you are eligible for coverage.

You do not have to be on Social Security before you can get Medicare, but you will have to enroll on your own. This means applying for Medicare during your initial enrollment period. This is a seven-month period including your 65th birth month plus the three months before and after it. You may be responsible for a permanent surcharge on your Medicare Part B and Part D premiums if you miss that window. You can enroll in Medicare through the Social Security website - https://secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action

You must first be enrolled in Medicare before you are eligible for a Medicare supplement insurance plan, sometimes called Medigap. You are eligible to buy Medigap coverage during a six-month Medigap open enrollment period. If you wait until the open enrollment period passes, it may cost more to buy a Medicare supplement insurance plan in the future, or you could be denied based on current or past health issues. You are not able to purchase both a Medigap and a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan.

To be eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A, you have to be 65 years or older and you or your spouse paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years of your life. They do not have to be consecutive years. You may also qualify for premium-free coverage if you are 65 or older and meet one of three requirements: 1. You are receiving Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits. 2. You are eligible to receive Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits but have not yet applied for them. 3. You or your spouse was employed in a government job that was Medicare-covered.

Original Medicare — Medicare Part A and Part B — is a federal government program. Medicare Advantage plans are administered by private insurance companies that contract with the federal Medicare program. There are several differences. Under Original Medicare, you can go to any doctor, hospital or other health care provider that accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans may charge you more or require you to pay full cost out of your own pocket if you go to providers outside their networks. Medicare Advantage plans are required to provide all coverage provided in Original Medicare, but plans may provide additional coverage not included in Parts A and B such vision, dental, hearing and prescription drug coverage.

Medicare does not cover most nursing home care. Custodial care, which includes helping you with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, eating or using the bathroom, is not covered. Medicare Part A may cover skilled nursing facility care, but it must be certified and your care must be medically necessary. Original Medicare may also provide some home health care coverage. Home health care services covered by Original Medicare include: Injectable osteoporosis drugs for women Occupational therapy Part-time or intermittent home health aide services providing personal, hands-on care Part-time or intermittent skilled nursing care Physical therapy Speech-language pathology services

If you’re traveling within the United States and its territories, Original Medicare will pay for hospitalization and medical services at any provider that accepts Medicare. Coverage may vary depending on terms of Medicare Advantage plans. With just a few exceptions, Medicare usually doesn’t cover medical care if you are traveling outside the United States, Puerto Rico the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa. It may pay for care you receive aboard a ship in U.S. territorial waters, but not if the ship is more than six hours from port. Medicare may pay for inpatient hospital care, ambulance services or dialysis you receive in a foreign country in rare circumstances such as: You’re in the U.S. when a medical emergency requiring immediate attention happens and a foreign hospital is closer or the nearest U.S. hospital cannot treat your condition. You’re traveling through Canada without delay on the most direct route between Alaska and the lower 48 U.S. states when a medical emergency happens and a Canadian hospital is the nearest option. You live in the United States and the nearest hospital to your home is closer than any in the U.S. that can treat your condition.

Most people pay no premium for Medicare Part A, but in 2022, the standard premium for Medicare Part B is $170.10 per month. Premiums for Medicare Advantage plans and Part D prescription drug plans vary based on the plan.

You can deduct some of your Medicare premiums on your federal taxes in certain circumstances. If you are self-employed, the IRS allows you to deduct all Medicare premiums from your federal taxes. This includes premiums for Medicare Part A, Part B, Medigap, Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. If you are not self-employed, you have to file an itemized Schedule A (1040) tax return listing all your medical expenses for the tax year. But you can only deduct the amount of expenses over 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income.

Medicare Part D prescription drug plan premiums vary depending on the plan. In addition, Medicare requires higher income individuals and married couples to pay an extra fee based on their income. You should compare prices to find the best price for your needs. Please contact us or visit out quote and enroll tool here https://www.sunfirematrix.com/app/consumer/pfs/19710425/#/

There are several programs in place to help people pay out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare, including: PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) Medicare Extra Help program State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) Medicaid, including dual eligibility in Medicare and Medicaid Medicare Savings Programs (MSP); there are four of these based on your financial need and situation Supplemental Security Income (SSI), administered through the Social Security Administration