Get started with Medicare
Medicare is health insurance for people 65 or older. You may be eligible to get Medicare earlier if you have a disability, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or ALS (also called Lou Gehrig’s disease). Some people get Medicare automatically, others have to actively sign up — it depends if you start getting retirement or disability benefits from Social Security before you turn 65.

What do Social Security benefits have to do with getting Medicare?

Before you turn 65:
• If you apply to start getting retirement benefits from Social Security (or the Railroad Retirement Board) at least 4 months before you turn 65, you’ll automatically get Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance) when you turn 65. • You’ll still need to make important decisions about how you get your coverage, including adding drug coverage. If you want to get Medicare when you turn 65, but aren’t planning to take retirement benefits at that time, you’ll need to sign up for Medicare.

After you turn 65:
You’ll have to contact Social Security when you’re ready to sign up for Medicare. Depending on your work situation and if you have health coverage through your employer, you may want to wait to sign up for Medicare. Parts of Medicare

A four-story building with first aid icon representing a hospital Part A (Hospital Insurance): Helps cover inpatient care in hospitals, skilled nursing facility care, hospice care, and home health care. A stethoscope representing a person getting a checkup from a health care provider Part B (Medical Insurance): Helps cover: • Services from doctors and other health care providers • Outpatient care • Home health care • Durable medical equipment (like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, and other equipment) • Many preventive services (like screenings, shots or vaccines, and yearly “Wellness” visits)