10-06-2021, 04:24 PM
I just went through this last month and spent a lot of time researching leading up to it.
The best people to answer questions about Medicare applications are Social Security 800-772-1213, they have more limited hours (7AM-7PM M-F). Call multiple times and ask the same questions a try to get the same answers three times in a row to be sure you're getting good info, In general I found them to be very competent.
The Medicare phone support (800-Medicare) is 24/7 coverage but they are more geared towards helping once you're enrolled, not with the enrollment process. And in many cases they would just read back text directly from the website and could not offer any interpretation of fine details of rules. Kind of like asking Siri for help.
If you both had Part A already then you're both over 65 and are applying for Part B under the "Special Enrollment Period". You're going to need two forms filled out CMS-40B and CMS-L564. The L564 form needs to be filled out by the employer to verify group health coverage dates.
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/cms-forms/c...s40b-e.pdf
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/C...-L564E.PDF
The timing rules for Part B under Special Enrollment for us was that it's coverage starts the 1st of the month following the month that we applied which was a few months after employment ended and we had COBRA. We applied Sept 1st and Part B became effective as of Oct 1st.
But it looks like for you it might start Oct 1st because you're applying during the month that you still have employer coverage. See the directions on page 3 of CMS-40B for this language.
The best people to answer questions about Medicare applications are Social Security 800-772-1213, they have more limited hours (7AM-7PM M-F). Call multiple times and ask the same questions a try to get the same answers three times in a row to be sure you're getting good info, In general I found them to be very competent.
The Medicare phone support (800-Medicare) is 24/7 coverage but they are more geared towards helping once you're enrolled, not with the enrollment process. And in many cases they would just read back text directly from the website and could not offer any interpretation of fine details of rules. Kind of like asking Siri for help.
If you both had Part A already then you're both over 65 and are applying for Part B under the "Special Enrollment Period". You're going to need two forms filled out CMS-40B and CMS-L564. The L564 form needs to be filled out by the employer to verify group health coverage dates.
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/cms-forms/c...s40b-e.pdf
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/C...-L564E.PDF
The timing rules for Part B under Special Enrollment for us was that it's coverage starts the 1st of the month following the month that we applied which was a few months after employment ended and we had COBRA. We applied Sept 1st and Part B became effective as of Oct 1st.
But it looks like for you it might start Oct 1st because you're applying during the month that you still have employer coverage. See the directions on page 3 of CMS-40B for this language.
You can sign up for Part B anytime while you have a GHP
coverage based on current employment or during the 8
months after either the coverage ends or the employment
ends, whichever happens first. If you sign up while you have
GHP coverage based on current employment, or, during the
first full month that you no longer have this coverage, your
Part B coverage will begin the first day of the month you
sign up. You can also choose to have your coverage begin
with any of the following 3 months. If you sign up during
any of the remaining 7 months of your SEP, your Part B
coverage will begin the month after you sign up.
NOTE: COBRA coverage or a retiree health plan is not
considered group health plan coverage based on current
employment.