Medicare Part A Enrollment Procedures

Medicare Part A is a part of Medicare coverage that helps with costs of hospital stays and nursing care. Medicare is available to those older than 65 years of age and some younger disabled individuals who receive Social Security benefits. Medicare tax funds Part A, and for this reason, if you have worked and paid these taxes, Part A is free.

Automatic Enrollment

• Many citizens are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B. If you are receiving Social Security benefits or Railroad Retirement Benefits, the government will automatically enroll you in Medicare Part A. This happens in two circumstances. If you receive disability benefits and you are younger than 65 years of age, then your automatic enrollment occurs after you receive benefits for 24 months. Typically, if you are receiving retirement benefits, your automatic enrollment in Part A occurs when you turn 65 years of age.

Enrolling in Part A

• If you are close to 65 years of age, and you are not receiving Social Security benefits, you must sign up for Part A coverage. You must contact the Social Security Administration three months before your 65th birthday and tell them you want to enroll in Part A. After this, you will receive your Medicare card with all the information you need, and your coverage will start on the first day of the month in which you turn 65 years old. To enroll, as of 2011, you can call 1-800-772-1213 and tell them you need to sign up for Part A. You can also sign up online at the Social Security's website at socialsecurity.gov/retirement.

Paying for Part A

• The third possible case for enrollment in Part A is if you are not entitled to receive free coverage. This can happen if you did not pay Medicare tax while you were working. If this is the case, you are allowed to buy Part A if you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is at least 65 years old and entitled to Part B, or if you are younger than 65 years of age and disabled and your premium-free Part A coverage ended because you returned to work. To enroll, you must call the Social Security office during the period that starts three months before you turn 65 and ends three months afterward. You can call the phone number provided in the "Medicare and You" handbook.

Late Penalty

• If you are not entitled to receive free Medicare Part A coverage, you must sign up for Part A when you first become eligible at age 65. If you do not enroll during this period, but decide to enroll later, you will be required to pay a late enrollment penalty. Your monthly premium will increase by 10 percent for a number of years, equaling twice the time you waited before enrolling in Part A after your eligibility started. For example, if you were eligible for two years and you did not enroll, the late penalty applies for four years.