The different pieces of Medicare help cover specific services.

• Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) covers:
  • Inpatient hospital stays
  • Care in a skilled nursing facility
  • Hospice care
  • Some home health care
• Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) covers:
  • Certain doctors' services
  • Outpatient care
  • Medical supplies
  • Preventive services
    
    

There are only certain times when people can enroll in Medicare. Depending on the situation, some people may get Medicare automatically, and others need to apply for Medicare. The first time you can enroll is called your Initial Enrollment Period.

Your 7-month Initial Enrollment Period usually:

• Begins 3 months before the month you turn 65
• Includes the month you turn 65
• Ends 3 months after the month you turn 65

Get an estimate of when you can enroll in Medicare
If you don’t enroll when you’re first eligible, you may have to pay a late enrollment penalty, and you may have a gap in your coverage.

Most people should enroll in Part A when they turn 65, even if they have health insurance from an employer. This is because most people paid Medicare taxes while they worked so they don’t pay a monthly premium for Part A. Certain people may choose to delay Part B.

In most cases, it depends on the type of health coverage you may have. Everyone pays a monthly premium for Part B. The premium varies depending on your income and when you enroll in Part B.

If you decide you want Part A and Part B, there are 2 main ways to get your Medicare coverage.

• Original Medicare
• Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO).

Some people get additional coverage, like Medicare prescription drug coverage or Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap). Most people who are still working and have employer coverage don’t need additional coverage.

Some people automatically get Part A and Part B. It’s important to find out if you’ll get Part A and B automatically. If you're automatically enrolled, you'll get your red, white, and blue Medicare card in the mail 3 months before your 65th birthday or your 25th month of disability. If you don't get Medicare automatically, you’ll need to apply for Medicare online.

Source: https://www.medicare.gov/people-like-me/new-to-medicare/getting-started-with-medicare.html

1. You must have Medicare Part A and Part B.
2. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can apply for a Medigap policy, but make sure you can leave the Medicare Advantage Plan before your Medigap policy begins.
3. You pay the private insurance company a monthly premium for your Medigap policy in addition to the monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare.
4. A Medigap policy only covers one person. If you and your spouse both want Medigap coverage, you'll each have to buy separate policies.
5. You can buy a Medigap policy from any insurance company that's licensed in your state to sell one.
6. Any standardized Medigap policy is guaranteed renewable even if you have health problems. This means the insurance company can't cancel your Medigap policy as long as you pay the premium.
7. Some Medigap policies sold in the past cover prescription drugs, but Medigap policies sold after January 1, 2006 aren't allowed to include prescription drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you can join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D).
8. It's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plan.

Medigap policies generally don't cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-duty nursing.

Some types of insurance aren't Medigap plans, they include:

• Medicare Advantage Plans (like an HMO, PPO, or Private Fee-for-Service Plan)
• Medicare Prescription Drug Plans
• Medicaid
• Employer or union plans, including the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP)
• TRICARE
• Veterans' benefits
• Long-term care insurance policies
• Indian Health Service, Tribal, and Urban Indian Health plans

If you decide to drop your entire Medigap policy, you need to be careful about the timing. You may want a completely different Medigap policy—not just your old Medigap policy without the prescription drug coverage. Or you might decide to switch to a Medicare Advantage Plan that offers prescription drug coverage.

You have to pay a late enrollment penalty when you join a new Medicare drug plan if:

• You drop your entire Medigap policy and the drug coverage wasn't creditable prescription drug coverage, or
• You go 63 days or more in a row before your new Medicare drug coverage begins

Source: https://www.medicare.gov/supplement-other-insurance/medigap/whats-medigap.html

If you have Medigap Plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M or N, your plan:

• Covers foreign travel emergency care if it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover the care.
• Pays 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 deductible for the year.

 Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime limit of $50,000.

Before you travel outside the U.S., talk with your Medigap plan or insurance agent to get more information about your Medigap coverage while traveling.

Source: https://www.medicare.gov/supplement-other-insurance/medigap-and-travel/medigap-and-travel.html