“Medicare Quick Bites” is your weekly treat of Medicare information. Hawaii SHIP has created these bite-sized lessons to help you understand this complex federal health insurance, thus “Making Medicare Digestible!” If you’ve missed the previous quick bites, they are also posted on our blog. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter to get your weekly delivery of Medicare Quick Bites! This week’s treat is General Enrollment Period.
Every year, from January 1st through March 31st, people can sign up for Medicare Part A (if they have to buy it) and/or Part B (for which you must pay monthly premiums) if they didn’t sign up during their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) and don’t qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Coverage will start on July 1st of the same year. Most often, a late enrollment penalty is added to the Part B premium, thus increasing the monthly cost. The Medicare Quick Bite for IEP was posted on September 9, 2021. The 2-part Medicare Quick Bites for SEP were posted on September 16 & 23, 2021.