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Since 2011, we've helped more than 5 million people understand their Medicare coverage.
A PROPERTY OF HEALTHINSURANCE.ORG, LLC, A NON-GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY
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We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1–800– MEDICARE to get information on all of your options.
How soon after I enroll will my Medicare benefits begin?
Medicare beneficiaries need to know when their plan will be effective so they can avoid coverage gaps that could leave them without access to care they need.
Original Medicare
Original Medicare is fee-for-service health coverage that includes Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. Eligibility is limited to individuals 65 and older, disabled individuals, and people with ESRD and ALS.
Medicare Part A ‘hospital insurance’ – coverage of inpatient care
Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) pays for a range of inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and critical-access hospitals. Part A also covers some home healthcare and hospice services.
Medicare Part B – enrollee benefits and coverage costs
Medicare Part B provides coverage of services provided by doctors, outpatient hospital services and other healthcare providers, as well as some home health services and durable medical equipment.
Medicare Advantage (Part C) private health plans
Medicare Advantage plans provide Medicare-covered benefits through private insurance companies, which receive payments from Medicare to cover beneficiary medical costs.
Medicare Part D – prescription drug coverage
Medicare Part D subsidizes the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Enrollees select Part D coverage by enrolling in either a prescription drug plan (PDP) or a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD).
Medicare’s initial enrollment period (IEP) is the enrollment window when Americans become eligible for Medicare. The period includes the three months prior to the month you qualify for Medicare, plus the month of your eligibility, plus the three months after your Medicare eligibility starts – a total of seven months.
During the IEP, Americans can enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B (together known as Original Medicare), and Part D prescription drug coverage. If you’re eligible for Original Medicare, you have the option of enrolling in Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C). Here’s how to enroll in the various Medicare plans.
You’ll have an IEP if you’re newly eligible for Medicare for any reason, and get a second IEP if you qualify for Medicare for a second reason. This can happen, for instance, if you first qualify because of a disability and then re-qualify at age 65, or if you’re age 65 or older and develop End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). If you owe a Medicare Part B or Part D late-enrollment penalty, this will be erased when you re-qualify for Medicare.
Medicare beneficiaries need to know when their plan will be effective so they can avoid coverage gaps that could leave them without access to care they need.
Original Medicare is fee-for-service health coverage that includes Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. Eligibility is limited to individuals 65 and older, disabled individuals, and people with ESRD and ALS.
Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) pays for a range of inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and critical-access hospitals. Part A also covers some home healthcare and hospice services.
Medicare Part B provides coverage of services provided by doctors, outpatient hospital services and other healthcare providers, as well as some home health services and durable medical equipment.
Medicare Advantage plans provide Medicare-covered benefits through private insurance companies, which receive payments from Medicare to cover beneficiary medical costs.
Medicare Part D subsidizes the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Enrollees select Part D coverage by enrolling in either a prescription drug plan (PDP) or a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD).
Medicare beneficiaries need to know when their plan will be effective so they can avoid coverage gaps that could leave them without access to care they need.
Original Medicare is fee-for-service health coverage that includes Part A hospital insurance and Part B medical insurance. Eligibility is limited to individuals 65 and older, disabled individuals, and people with ESRD and ALS.
Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) pays for a range of inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and critical-access hospitals. Part A also covers some home healthcare and hospice services.
Medicare Part B provides coverage of services provided by doctors, outpatient hospital services and other healthcare providers, as well as some home health services and durable medical equipment.
Medicare Advantage plans provide Medicare-covered benefits through private insurance companies, which receive payments from Medicare to cover beneficiary medical costs.
Medicare Part D subsidizes the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. Enrollees select Part D coverage by enrolling in either a prescription drug plan (PDP) or a Medicare Advantage plan (MAPD).
