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Turning 65 is a milestone birthday because it means you’re eligible for Medicare. Because there’s a steep learning curve, it’s smart to prepare early, when you’re 63 or 64 years old. Here’s how to get Medicare ready before your 65th birthday.
What to do at age 63 to prepare for Medicare
Attend a Medicare 101 event
Focus on Medicare education when you turn 63. Local licensed sales agents and community groups frequently host free Medicare 101 presentations. “Medicare is very overwhelming. Medicare 101s help you get educated ahead of time,” said Devra Singer, a licensed Humana Medicare sales agent in Florida.
You can find a local Medicare 101 presentation different ways. Here are a few ideas:
- Get referrals from your friends, family, realtors, financial planners, etc. for licensed Medicare sales agents and attend their next event.
- Ask your primary care provider if they host educational events.
- Check out your local senior center calendar.
- Google “Medicare 101 presentation near me.”
- Connect with your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP).
- See if your local area agency on aging offers educational events.
Check out Medicare.gov, which is the official government website for the Medicare program. Start with the basics and then save the free Medicare and You handbook that’s updated each year for easy reference.
Know this key Medicare information at 63
Medicare isn’t automatic for most people—you must enroll in it
Everyone is Medicare-eligible at age 65. People can enroll in Medicare before age 65 if they have a qualifying disability and have been receiving Social Security disability for 24 months, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Most people need to sign up for Medicare Parts A and B. The only time Medicare enrollment occurs automatically is if you’ve already applied for Social Security benefits 4 months before your 65th birthday.
You have 3 months before your 65th birthday and 3 months afterward to enroll, so 7 months total. If you miss this initial enrollment period, you can use the General Election Period, January 1–March 31, to sign up.
If you don’t enroll at the right time, you could face lifetime late-enrollment penalties
Which parts of Medicare you enroll in when are based on your personal employment and health coverage situation. Here are some of Devra’s enrollment tips:
- “Understand Medicare’s guidelines and enrollment periods. You don’t want to miss the window, because you’ll get penalized.”
- “If you have employer coverage, you could delay your Part B. I always tell people if you’ve got great employer coverage and you’re not really paying anything for it, then keep it.”
- “Work with an agent who can walk you through Medicare guidelines and help you figure out when to enroll in what.”
Medicare late-enrollment penalties quickly add up and last while you have that type of coverage, which, for most people, is a lifetime. Devra said Part B and D are the most common late-enrollment penalties she sees.
- Part B late-enrollment penalty: You’ll pay an extra 10% for each year you could have signed up but didn’t.
- Part D late-enrollment penalty: You’ll pay an extra 1% for each month (or 12% a year) you could have signed up but didn’t.
Here’s how it works in practice if you waited 2 years (24 months) to sign up for Part B in 2026:
$40.58 late-enrollment penalty per month (20% of $202.90)
x 12 months/year
= $486.96 penalty per year
Below are general guidelines on when to enroll in Medicare. Be sure to work with a licensed Medicare sales agent or your local SHIP representative to understand when to enroll in each part of Medicare.
| Part of Medicare | When to sign up |
|---|---|
| Part A (hospital insurance) | When you turn 65 |
| Part B (medical insurance) |
If you are not working and have no other creditable coverage (see definition under table), enroll at 65. If you or your spouse plan to keep working, have health coverage from the employer and the employer has 20+ employees, you have 8 months after you stop working to enroll in Part B. |
| Part D (private prescription drug coverage) |
If you have no other creditable coverage for prescription drugs, enroll at 65. If you qualify for Extra Help/Low-Income Subsidy, enroll at 65. If you have creditable coverage for prescription drugs, enroll in a Part D plan within 63 days of losing creditable coverage. |
Creditable coverage is defined as health insurance coverage that covers as much as or more than Medicare from a current or former employer or union, TRICARE, Indian Health Service, VA or individual health insurance coverage.
Medicare is for individuals, not families
Unlike employer or commercial insurance, Medicare is for individuals rather than families. If you have a spouse or dependent, they won’t be able to enroll in Medicare until they are eligible for it.
Because Medicare is for individuals, you can enroll in the plan that fits your personal wants and needs. “What’s good for your neighbor, friend or relative might not be good for you,” said Devra.
This also goes for your spouse. You and your spouse can enroll in different plans if you have different health needs. Here’s a real-life example from Devra: “The wife is very healthy and sees a few doctors. The husband sees a lot of specialists and needs more flexibility. He went with a PPO and she has an HMO.”
Private insurance options each have different tradeoffs
When you enroll in Medicare, you can choose 2 different routes:
- Stick with Original Medicare and add private insurance, such as Medicare Supplement insurance, a prescription drug plan and/or dental, vision or combination dental, vision and hearing plan.
- Choose Medicare Advantage (Medicare Part C) from a private insurance company. This type of plan offers the same coverage as Medicare Parts A and B and often includes Part D coverage.
“Make sure you look at the different plan types,” said Devra. Each Medicare plan type offers different tradeoffs. For example:
- If you want maximum provider choice, flexibility and predictable costs you pay for upfront, you might enroll in Original Medicare and add a Medicare Supplement insurance plan and a standalone prescription drug plan.
- If you want everything under a single plan, additional benefits not covered by Original Medicare and don’t mind staying in network for providers, you might choose a Medicare Advantage plan. Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans give you access to doctors who care about you.
“Look at different plans that fit your needs based on whether premiums or providers are an issue or you spend six months in one state and six months in another,” said Devra.
If you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to Medicare Supplement later, you’ll have to go through medical underwriting. “If Medicare Supplement is something that you think you want at some point, you can’t look into a crystal ball and see what your health is going to be in the future,” said Devra.
What to do at age 64 to prepare for Medicare
Put key dates on the calendar
Add these important dates to your calendar:
- 3 months before and 3 months after your 65th birthday is your initial enrollment period to sign up for Medicare (7 months total).
- October 15–December 7 is the Annual Election Period which gives Medicare consumers a chance to enroll in or change Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plans.
- If you miss your initial enrollment period, you can sign up for Original Medicare between January 1–March 31 during the general enrollment period.
- 63 days after your creditable prescription drug coverage ends, be sure you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage prescription drug coverage or standalone prescription drug plan.
- 8 months after you or your spouse stop working, be sure you’ve enrolled in Medicare Part B or a Medicare Advantage plan.
Find a licensed sales agent
Even if you’ve spent time educating yourself about Medicare, it’s always helpful to have a second opinion. Working with a licensed Humana sales agent means you have someone who can review your enrollment timeframe(s) and navigate your Medicare plan options based on your unique needs.
There’s no additional cost to you to work with an agent, and you’re not obligated to enroll in a plan through them either. Learn how to get ready to meet with an agent in this article.
Your Humana agent could also help you find in-network providers who listen to you and care about you as a patient and a person.
If you’re ready to talk to a licensed Medicare sales agent, call now. If you prefer to schedule a meeting, fill out this form.
Summing it up
We covered a lot. Here’s a quick recap:
When you are 63, attend Medicare 101 events to learn:
- When you should enroll and how
- Which paths you can take for private coverage
Once you turn 64, you should:
- Add key enrollment dates to your calendar to avoid late-enrollment penalties
- Find a licensed Medicare sales agent to help you review your plan and provider options
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