5 step-by-step instructions to keep your enrollment on track from start to finish.
Take your time. Be confident with your Medicare plan choice.
Measure your progress as you complete each stage of your enrollment.
A simple 5 step-by-step enrollment process.
Do you have questions about how to coordinate your Medicare Part B with Social Security using the Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), or if over the age of 65, the Special Enrollment Period (SEP)? Which to use, when and how? Are you interested in how I review, shop, compare and lastly, enroll clients in their Medicare insurance plan? I’ve designed this 5 Step Medicare Enrollment Guide to simplify the process by helping you organize each phase of your Medicare enrollment. In conjunction with this guide, I recommend utilizing the all the tools in the Medicare Toolbox to complement this guide as you make your way through the Medicare maze of plans.
The goal of this 5 step process is provide you with a logical structure to follow from start to finish. This way, you can focus on learning more about your insurance plan options to make a more informed decision when choosing your Medicare plan(s)– Medicare Supplement Plan, Medicare Advantage Plan, and/or a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
Take the guess work out of searching for where to begin, what to focus on, and if you’ve covered all your bases. After a decade of helping clients, I’ve found this 5 step process to be the most direct and constructive way to effectively communicate Medicare insurance options to newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries. The process is clear an direct. Covering all plan types, how they function, and how to enroll.
To illustrate, Step 1 will start the process of coordinating Medicare Part A and Part B through your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), or a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Are you turning 65? If so, this will explain how to get started. Once you’ve reviewed Step 1, move on to view the Medicare Map or the Medicare Roadmap to visualize the structure of the insurance plan types. Open the Medicare Toolbox to find both visual aides at any point in the process.
Maybe, Online research isn’t for you? Would you like a printed copy of my “Medicare Planning Made Simple” booklet? I designed to this booklet complement MedicareSupplementMentor.com. I understand reading for long periods of time online isn’t for everyone. Use this booklet in conjunction with my site to read and explore your Medicare plan options offline. The more you have an opportunity to review the Medicare plan concepts, the more confident you’ll be in your plan choice.
Follow my lead and complete your Medicare enrollment successfully my 5 Step Medicare Enrollment Guide.
Step 1
Coordinate your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period with Social Security
The first step of the enrollment process is to coordinate your Part A & B of Medicare with Social Security. Scroll through Step 1 to start learning more about coordinating your start date with Medicare. If you’re not working or you are covered under a current employer group health plan (or spouse’s), you’ll likely be using your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP). The Initial Enrollment Period is the seven month period surrounding your 65th birthday. The IEP can be used by those who are close to turning 65– 3 months before to be exact. The IEP seven month period starts three months before your 65th birthday, extends through your birthday month, and extends another three months after your birthday month. (i.e June 15th 65th birthday– March 1st – September 30th is your IEP).
Once you’ve had a chance to review all 5 Steps, please view my Turning 65 “Quick Review” for more information specific to your Medicare coordination/enrollment as well as Medicare Insurance Plan Enrollment Periods for more information on the “open windows” you’re able to apply within for your Medicare insurance plan when first “turning 65” and/or enrolling in Medicare. Most clients want to begin their Medicare insurance coverage on the day their Medicare is eligible to start. If that’s you, let’s work together to ensure you’re covered on the 1st of the month you’re eligible.
Medicare Intial Enrollment Period (IEP)
3 months before
65th Birthday month
3 months after
When does your Medicare become effective?
When does Medicare become effective? Well, if you’re delaying your Social Security retirement benefit, it depends on when you choose to enroll within your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP). Below is a chart outlining when your Part B of Medicare would begin depending on the timing of your Initial Enrollment.
As a reminder, if you’re already taking your Social Security Retirement Benefit, you’ll be automatically enrolled 3 months before your 65th birthday month using your IEP. Therefore, your start date will be the 1st of the month you turn 65. If your birthday happens to fall on the 1st of the month, you’re eligible to start Medicare the 1st of the month prior to your birthday month.
If you’re over 65, currently covered under a group employer plan (or spouse’s), and plan on leaving the employer group plan to start your Part B using a Special Election Period, you will have a different set of rules for when your able to start Part B. Typically, with this type of SEP, you’ll be able to select the specific month you’d like your Part B to begin as long as it’s within a 8 months of you having current employer group health coverage through your employer or your spouse. To be clear, there is no table or chart for this type of SEP. It’s really up to you and when you choose to leave the employer plan (i.e. 68 or 72 and retiring from employer group plan. Use SEP to start Medicare).
When you apply for the SEP to start Medicare over the age of 65, I recommend that you indicate your requested Medicare Part B start date under the “remarks” section of Form 40B. Include this CMS form 40B along with CMS form L654 for your Part B SEP enrollment. Also, I recommend contacting Social Security to double check that they have enrolled you on the date you specified. Most clients start coverage the 1st of the month after the month they left the group employer plan. Plan ahead and contact us to help you so there is no lapse in coverage!
Please see the cover page of CMS forms 40B and L564 for more specific instructions or contact my office to review and confirm your SEP timeline. Read, review, and/or download 40B and L564 under Forms and Documents.
What's your Social Security retirement benefit status?
Active or Delayed?
Are you currently receiving your Social Security benefit?
You will have an automatic coordination of Medicare with Social Security. Social Security will automatically enroll you using the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) 3 months before turning 65.
Are you currently delaying your Social Security benefit?
Be proactive with your coordination of Medicare. Use the Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) at 65 or SEP, if working and starting Medicare at a later time.
The way in which you coordinate Medicare with Social Security using your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) will depend on whether or not you are currently receiving your Social Security retirement benefit, or delaying your retirement benefit to a later time.
Do you have questions about when to start talking your Social Security Retirement Benefits? If so, take a look at Social Security 101 and how we help clients with Total Social Security’s software projections.
Review Medicare Initial Enrollment (IEP) and SEP scenarios.
Coordinate Medicare with Social Security during your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period. Automatic or Proactive?
A simple and straightforward checklist to help you stay organized with your Medicare coordination and Medicare Plan selection(s).
Step 2
Medicare 101
What are Part A, Part B, Part C, Part D– Medicare Supplement Plans & Medicare Advantage Plans? Who came up with this system!? Well, it’s the system we have to work with. Let’s break down the process in stages, so you can get a basic understanding of what each “part” and/or “plan” represents.
For starters, no, you can’t have all four parts. Who knew?! As to why Medicare choose to label them A-D as if they all fit together is very confusing. I get that!
To illustrate, you cannot have a Part C plan and add a Part D plan to it. It will cancel the entire Part C Plan since it likely has a Part D Plan included in the Medicare Advantage Plan.
Now, jump into Medicare 101 in the navigation bar above to review the “parts” and “plans” of Medicare. As you review each sub-section of Medicare 101, I recommend that you use the Medicare Plan Map and Medicare Roadmap as a reference to help you clearly differentiate each “part” and where the “plans” align in each medicare plan path. Regardless of the path you choose for your coverage, I think it’s best to understand both paths and the terminologies used for each plan type.
Understanding both plan paths will provide you with more confidence with your insurance plan choice. For example, why you prefer one path over another and why you chose your path for Medicare coverage.
Also, it’s always best to compartmentalize the Medicare enrollment process into two separate enrollments. Breaking it up will help you with organizing each decision. The first being your coordination of starting Medicare with Social Security and the second for enrollment in Medicare insurance plan(s) coverage.
Enrollment #1 - Coordinate Medicare Initial Enrollment Period
First, coordinate Medicare with Social Security for Medicare (Part A & B) using Medicare Initial Enrollment Period or SEP. View the drop downs under Medicare Enrollment Planning to organize the first enrollment step of coordinating Medicare with Social Security (i.e. automatic or proactive?). View Initial Enrollment & Timelines for specific enrollment scenarios.
Enrollment # 2 - Enrollment into Medicare Insurance Product(s)
Second, explore your insurance plan enrollment options– Medicare Supplement Plan (Medigap), Medicare Prescription Plan (Part D), or Medicare Advantage (Part C- with a Medicare Prescription Plan (Part D included).
Enrollment into these plans can be done through my insurance agency, Mentor One Insurance Solutions with myself, John Crump. Shop, compare and select your insurance carrier and plan through our insurance agency. You do not enroll in these plans through not Social Security. This is fairly obvious, but as you’re new to this process, it’s best to be as clear as possible with my instructions.
Do you have an idea for what plan you may want to enroll in for your Medicare insurance coverage? View Medicare Insurance Plan Enrollment Periods for more specifics on enrollment windows for each Medicare insurance plan type. Many times the enrollment periods for starting Medicare with Social Security can be confused with the enrollment periods for enrolling in Medicare insurance plans (some vary). Visit the link above to get more information dedicated to timing your enrollment in Medicare insurance products once you’ve coordinated your Medicare start date with Social Security.
Review Medicare 101.
Original Medicare (Part A & B) The foundation of Medicare-- see Medicare Map link above.
Path #1 - Keep Medicare (w/ Medicare Supplement Plan + Medicare Prescription Drug Plan) OR
Path #2 - Sign Over your Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan (includes Part D Rx plan)
Medicare Supplement Plans (Medigap) View the structure & function of a Medicare Supplement Plan under Medicare 101. Keeping Original Medicare (Part A & B) and adding a Medicare Supplement Plan as secondary coverage to the primary-- Original Medicare. "Truck and trailer"
Medicare Advantage Plans (Part C) View the structure & function of a Medicare Advantage Plan under Medicare 101. "Signing over " Original Medicare to a networked "Medicare Plan" that likely includes a Part D Prescription drug inside the Part C plan. "Bundled" plan
Medicare Prescription Plans (Part D) View the structure and function of a Medicare Prescription Plan under Medicare 101. For example, add a stand-alone Part D plan with a Medicare Supplement Plan or a Part D Plan included with a Medicare Advantage Plan. "Trailer added to Original Medicare".
Step 3
Choose your Medicare Plan path & compare insurance plans.
At this point in the process, you likely have an idea of the plan types and products available to you. Again, to help reinforce this concept, the two Medicare Plan paths are as follows: See Medicare Roadmap for a simple illustration of these plan paths!
Path # 1 – Keep Original Medicare (Part A & B) as your primary insurance and add a Medicare Supplement Plan + Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Left side of Map or Roadmap).
Path #2 – Sign over your Original Medicare (Part A & B) to an “alternative plan” also known as Part C. Technically, signing Medicare over to the insurance company’s networked Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) that includes a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D). The Medicare Advantage Plan being your primary insurance, not Medicare (Right side of Map or Medicare Roadmap).
Apart from the difference in the how the plans types function, you should now be able to clearly differentiate the two “plan paths”. Visualize how each Medicare insurance plans type falls on one side or the other– refer to Medicare Plan Map button below.
Are you ready to move forward with enrollment? Maybe you want to contact your doctors first? When contacting your physician’s offices, ask the office administrators, “Do you accept Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement Plan?” or “Do accept Medicare Advantage Plans, and if so, which plans in-network?” I can help you confirm the plan(s) your physician accepts if you would like assistance. I will then compare and shop the plans your physician takes. Open to a new physician? I can review all plans available to you.
Note: If your physician accepts Medicare, they usually require you to have a Medicare Supplement Plan as this is where their office will bill the remaining 20% not covered by Medicare. The insurance company offering the Medicare Supplement Plan does not matter as they are all standardized and follow Medicare accordingly. The office may think so, but this is incorrect. As long as you have a Medicare Supplement Plan, it will follow Medicare as the secondary wherever you receive your Medicare covered services. As for the Medicare Advantage Plan, these plans are specific to the physician accepting the exact plan as it is primary insurance– not Original Medicare. I can help you review both your coverage options. Let me know how I can help you.
Request a personalized quote when you're ready.
I prefer to speak with clients over phone. However, to get started, I can can send almost everything to you in a pdf format and communicate through email if this is your preference. In fact, I find it is best to send my clients quotes via email, and then schedule time to review the information with my clients over the phone to thoroughly answer your questions and explain the plan benefits/cost. Most often, my clients and I complete application with paper and pen, as it’s more secure than inputting your information through an online application. Again the choice is yours.
I can’t emphasize how easy this process will become once you’re able to get your questions answered in a casual, pressure free environment. Here is an example of a Medicare Supplement Plan quote you would receive from myself, John@MedicareSupplementMentor.com.
Call for us a quote at (916) 619-6553 or (530) 433-5775
Step 4
Medicare Initial Enrollment through Phone or Zoom Appointments
Typically, a 30-45 minute phone/zoom appointment will be spent reviewing your current situation/timeline, confirming your Medicare coordination with Social Security using Medicare Initial Enrollment Period or SEP, and finally, reviewing your quote before completing the enrollment applications.
Need more time? I’m more than willing to patiently review as much material as you need to be comfortable with your decision. Let me know what you’d like more clarification on. I want to you be informed and confident with your plan choice.
Once I determine your plan path and review quotes for each plan(s), I can then discuss your application enrollment options. Phone and zoom appointment windows are very flexible. Let me know what day/time works for you.
New to zoom meetings? I was up until just a few months ago. Although many clients prefer speaking over the phone, this has become an easy way to schedule meetings with clients throughout California. The process is simple. For starters, I prefer to speak with my clients over the phone before the meeting. During our discussion, I will outline the process and give you details for the zoom meeting, however, you should know that you don’t need a zoom account. I will send you a link to your email. “Voila” we will be connected via my account to discuss how I can help you review, shop, compare, and finally enroll in a Medicare insurance plan.
Zoom isn’t for you? Let’s discuss plans over the phone. If you’re located close to an office location, we can meet there or I can visit you at your home or an offsite location you prefer. Prefer to talk over the phone and have me send you the paperwork? That works too!
In-Person Appointment-- your home or my office.
I understand you likely have a busy schedule. Let me know what time works best for you. I’ll do my best to accommodate you. Do you live in northern California? I can drive to you, or you may meet me at one of my offices.
Before scheduling your face-to-face appointment, I ask that you briefly speak with me over the phone to introduce yourself and confirm your enrollment window eligibility. This introduction typically lasts 5-10 minutes. In-person appointments typically run 45 minutes to an hour. Maybe you’d like to contact me and discuss my experience and Medicare knowledge before you before you schedule an appointment. By all means, let me know, and I’ll make time to speak with you.
All Medicare Plan Appointment Types
Together, we will throughly review the entire Medicare Plan Map & Medicare Roadmap to be sure you clearly understand the “plan paths” and your options within each path. Then, we will cover whether you will be using the Medicare Initial Enrollment Period or a Special Enrollment Period. Lastly, we can then move on to reviewing/shopping the insurance products available to you under each Medicare plan path.
I will help you shop plans, review quotes for plans/pricing for the product at your age, and in your ZIP code. Lastly, I’ll assist with filling out plan specific applications, sign, and email or copy plan materials for your records and proof of enrollment.
You will not be working with call center representative at MedicareSupplementMentor.com. I work directly with all my clients. This is was separates me from the transactional environment that most Medicare clients experience with other agencies–passed line to line and working with different representatives.
AARP UnitedHealthcare
Aetna
Anthem Blue Cross
Blue Shield of California
Cigna
Authorized to Offer:
Continental Life
Combined
Coventry
Health Net
Humana
IAC
Mutual of Omaha
National Guardian Life
Transamerica
Wellcare
Step 5
You've completed Medicare Initial Enrollment & Medicare insurance plan enrollment. Congratulations!
At this stage of the process you’ve completed both enrollments: Medicare initial enrollment with Social Security using Medicare Initial Enrollment Period or SEP as well as enrollment into Medicare insurance product(s). You should receive your application hard copies, insurance cards, and additional plan materials in 7-10 days directly from the insurance company. If you signed the applications for the insurance products before your Medicare effective date, they will all begin on the 1st coverage begins. If after, the coverage will begin on the 1st of the following month– this for all plan types.
The insurance company may also make outbound calls confirming your intent to enroll in the plan (Part C & D only). It may seem somewhat invasive, however, they do it protect you from scams and unethical enrollment practices. They may ask you questions about your intent to enroll in the Part C and/or Part D plan. Medicare itself will not make outbound calls to you. The call should be from the Medicare insurance company you enrolled with, not Medicare. I recommend requesting that they mail you a letter summarizing the contents of the call, just to be safe. If they do not reach you, you’ll receive a letter outlining the reason for the outbound call.
Remember to refer back to the Medicare Planning Checklist to set reminders on your calendar for dates that pertain to your plan selection (ie. AEP October 15th- December 7th or the California Birthday Rule to remind yourself to shop rates if you have large Medicare Supplement Plan rate increase.
If you have questions or concerns about your plan, access to physicians, and/or billing questions throughout the year, please give my office a call to help. Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to broker your plan. I appreciate your business!
