Medicare coordinating with employer health care

If you’re still working and have job-based health insurance and your turning age 65, how do you handle Medicare? In most cases, you should only delay enrollment in Medicare if your job-based insurance is the primary payer (meaning it pays first for your medical bills) and Medicare is secondary. Having job-based insurance does allow you to delay Medicare enrollment without penalty and delay paying the Medicare Part B premium. However, it’s important to know whether your job-based insurance will pay primary or secondary to Medicare. Job-based insurance is primary if it is from an employer with 20 or more employees. Medicare is secondary in this case, and some people in this situation choose not to enroll in Medicare Part B so that they don’t have to pay the monthly premium. Job-based insurance is secondary if it is from an employer with fewer than 20 employees; Medicare is primary in this case. If you work at an employer this small and delay Medicare enrollment, your job-based insurance may provide little or no coverage. That’s why you should enroll in Medicare Part B to avoid getting high costs for your care. There’s an enrollment period and penalties can happen if this is mishandled. Before you turn 65 talk with your HR department at your job or call me for an appointment. 320-679-5183.