When is Medicare Primary Insurance?
If you are not under any insurance program, Medicare will be your primary plan. In some cases, Medicare will still be your primary plan, even if you are under other insurance programs. Let’s look at certain insurances when Medicare can be your primary insurer:
- If you are under job-based insurance from a company with less than 20 employees
- If your group insurance plan is the secondary insurer. As a result, you have to enroll in Medicare Part B [1], before your group plan will pay its part of the costs.
- If you can access retiree insurance via a former company
It is important to note that you have to be qualified for Medicare and enroll in some retiree insurance plans to cover your medical costs. You can get a copy of your plan’s benefit materials from your state’s office to learn how Medicare can help you with your retirement health offers.
Do you want to enroll in a Medicare Plan? You should do the following:
- Get online quotes for affordable health insurance
- Input Zip Code
- Make sure your ZipCode is valid
- See Plans
If you are under COBRA insurance after leaving a company where you could access health insurance, you can keep your Medicare plans, and not pay for extra coverage through COBRA.
Do you have any disabilities? Medicare will pay first for you, if you have a disability, your employer-based health insurance has less than 1000 employees, and you’re younger than 65.
Do you have an end-stage renal disease (ESRD) [2]? Medicare is your primary plan, and your group health plan is your secondary insurer. However, you must have been qualified for Medicare for 30 months or more.
Do you have TRICARE? Medicare is usually the primary plan if you are on Inactive duty. However, TRICARE [3] will cover the bills if you get services from a federal health care provider or military hospital.