I missed my initial enrollment period, and I need to sign up for Medicare Part B right away. Is there a time of the year when anyone can enroll in Medicare Part B, even if they missed their initial enrollment period?
February 14, 2012
Dear Marci, I missed my initial enrollment period, and I need to sign up for Medicare Part B right away. Is there a time of the year when anyone can enroll in Medicare Part B, even if they missed their initial enrollment period? —Lavender
Dear Lavender,
Yes, there is. If you do not enroll in Medicare or if you refused Medicare when you originally became eligible for it, you can sign up during the General Enrollment Period, or the GEP. The GEP takes place from January 1 to March 31 of every year. Your coverage will begin July 1 of the year you sign up. You will have to pay a Part B premium penalty for every year you delayed enrolling in Medicare Part B.
Under certain circumstances, you may also be eligible for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to sign up for Medicare Part B outside of the usual enrollment periods. If you have coverage from your or your spouse’s current employer, you can sign up for Part B while you still have current employer coverage and up to eight months after you lose your health coverage, or you or your spouse stops working, whichever comes first. You must enroll in Part B during your SEP, or you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty.
—Marci
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