Health Care Collaboration

Texas Medicare Enrollment works the same as enrollment in any state. Your original Medicare benefits are sometimes referred to as traditional Medicare. This consists of Medicare Part A (Hospital Benefits) and Medicare Part B (Outpatient Benefits). Often there is a great deal of confusion about how and when to get enrolled in Medicare as opposed to social security.

For some people who are already collecting social security, you will find that you will automatically receive your Medicare card in the mail a few months before you turn 65. For these folks, Medicare kicks right in at age 65 and nothing else is required unless you don’t want the benefits. While Part A has no premium for anyone who has worked 10 years in the U.S., Part B does cost a monthly premium, and if someone still has group health insurance at work, he or she may decide to decline Part B until later on when they retire.

For people not yet enrolled in social security benefits, Medicare guesses that you may still be working so you have to take action to enroll in Medicare. To ensure you get enrolled on time properly, follow these easy steps to get set up.

1) Contact Social Security to verify your eligibility for Medicare a few months before your 65th birthday if you are not currently receiving social security benefits. Since you don’t reach full benefit age for social security payments until you are 66, many people wait to enroll in Social Security if they are still working. However, this does not affect your eligibility for Medicare at age 65.

2) Determine if you need Medicare to be your primary insurance, or if it will coordinate as a secondary insurance to an employer group health plan that you are covered under. You could decide to delay your enrollment into Medicare Part B if you have great insurance at your job and the benefits are really good. There’s no point in paying for Part B benefits if your employer already provides comparable benefits to you at a good price. However, if you have group insurance that is expensive for you or has high deductibles and expensive copays, you may decide you want to enroll in Part B after all, because it will coordinate with your employer plan to pick up some of the expenses you would normally be responsible for.

3) Put in your application for Medicare benefits via social security’s website, toll-free phone number or even in person at the closest social security field office. They will provide you with application forms, including one that your employer needs to fill out if you are voluntarily opting out of the group health plan. This form notifies Medicare when to have your benefits begin. After this is completed, you will usually see your Medicare card arrive via the post office in just a few short weeks.

Once you have either enrolled in Medicare as your primary insurance or set it up to be secondary to group insurance, you’ll be set. Keep in mind that if your group coverage does not have prescription drug coverage that is as good as or better than Medicare Part D, you will incur a penalty if you wait to enroll in Part D. With many inexpensive Part D options, you may want to pick up a drug card anyway if your prescription copays are high.

Last but not least, if you accept Medicare as your primary insurance and have no access to other coverage, be sure to contact an independent insurance agent who can explain the important of getting a medicare supplement for the things Medicare doesn’t cover. You’ll also need assistance with how to enroll in a Part D drug plan. Both of these things have limited windows of opportunity for you to enroll without any health underwriting, so be sure that you act before that window closes.

Figuring out Medicare on your own is always difficult. To get help withyour Texas Medicare Enrollment, contact Danielle Kunkle’s agency for free help in getting properly set up.