How to register for Medicare coverage in 3 easy steps

Confirm your eligibility, then choose a plan and apply

You’ve worked hard for your Medicare benefits. It shouldn’t be difficult to claim them.

It all breaks down into 3 simple steps.

Medicare eligibility is based in part on your age, your disability status and your retirement status. Generally, Medicare is available to people age 65 or older, younger people with disabilities and people with end-stage kidney disease.

To confirm your eligibility, go to the Medicare.gov eligibility tool.

You have 2 options:

1. Register for Original Medicare (Part A and Part B), with the option to enroll in a stand-alone prescription drug plan and/or a Medicare Supplement insurance plan offered by private insurance companies, or
2. Enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, offered by private insurance companies contracted by the federal government

Medicare is operated by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, but Social Security handles enrollment.

You can submit an application to the Social Security Administration by mail, online at the Social Security Administration website or in person at your nearest Social Security office.

Filling out the application online typically takes between 10 and 30 minutes and you can create a “My Social Security” account to track progress. It can take a few weeks for your application to be processed and your card to be mailed.

If you sign up in the month you turn 65, coverage begins the next month, unless your birthday is the first day of the month. If you wait until the month after your 65th birthday to enroll, your coverage could be delayed.

Keep the timing in mind to avoid any temporary gaps in your health coverage.