Medicare Part B Enrollment Issues

Those who are looking to enroll in Medicare Part B may be very confused by the fact that there are very specific enrollment dates that must be followed to enroll in the benefits.  If this confusion has caused you to miss the initial time period to enroll in Medicare Part B you don’t need to worry because it is possible to enroll in the coverage.  However, you may be forced to pay a penalty for being late on your enrollment.

The “General Enrollment” period for Medicare Part B is from January 1^st to March 31^st every year and those who enroll during this time will have to pay a penalty.  Enrolling in Medicare Part B at this time will allow you to start using the benefits of the coverage on July 1^st of the same year.

The rules for “Special Enrollment” for Medicare Part B are quite complicated so who better than Medicare to explain it to you directly.

“If you wait to sign up for Part B because you or your spouse is currently working, and you are covered by a group health plan based on that work, or if you are disabled and you or a family member is working, and you are covered by a group health plan based on that work. You can sign up for Part B anytime while you have group health plan coverage based on current employment or during the 8-month period that begins the month after the employment ends, or the group health plan coverage ends, whichever happens first. If you have COBRA coverage, you must enroll during the 8 month period that begins the month after the employment ends. This Special Enrollment Period doesn’t apply to people with End?Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).”