Enrollment into Medicare is thru Social Security Administration.
SSA.gov is where you enroll into your Medicare Part A(Hospital) & Part B(Medical) benefits.
| Initial Enrollment Period The Initial Open Enrollment Period is the 7-month window when you are eligible to enroll into Medicare benefits without penalty. You have a decision to make if you are eligible to stay with your group health insurance or transition into Medicare Part A & B. Make sure you do not miss or enroll late into your initial enrollment period. You can incur Lifetime penalties when enrolling late. If you are eligible & decide to defer your Part B start date then make sure to inform Social Security(1-800-772-1213).   | Medigap Open EnrollmentThe ONE-TIME Medigap Open Enrollment is a 12-month window surrounding your Part B effective month. It is recommended that you enroll 6-4 months prior to your Medicare Part B effective date. This reserves the rate and aligns the Medigap policy effective date with your Medicare Part B effective date. This ensures that you AVOID a delayed Medicare A&B and Medigap start date. All with plenty of time to recieve your "Welcome to Medicare Letter", your Medicare ID card & your Medigap Policy ID card. |
Trial Right Period
The Trial Right Period is the first 12 months(1st year) you enrolled into the optional alternative of "Medicare Advantage"(Part C is your primary). If you decide that you DON'T like being in a restrictive HMO or PPO network of doctors, specialist & hospitals; where the insurance companies often impose a prior-authorization form as a standard protocol, then you have the right to SWITCH back to "Original Medicare"(Part A&B). You can CHANGE but It must be within the first 12-months.
You will then be in a "GUARANTEED ISSUE" situation when you can disenroll from your "Medicare Advantage" plan and enroll back into "Original Medicare".
You will be eligible to enroll into a Medicare Supplement(Medigap) Plan and a stand alone Part D drug plan.
Pro Tip: Enrolling into a Part D drug plan will automatically DISENROLL you from your "Medicare Advantage"(Part C) plan.
