This guide explains 2024 Medicare Open Enrollment and other Medicare enrollment periods. Don't miss this important time to review and change your Medicare coverage.
Read moreSpeak with a licensed insurance agent
Requirement for Medicare
Reviewed by John Krahnert
If you're a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. who is 65 years or older, you're most likely eligible to sign up for Medicare.
Enrolling in Original Medicare may be confusing for some people. While some people are automatically enrolled, many must follow a few steps.
If you’re a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. who is 65 years or older, you’re most likely eligible to sign up. You may also be eligible if you’re under 65 if you have a certain disability or End Stage Renal Disease. Read on for a complete list of Medicare requirements.
Original Medicare
Original Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people age 65 or older and younger people with certain disabilities or End Stage Renal Disease.
By clicking "Sign me up!” you are agreeing to receive emails from MedicareAdvantage.com.
Thanks for signing up for our emails!
Your Medicare guide will arrive in your email inbox shortly. You can also look forward to informative email updates about Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
If you'd like to speak with an agent right away, we're standing by for that as well. Give us a call!
LICENSED AGENTS AVAILABLE NOW
Many people are automatically enrolled in Medicare, but some will have to manually enroll.
Original Medicare is divided into two parts: Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.
Medicare Part A covers:
- Hospital care
- Skilled nursing family care
- Hospice care
- Limited home health services
Medicare Part B covers:
- Services and supplies needed to diagnose or treat an illness or condition that meet accepted standards of medical practice
- Services to prevent or detect an illness or a condition at an early stage
Medicare Advantage plans
An alternative to Original Medicare is Medicare Advantage plans. Medicare Advantage is a program that allows you to receive your Part A and Part B benefits from a private insurer.
Medicare Advantage plans can include benefits not available in Medicare Part A or Part B.
How to enroll
Enrolling in Medicare is simple. You can do it in one of four ways:
- Apply on the Social Security website
- Visit your local Social Security office
- Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY: 1-800-325-0778)
- If you worked for a railroad, call the Railroad Retirement Board at 1-877-772-5772
- Complete an Application l Enrollment in Part B (CMS-40B)
For any further questions you have about Medicare Advantage requirements, call to speak with a licensed agent today.
Find Medicare Advantage plans in your area
Compare PlansOr call 1-800-557-6059 TTY Users: 711 24/7 to speak with a licensed insurance agent.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
..Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
Related articles
By clicking "Sign me up!” you are agreeing to receive emails from MedicareAdvantage.com.
Thanks for signing up for our emails!
Your Medicare guide will arrive in your email inbox shortly. You can also look forward to informative email updates about Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
If you'd like to speak with an agent right away, we're standing by for that as well. Give us a call!
LICENSED AGENTS AVAILABLE NOW