Turning 65
The turning 65 checklist we give every client
Twelve steps, in order, from nine months before your birthday to your first Annual Enrollment Period.
Turning 65 brings a flood of mail. Postcards from call centers, letters from carriers you have never heard of, and a thick Medicare & You handbook. None of it tells you what to do first. This is the checklist we hand clients at their first visit, in the order that avoids penalties and gaps.
Nine to six months before your birthday
Start by writing down what you have now and what you want to keep. The best Medicare decision is the one that protects the doctors and medications you already rely on.
- List every doctor you see, including specialists and the hospital you prefer.
- List every prescription with strength and dosage.
- Ask HR how many employees your company has and whether your plan requires Medicare at 65.
- Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you do not already have one.
Three months before your birthday month
This is the start of your Initial Enrollment Period. If you are not already receiving Social Security, apply for Medicare Parts A and B now so your coverage starts on the first day of your birthday month.
If your birthday falls on the first of the month, your coverage can start a month earlier. Our IEP calculator on the Turning 65 page handles that rule for you.
- Apply for Part A and Part B online, or confirm automatic enrollment.
- Decide whether you want Original Medicare with a Supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Book a plan review with an advisor who can check your doctors and drugs.
Your birthday month
Your Medicare card should have arrived. Now is the time to lock in the rest of your coverage. If you choose a Medicare Supplement, your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period starts the month your Part B begins, and insurers cannot use your health history to deny you during that window.
- Enroll in a Medigap plan and a Part D drug plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan.
- Cancel employer, marketplace or COBRA coverage only after your new coverage is confirmed.
- Set up premium payments by bank draft or Social Security deduction.
The first three months after
Use your coverage. Schedule your Welcome to Medicare preventive visit within the first twelve months. Keep your plan ID cards together in one place and give copies to the family member who helps with appointments.
If you have an HSA through an employer plan, stop contributing six months before your Medicare Part A start date. Part A can be backdated up to six months when you enroll after 65, and contributions during that time can create a tax penalty.
Your first October
In late September, your plan will mail an Annual Notice of Change. It lists next year's premiums, copays and formulary changes. Read the first two pages, then bring it to your yearly review. The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7.
Most people do not need to change plans every year. But a drug moving to a higher tier or a doctor leaving a network can quietly cost hundreds of dollars, and that is exactly what the review is for.
The short version
Know your doctors and drugs. Mark your seven-month window. Enroll in A and B on time. Choose Medigap plus Part D or Medicare Advantage in your birthday month. Review every October. Everything else is detail, and we are happy to handle the detail with you.
This guide is general education, not legal or tax advice. Figures change annually. 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.
