How to Apply for Medicare During Covid-19

Thousands of individuals are aging into Medicare everyday and find themselves lost when it comes to applying for Medicare benefits. Typically, what has been recommended was for individuals to go to their local Social Security Office and apply for Medicare in-person. Due to Covid-19, this unfortunately isn't possible and we have to re-evaluate the ways on applying for Medicare.

What Am I Applying for When I Accept Medicare?

When you turn 65 years old or are deemed disabled by Social Security, and are planning to accept Medicare, you are applying for something called Original Medicare.

Original Medicare consist of two parts, Medicare Parts A and B. 

Under Part A, you get:

• Inpatient care in a hospital
• Skilled nursing facility care
• Care at a skilled nursing facility
• Hospice care
• Home health care

Part A is guaranteed and there is no cost to having it. You can learn more about what Medicare
Part A covers on medicare.gov.

Under Part B, you get:

• Medically necessary services: Services or supplies that are needed to diagnose or treat your medical condition and that meet accepted standards of medical practice.
• Preventive services: Health care to prevent illness (like the flu) or detect it at an early stage, when treatment is most likely to work best.

Part B is elective, and there is a monthly premium of $144.60 (could differ dependent on income), but is necessary so you do not pay 100% of medical costs incurred per procedure. Learn more about Medicare Part B on medicare.gov

​Both Medicare Part A & Part B are required if you want to enroll in ANY Medicare Advantage or Supplement Plan

​How Covid-19 Effects Enrollment into Medicare

Currently, the only thing that is effected at the Social Security Office is the ability to conduct face-to-face meetings with individuals looking to apply for Medicare benefits. This doesn't mean that there aren't other options available for applying for Medicare. You can still apply for Medicare by:

• Calling the Social Security Administration over the phone. You can speak to a person live by call the Social Security Administration at 1-(800)-772-1213 from 7am to 7pm, Monday through Friday.
• Applying Online. The Social Security Administration has made it convenient for individuals to apply for their Medicare benefits over the web. You can do this by going to the Social Security Administrations website at  https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare/ or by clicking here​.

Though Covid-19 has stopped in-person meetings from happening, it does not mean that you are going to have to be left without the Medicare benefits you deserve. Utilize these resources to your advantage and make sure that you have the coverage you need. If you have any questions on how to enroll into Medicare, or what type of insurance plan is right for you, please message us or give us a call at (702) 550-3909. We are here to help.