Medicare comes with an initial enrollment period the year you turn 65. If you don’t sign up on time, you could end up paying a penalty.
However, not everyone has to wait until age 65 to sign up for Medicare. Some groups of people can access Medicare coverage before they turn 65.
Rather than signing up for a family plan, you sign up for Medicare as an individual. You and your spouse sign up separately — when you each become eligible.
While you want to make sure that you enroll during your initial enrollment period to avoid late penalties, that isn’t the only time you can select a plan.
You might think that the Health and Human Services (HHS) department would handle Medicare enrollment, but that’s not the case.
First of all, you’ve paid into the system through payroll taxes. So even if you aren’t paying a premium for Medicare Part A, you’ve already paid for it.
There are various programs designed for those who need financial help paying their premiums or getting other expenses covered.
To get some of these costs covered, you might need to look into Medicare Advantage or Medigap plans or other resources like long-term care insurance.