Physical Wellness

How To Apply For Medicare: Enrollment Online Only Takes 10 Minutes

By Brian McNeill | Update Date: May 01, 2016 04:20 AM EDT

Everyone is aware of the rising cost of healthcare, especially for the young folks dealing with some sort of disability or the elderly. For both cases, proper medical care would require a lot of money though the financial burden could be eased a bit with the assistance of Medicare.

Medicare is a national social insurance program managed by the federal government and has been around since 1966. It is affiliated with about 30 private insurance companies in the United States which can cover up to 48% of medical bills if enrolled.

Depending on the gravity of one’s illness, such should be a big load off especially for the ones who are not financially well off. But to avail of this privilege, folks will have to do some preliminary work which has been made easy thanks to the fruits of technology.

Rather than heading on over to the nearest Social Security office, all folks have to do is log on to their website and sign up. The whole process will take only 10 minutes of one’s time though additional information may be asked for when needed.

Medicare is managed by the Centers for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS) and works closely with Social Security in the proper enrollment of individuals.

For the older folks, the ones aged 65 years old (or the ones within three months) can sign up via the online retirement application and then apply for retirement or spouces later on. Individuals who have existing Health Savings Accounts (HSA) from current employers can alternatively seek assistance from HR personnel or insurance company for aid.

It would be in the best interest of people to sign up and avail of the service as early as they can. This is mainly because it will affect the lifetime benefits one can get as well as the scope of the health insurance.

For the younger ones with disabilities, they are eligible for Medicare only if they are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. Once they stop receiving SSDI benefits, their eligibility under Medicare will also cease.

Once all the requirements have been satisfied using the online form here, all folks will have to do from there is wait for their card to come in via local mail. For those who have applied but are still in waiting, you can check your online status here.

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