When you’re first eligible for Medicare, you have a seven-month initial enrollment period to sign up for Part A and/or B. That seven-month enrollment period begins three months before your birthday month, and ends three months after your birthday month.
This is the second part in a four-part series on how to sign up for Medicare for people turning 65.
Step 2 — Do your Medicare homework
Contact your doctors to see if they accept Medicare
Contact your doctors to see if they accept MedicareWhy? Not all doctors accept Medicare or participate in all Medicare Advantage plans.
How? Call your doctors directly, or see if they’re listed on the Medicare.gov directory. Visit Medicare.gov and click on “Find doctors & other health professionals” on the home page to use the easy search feature.
Review your current health insurance plan
Why? You’ll want to have your current benefits and premiums available for when you start reviewing your new options. Plus, enrolling in Medicare can impact your existing coverage including possibly affecting your eligibility and/or benefits under an existing plan.
How? Contact your employer or your insurance company to find out your current benefits and costs.