{"id":4247,"date":"2017-06-27T19:34:52","date_gmt":"2017-06-27T19:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/?page_id=4247"},"modified":"2017-07-06T17:08:33","modified_gmt":"2017-07-06T17:08:33","slug":"when-to-enroll-in-medicare","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/when-to-enroll-in-medicare\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Enroll in Medicare"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1499360908569{padding-right: 30px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">When am I eligible for Medicare?<\/h2>\n<p>For many, your 65th birthday is synonymous with becoming eligible for Medicare, but did you know that you could be eligible for Medicare before age 65\u2026or even after age 65?<\/p>\n<p>Medicare benefits at Age 65?<\/p>\n<p>Most people are eligible for Original Medicare if they are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident for at least 5 consecutive years<\/li>\n<li>Age 65 or older and eligible for Social Security<\/li>\n<li>Permanently disabled and receiving disability benefits for at least two years<\/li>\n<li>Have End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)<\/li>\n<li>Have Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This also depends largely on your employment situation. If you are still working, there may be some other considerations.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">Do I have to take Medicare benefits at 65<\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is no. If you are working or have employer group coverage through a spouse, you may want to consider deferring Medicare.<\/p>\n<p>However, we strongly caution that you to get some advice on what to do if you aren\u2019t sure. Sometimes individuals are given misinformation about how and when to defer Medicare. Not enrolling at the right time can lead to lifelong penalties and even periods without health insurance. Trust us\u2026that can be costly!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">When do I enroll in Medicare?<\/h2>\n<p>How and when you should enroll in Medicare depends on your personal situation. Your eligibility, enrollment period and plan options can all be impacted by your employment situation, benefits you may already have, your health needs and more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Roadmap Tip:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Know when you can enroll in Medicare.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Decide if delaying Medicare Part B upon turning 65 is right for you.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Know your Medicare plan options.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The best way to make sure you understand what to do when\u2026is to speak with a trusted advisor.<\/p>\n<p><em>We know this is confusing. If you have questions, we are here to provide answers. Call us at 859-356-2416.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin-top: 20px;\">Important Calendar Dates<\/h2>\n<p>As your trusted advisor, we help you prepare for Medicare\u2019s Open Enrollment period. We are eager to work with you this fall to help you achieve your peace of mind and meet your budget requirements<\/p>\n<p>As we gear up for this year\u2019s Medicare\u2019s Open Enrollment period, please keep these important dates in mind.<\/p>\n<p>September 30 \u2013 Review Your Annual Notice of Change<\/p>\n<p>This information is sent to you from your current insurance company. It outlines all the changes to your Medicare Advantage or Part D Prescription Drug plan for next year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 1<\/strong> \u2013 New Plans &amp; Changes Released to Public<\/p>\n<p>This is the first day we are permitted (by Medicare) to discuss changes to the Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug plans with you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>October 15<\/strong> \u2013 1st Day of Medicare\u2019s Open Enrollment<\/p>\n<p>This is the first day you are permitted to enroll in a new Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug plan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>December 7<\/strong> \u2013 Last Day of Medicare\u2019s Open Enrollment<\/p>\n<p>Whichever plan you are enrolled in by this date will be your plan in the new calendar year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>January 1<\/strong> \u2013 Effective Date of New Plan Election or Change<\/p>\n<p>Your new coverage will start on this date.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Please call us at 859-356-2416 if you wish assistance or have questions about these dates.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1499360908569{padding-right: 30px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column][vc_column_text] When am I eligible for Medicare? For many, your 65th birthday is synonymous with becoming eligible for Medicare, but did you know that you could be eligible for Medicare before age 65\u2026or even after age 65? Medicare benefits at Age 65? Most people are eligible for Original Medicare if they are: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4247"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4247\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ballardbenefits.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}