Weatherford Medicare Insurance

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older, as well as people with certain disabilities. It is the United States’ largest health insurance program, with over 60 million beneficiaries.

There are several ways to become eligible for Medicare.

Age

You are automatically eligible for Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) if you are 65 years old or older and you or your spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years. You can also purchase Part A if you have not worked and paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years.

Disability

You are eligible for Medicare if you have been receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Railroad Retirement Disability Benefits (RRB) for at least 24 months.

End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)

You are eligible for Medicare if you have been diagnosed with ESRD and you are receiving dialysis or a kidney transplant.

Certain other conditions

You may also be eligible for Medicare if you have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, or if you are a kidney transplant recipient who is under the age of 65.

If you are eligible for Medicare, you can enroll during the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), which runs from three months before your 65th birthday, your birth month, and three months after your birth month. You can also enroll during the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, which runs from January 1 to February 14 each year. If you are already enrolled in Medicare and you want to change plans, you can do so during the IEP or the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period.

If you do not enroll in Medicare when you are first eligible, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty. The late enrollment penalty is 10% of the monthly premium for Part B for each full year you were eligible for Medicare but did not enroll.

To learn more about how to become eligible for Medicare, contact us.