Eligibility

• Medicare is available to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents age 65 or older. Others may also be eligible if they qualify for one of several reasons. These additional recipients include railroad retirement recipients, federal workers suffering from a disability and patients suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease or advanced kidney disease. It is a crime to submit false information to the Social Security Administration, which administers the Medicare program.
  
  

Enrolling

• For people who become eligible for Medicare at age 65, the earliest you can apply for Medicare is three months before turning 65. Medicare enrollment applications are available online at the Social Security Administration's website, or through the mail if you contact the administration by phone. You must complete the application in full by providing your name, Social Security number and up-to-date contact information.
  
  Some Medicare recipients receive automatic enrollment in Medicare. This group includes anyone who receives continuous benefits because of a disability prior to age 65. If you already receive benefits when it comes time to enroll you don't need to contact the Social Security Administration.
  
  

Medicare Parts

• Medicare coverage is divided into several sections known as Parts. Medicare Part A is free and standard for all recipients. Medicare Part A only provides insurance for hospitalization. When you enroll in Medicare you automatically receive Part A, and you have seven months to sign up for Part B. Part B provider general health insurance and charges a rate based on your level of income. The date on which you sign up for Part B determines how long you must wait for coverage to begin; for example, if you sign up five months after signing up for Part A, you must wait an additional two months before your Medicare Part B is active.
  
  Medicare also includes Part C, which extends hospitalization benefits, and Part D, which covers prescription drugs. Neither Part C nor Part D is free to all recipients. You can enroll in Part C or Part D once you already have Medicare Part A, but you must enroll between Nov. 15 and Dec. 31, which is the annual enrollment period.
  
  

Other Health Insurance

• If you have health insurance from another source, such as a previous employer's health care plan, you can still sign up for Medicare to provide additional coverage or reduce your out-of-pocket costs. Your insurance company can tell you what Medicare offers that they don't, and what benefits are not included in Medicare that might make it worthwhile to retain your current coverage. Although your current health insurance policies may help you decide which Parts of Medicare to sign up for, you do not need to disclose your existing coverage when you apply.