If you are turning 65 years old and already receiving Social Security benefits, you should get a Medicare card in the mail about three months before your birthday. If you are not receiving Social Security at age 65, you usually need to contact Social Security to sign up for Medicare. You can do this starting three months before your birthday month. If you do not receive a Medicare card in the mail, contact your local Social Security office.

Everyone turning 65 should understand how their employer’s insurance works with Medicare. The decisions will depend on how your employer’s coverage works with Medicare. Is your employer’s prescription drug coverage

Unlike Social Security full retirement, which starts at an age determined by your birth date, Medicare starts at 65. It has enrollment deadlines and lifetime penalties if you miss them. If you are not in the Social Security system already, individualized information is not going to arrive from Medicare; you must keep track of your deadlines

Being on COBRA does not count as actively working. You will not qualify to delay your Part B penalty-free. You may even have a delay in the start of your Part B and there could be a significant lapse in your coverage. To delay Part B enrollment without penalty, you or a spouse must be actively working and receiving coverage under the group health plan. If you are already on COBRA and your Medicare starts, turning 65 will change your status. Your COBRA will end.

Individual health insurance products are typically not available to you once you are eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A. Whatever health insurance you have before you enter Medicare eligibility (an employer or union plan, veterans, Medicaid, or an individual policy), you need to talk to your plan, benefits administrator, or case manager to find out if your coverage will coordinate with Medicare.

Medicare Supplement Insurance (also known as Medigap) and Medicare Advantage plans all require that you have Part A and Part B in order to qualify for purchase or enrollment. You may, however, enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan if you have only Part A, Part B, or both.

Medicare and Social Security are two different programs. Medicare starts at age 65, regardless of when you draw Social Security. If you wait until you turn 66 to take care of your Medicare, you could find yourself with premium penalties and delayed coverage.

Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to the traditional way of getting Medicare benefits administered by the government. These plans are offered by private companies and can include prescription drug coverage. Medicare supplements (Medigap), in contrast, are additional medical coverage that you can buy if you want to fill the gaps in what traditional Medicare covers. You can have one or the other, but it does not work to have both. Assembling the best Medicare for you depends on many personal factors, ranging from your health and your budget to what other coverage you might have and what coverage your doctor accepts. A DDI Medicare Agent can help you navigate your options.

How well a particular drug plan works for you depends on the prescription drugs you take, whether the plan covers your drugs, and how it treats your drugs (there may be rules about quantity limits or requiring you to try other drugs before the plan pays for a specific drug). There are a lot of differences between Medicare prescription drug plans; a DDI Medicare Agent can help you find out which ones cover your list the best.

• Social Security: Part A or Part B eligibility and enrollment questions are answered by Social Security. If you delay Part B enrollment because you have other coverage, confirm your decision with Social Security to avoid a late enrollment penalty, and document your call. Call 800-772-1213 (toll-free) or visit www.socialsecurity.gov.
• Medicare: Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (prescription drug coverage) questions go to Medicare. Call 800-633-4227 (toll-free) or visit www.medicare.gov.
• Independent Medicare Agents: For FREE, unbiased, personalized help contact a licensed and trained Medicare Agent at DDI Benefits, 503-206-4080 / 844-806-2500 (TTY:711)