Medicare coverage change.
I am a 71 yr old man covered by medicare and my wife’s insurance. She will turn 65 in June at which time she will begin medicare coverage. I will no longer be covered under her insurance at that time. Do I need to do anything during this medicare enrollment or what timeline should I follow. I can enroll in my previous employee union health plan. We are both retired.
Terry Says
OK, these are two separate issues.
For her, she should notify Medicare to start her Part B coverage a month before her birthday. At the same time, she should go to Medicare.gov and search out a supplement (preferably Plan G) and sign up. And also sign up for Part D– drug coverage (even if she is not taking any meds).
Get that all in line so there is no gap in coverage when she retires.
Do you qualify for Medicare on your own earnings record? Find out now, and at the same time she signs up, you also have a qualifyng “event” and can do the same three things mentioned above.
I recommend, if you can afford it, buying your own Supplement and Part D — vs union coverage, because I assume that union coverage is managed care, with its own limitations.
Read this article: https://www.terrysavage.com/disadvantages-of-medicare-advantage/
You’ve had a pretty good ride on her insurance. And if she continues to work, she can delay the signup for Medicare Part B until she actually retires, not just when she turns 65! But if she works for a small company, (fewer than 20 employees) they may require she sign up for Medicare Part B when she becomes eligible. She should ask her HR department about that.
If she can continue on the company insurance, you can postpone this decision until she actually retires and loses her company paid insurance.
