Turning 65
Your Initial Enrollment Period is seven months long: the three months before the month you turn 65, your birthday month, and the three months after. When your coverage starts depends on when in that window you sign up:
| When you sign up | When Medicare starts |
|---|---|
| Any of the 3 months before your birthday month | The first day of your birthday month |
| Your birthday month or any of the 3 months after | The first day of the month after you sign up |
| Automatically, because you already get Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits | The first day of your birthday month (your card arrives about three months before) |
If your birthday is on the 1st, everything moves one month earlier. If you miss your Initial Enrollment Period and don't have a special enrollment period, you can sign up from January 1 to March 31 in the General Enrollment Period, and coverage starts the month after you sign up.
If you work past 65
If you have group health coverage from your own or your spouse's current job, you can sign up later during a special enrollment period, which lasts eight months after the job or coverage ends. Coverage starts the month after you sign up, or you can ask for it to start up to three months later. To avoid a gap, sign up the month before your employer coverage ends. See do I need Part B if I'm still working?
Lining up Washington coverage
- Apple Health adult coverage. Apple Health's coverage for adults with income up to 138% of the federal poverty level is for people 19 to 64 who don't have Medicare. When you turn 65 or get Medicare, you may still qualify for Apple Health Classic coverage, which works as secondary coverage to Medicare, so apply for Medicare on time and answer any Apple Health notices. You may qualify for a Medicare Savings Program; see does Apple Health pay Medicare premiums?
- Washington Healthplanfinder. Once you're eligible for Part A with no premium, you can't keep getting premium tax credits for a Marketplace plan. Plan your Medicare start date and end your Healthplanfinder coverage so they don't overlap or leave a gap.
- PEBB retirees. PEBB requires retirees and enrolled dependents to have Part A and Part B as soon as they are eligible. See do PEBB retirees need Medicare Part B?
- TRICARE. TRICARE For Life begins the first day you have both Part A and Part B.
Get help
To sign up, contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or ssa.gov. Once you know your start date, you have a window to choose a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan, and your six-month Medigap open enrollment period begins with the month you are 65 and have Part B. A licensed insurance agent with Benefits Life can help you compare plans from the companies they work with, at no cost to you: (206) SENIORS (206-736-4677), TTY 711. See also turning 65 in Washington and Medicare enrollment.
Related questions
How do I sign up for Medicare in Washington?
Automatic enrollment, applying online and the forms you need.
Do I need Part B if I'm still working?
Delaying Part B without a penalty.
Can I buy Medigap under 65 in Washington?
For people on Medicare because of a disability.
Sources
- Medicare.gov — When does Medicare coverage start?
- Medicare.gov — When can I sign up for Medicare?
- Social Security — Sign up for Medicare
- Medicare.gov — Avoid late enrollment penalties
- Washington State Health Care Authority — Apple Health for individual adults (ages 19 through 64, not entitled to Medicare)
- Health Care Authority — Age 65 and older or Medicare eligible
- HealthCare.gov — Medicare and the Marketplace
Frequently asked questions
My birthday is on the 1st. When does Medicare start?
Medicare treats you as turning 65 the month before. If you sign up early enough, coverage starts on the first day of the month before your birthday month, and your Initial Enrollment Period also starts a month earlier.
I get Social Security disability. When does Medicare start?
Usually automatically after you have received disability benefits for 24 months. If you have ALS, Medicare starts the month your disability benefits begin. People with end-stage renal disease follow separate rules, generally tied to when dialysis starts or a transplant.
When does Medicare start if I sign up during the General Enrollment Period?
If you sign up between January 1 and March 31, coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up. You may owe a late penalty.
Can Part A start retroactively?
If you sign up after 65 and get Part A with no premium, Part A can go back up to six months, but not before the month you turned 65. That matters if you contribute to a health savings account: stop contributions before your Part A start date.
Medicare in your Washington county
Plans, local agents and help, county by county: Adams · Asotin · Benton · Chelan · Clallam · Clark · Columbia · Cowlitz · Douglas · Ferry · Franklin · Garfield · Grant · Grays Harbor · Island · Jefferson · King · Kitsap · Kittitas · Klickitat · Lewis · Lincoln · Mason · Okanogan · Pacific · Pend Oreille · Pierce · San Juan · Skagit · Skamania · Snohomish · Spokane · Stevens · Thurston · Wahkiakum · Walla Walla · Whatcom · Whitman · Yakima
