When is the best time to enroll?
Medicare Part B has its enrollment periods and you can only enroll during these periods. The first enrollment period is three months before your 65th birthday and it ends three months after you turn 65 years old. People who don’t enroll at the first enrollment opportunity will be punished by Medicare. If you access Medicare benefits through your partner’s health insurance plan, you are eligible for special enrollment periods. You can also apply for Medicare after specific life-changing occurrences. For people who access health insurance plans through a partner’s job, their special enrollment period starts the month they qualify for Medicare and ends eight months after losing access via their partner’s job. If you cannot apply for Medicare within the eight months, you may have issues with your coverage. In most cases, you may also be penalized till when your Part B plan ends.