The Complete Turning 65 Medicare Guide
🏌️ Reading the course before your first tee shot.
Your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period
Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) begins 3 months before the month you turn 65, includes your birthday month, and ends 3 months after. Enrolling in the first 3 months means coverage starts the first day of your birthday month.
Part A, Part B, Part C, and Part D — how they fit together
Original Medicare is Part A (hospital) and Part B (medical). You then either add a Medigap policy plus a Part D drug plan, OR replace Original Medicare's delivery with a Medicare Advantage (Part C) plan that usually bundles drugs.
- Part A: Hospital insurance — usually premium-free if you have 40 work quarters.
- Part B: Doctor visits, outpatient, preventive — has a monthly premium.
- Part C: Medicare Advantage — private plans that replace Original Medicare.
- Part D: Prescription drug coverage — sold standalone or built into MA plans.
If you're still working past 65
If your employer plan is 'creditable coverage', you can usually delay Part B without penalty and enroll later through a Special Enrollment Period. Check with your HR department before delaying — some smaller employer plans are not creditable.
Frequently asked questions
Not necessarily. If your employer has 20 or more employees and offers creditable coverage, you can delay Part B and enroll later with a Special Enrollment Period.
If you enroll during the first 3 months of your IEP, coverage begins the first day of your birthday month. Enrollments later in the IEP begin the month after you sign up.
Continue reading
Related content across the Medicare Knowledge Center — never a dead end.
Sources & references
📚 Where this information comes from
- Medicare.gov — official U.S. government site for people with Medicare ↗Primary source for benefits, enrollment periods, and plan comparison.
- CMS.gov — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ↗Federal rulemaking, program updates, and official guidance.
- Social Security Administration — Medicare enrollment & premiums ↗Enrollment, premium withholding, and IRMAA determinations.
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