I’m Turning 65. What Do I Do About Medicare?Medicare, Explained Plainly And Chosen With Care.
Start about a year before your 65th birthday: sort out the coverage you have now, gather your list, then compare your options with Maartin beside you through enrollment.
The Short Answer
A year before 65, list your doctors and prescriptions and check how your current coverage ends. If you start Social Security at least 4 months before 65, you get Parts A and B automatically. If not, you sign up through Social Security. Then Maartin compares your plan options, and you enroll directly with the insurance company.
Source: Medicare.gov
Three Facts For The Year Before 65
- 3 Months
- If you’re enrolled automatically, your Medicare card arrives 3 months before your coverage starts.
- 10 Years
- Part A costs $0 for most people because they or a spouse paid Medicare taxes long enough, generally at least 10 years.
- 2 Years
- Your 2026 Part B premium rises if income on your tax return from 2 years ago topped $109,000, or $218,000 filing jointly.
Where Are You Starting From?
Four Starting Points, Four Next Steps.
What you do first depends on where your coverage and income come from today.
Already Collecting Social Security
If your benefits started at least 4 months before 65, you get Parts A and B automatically, and your card comes in the mail.
Not Collecting Yet
You sign up through Social Security. Doing it online with a my Social Security account is the easiest and fastest way.
Still Working At 65
Job-based coverage through you or your spouse can let you sign up for Part B later without a late penalty. Read working past 65 before you decide.
On A Covered California Plan
Your plan won’t cancel itself when you get Medicare. Report your Medicare eligibility to Covered California within 30 days, and cancel at least 14 days before you want the plan to end.
What To Bring
Bring These To Your Medicare Review.
Your list drives every comparison. The more complete it is, the sooner Maartin can lay your options side by side.
- Every doctor you see and want to keep, with their clinic or medical group
- Each prescription, with the dose and how often you take it
- The pharmacy you use, or your mail-order service
- Your Medicare card or letter from Social Security, if it has arrived
- Details of the coverage you have now: through work, a spouse’s job, retiree benefits or Covered California
- Travel plans, including time you spend out of state or abroad
- Your questions, written down as they come up
Working With Maartin
Your Year Before 65, Step By Step.
- 01
A Year Out: Map Where You Stand
Talk through your current coverage, your Social Security plans and your spouse’s coverage, so nothing ends before Medicare begins.
- 02
Before Your Window Opens: Build Your List
Gather your doctors, prescriptions and pharmacy. Maartin confirms whether you’ll be enrolled automatically or need to sign up.
- 03
Compare Your Options
With your list in hand, Maartin runs the side-by-side comparison described on Medicare Planning and gives you a clear recommendation. The choice stays yours.
- 04
Enroll With The Carrier
You get a direct link to enroll with the insurance company and can call Maartin with any question along the way.
- 05
Every Fall: Review
Plan costs can change each year. A yearly reminder brings you back to check your plan against your doctors and prescriptions.
Calls about Medicare plans are recorded and kept, as federal rules require.
Keep Going
Medicare Help And Guides.
Medicare Planning
Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Part D plans, compared plainly against your list.
Read MoreHealth Insurance Before 65
Coverage for a younger spouse, or for the years between leaving work and Medicare.
Read MoreWhen To Sign Up For Medicare
Your 7-month sign-up window, what to do in it and what happens if you miss it.
Read The GuideMedicare Advantage Or Medigap
How Californians compare cost, doctors and travel before they choose.
Read The GuideQuestions
Common Questions
How do I sign up for Medicare if I’m not on Social Security yet?
Contact Social Security. Signing up online with a my Social Security account is the easiest and fastest way, or you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit a local office. Your Medicare card arrives about 2 weeks after you sign up.
Does my income change what I pay for Part B?
It can. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month in 2026, and it is higher if the modified adjusted gross income on your tax return from 2 years ago was above $109,000 on an individual return or $218,000 on a joint return. Social Security tells you if you owe more, and you can ask it to lower the amount after a life-changing event that reduced your income.
What if my spouse is younger than me?
Medicare is for people 65 or older, along with certain younger people with disabilities, so a younger spouse usually needs coverage of their own until they qualify. Maartin looks at both of you together, including health coverage before 65 for the spouse who isn’t eligible yet.
Is there free Medicare counseling in California?
Yes. California’s HICAP program offers free, confidential one-on-one counseling on Medicare. Call 1-800-434-0222 to reach the office for your county. You are welcome to use HICAP and talk with Maartin, a licensed insurance agent, too.
My birthday is next year. When should I start?
Now is a good time. Starting a year out leaves room to sort out work or Covered California coverage, gather your list and compare options before your 7-month sign-up window opens 3 months before the month you turn 65.
Sources
- Automatic Parts A and B at 65 if Social Security benefits start at least 4 months before 65
- Part A is $0 for most people who or whose spouse paid Medicare taxes generally at least 10 years
- Job-based coverage (yours or your spouse's) can allow later Part B sign-up without a late penalty (Special Enrollment Period)
- Covered California plan is not canceled automatically; cancel at least 14 days ahead
- HICAP offers free, confidential one-on-one Medicare counseling
- Medicare marketing and sales calls must be recorded and retained (federal rule)
Medicare Disclaimer
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 6 organizations which offer 87 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE, or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program.
Turning 65 Soon?
Your 65th Birthday,
Planned Ahead.
Start with your list, and leave with a plan for every step between now and the day your coverage begins.
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