Applying for Medicare is a process—as you move through 2022, if it’s your time to apply for Medicare, make sure you’re ready and know what to do.
Medicare Enrollment and Eligibility
To know Medicare enrollment is on the table in 2022, you first need to know if you’re eligible. There are two ways you can become eligible—age or disability.
You can start the Medicare enrollment process three months before your 65th birthday. So, if your 65th birthday just so happens to fall in June this year, your three months start in March. You can also enroll the month of your 65th birthday, and even three months after, for a total of seven months. This is called your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) and is the best time to apply for Medicare.
If you’re under 65, you may qualify for Medicare if you have a disability. If you cannot work and have earned at least 24 months of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you are eligible for Medicare.
If you don’t qualify on disability or missed your IEP, you can still enroll for Medicare in 2022. The General Enrollment Period and Special Enrollment Period exist for these reasons. The General Enrollment Period starts on January 1 and ends on March 31, allowing you to enroll in Medicare for the first time. However, enrolling during this period may mean you pay late enrollment penalties.
If you enroll during the Special Enrollment Period, you won’t have to pay late enrollment penalties, but you have to qualify for this period before you can even use it.
How to Apply
Now that you know if you should enroll in Medicare in 2022, the question is, how?
When you apply for Medicare, you can do this process over the phone, online, or by visiting your local Social Security office. Many people find that applying online through the Social Security website is the easiest and quickest way, but we suggest doing what’s most comfortable for you.
We’re Here to Help!
As already mentioned, to enroll in Medicare, you can do so during your Initial Enrollment Period, which is the best period to enroll so you can avoid late enrollment penalties. At Medicare With Jake, we can help you through this process to make it easier for you. All you have to do is give us a call today, and we can walk you through each step!
