Question: I am turning 65 in April of 2025 and wondering about Medicare and Social Security Benefits. Should I be signing up now for Medicare and Social Security?

Answer: First, I want to say; “Happy early birthday!” I know that April sounds warm and sunny to me, and it will come quicker than we think! This 65th birthday is an especially exciting year for many people. We often think of retirement and relaxing more. This may or may not be your situation, but you need some information about Medicare and Social Security.

The answer is different for both of these benefits so I will answer this question with two articles. One this week and one next week.

This week I will address Medicare. There are over 67 million individuals on Medicare.

Medicare coverage eligibility usually begins at age 65 (some individuals get Medicare coverage earlier due to a disability or illness).

Medicare coverage always begins on the first of the month and for most individuals that is your birthday month. For those individuals born on the 1st of the month your coverage actually begins a month early. If you were born on the 18th, or the 29th or the 2nd of April your coverage begins on the first of April. If you are born on April 1st, your coverage will begin on March 1st. So, if you are born on the 1st you need to start a month earlier with this process.

You are not eligible for Medicare until April of 2025, so you have time to relax and but not as much as you may think. You can certainly begin to look at the Medicare information and begin to become comfortable with the language of Medicare, but you can’t sign up for any products or make your choice yet.

If you are collecting Social Security in some form (widow’s benefits, early retirement benefits, disability or other types) then Medicare will start automatically at age 65. About three to four months prior to your 65th birthday month, Medicare will send you a packet of information with your Medicare card. If you want to keep these Medicare benefits, you do not need to do anything to have your benefits begin – you simply watch for the card in the mail and put it in your wallet when it arrives. Your coverage will begin automatically the first of your birthday month, and the Part B premium will be deducted from your Social Security Benefit. You will receive written notification from SSA about this premium and your adjusted SS amount. In 2025 the Medicare Part B premium for most enrollees is $185 per month.

If you are NOT collecting Social Security benefits, then you MUST contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) to begin receiving Medicare benefits at age 65, three months before your birthday. This is a step that many miss as they are approaching age 65. Medicare does send you a letter to remind you to sign up, but some individuals miss that notification.

If you do NOT enroll in Medicare A & B when originally eligible, you will have some restrictions as to WHEN you can enroll and may have premium penalties when you enroll. It’s important to note that even if you do not sign up for Medicare when eligible, if you had insurance through you or your spouse’s employer may not need to pay a premium in many circumstance. Generally, the employer coverage for your or your spouse must be active employment, and the employee group must be 20 or more employees if you are 65 (or 100 or more employees for Medicare enrollment due to Disability).

Most retiree plans offered by employers will require you to join Medicare at age 65 if you want to continue to receive coverage from their plans after leaving active employment. . So you may choose to keep that retiree coverage you have, but you must sign up for Medicare A & B when eligible.

The contact information for SSA is on the web www.SSA.gov or call at 1-800-772-1213. You may also reach out to your local SSA office. Remember that the SSA simply handles the enrollment; they can’t help you make your insurance decision beyond that Medicare enrollment.

Each year our life changes and we never know exactly what will change. For you, there are definitely changes coming in your insurance situation and Medicare will be a part of that. I think you will be pleased with your options under Medicare.

Janell Sluga is a Geriatric Care Manager helping seniors in our community access services and insurance. To reach her, please email editorial@post-journal.com.