If you’re getting ready for Medicare in Alabama, you need to be able to craft a solid plan for your coverage. The first step in the process is understanding when and how you’ll enter Medicare. From there, you can add some of the private Medicare Insurance plans available to help keep your out of pocket spending to a minimum. Find out what you need to know about Alabama Medicare eligibility requirements for 2023 plans in this short guide.

Eligibility Requirements For Alabama Medicare

You don’t want your entry into Medicare to sneak up on you. By knowing the rules of eligibility and entry, you’ll give yourself the maximum amount of time to craft your coverage plan. You’re eligible for Medicare if you are either a U.S. citizen or a permanent legal resident. If you qualify as a permanent legal resident, you must have resided lawfully in the U.S. for at least five years.

Now that you know you’re going to be eligible to get into Medicare at some point, we can review the rules about entering the program.

Most Americans enter Medicare at 65 or later. It’s possible, though, to enter the program earlier if you meet certain health or disability guidelines. You’ll enter Medicare early, no matter how old you are, if any of these apply to you:

• You’re diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
• You receive federal disability payments for 24 consecutive months
• You’re diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease

When any of these apply to you, you’ll be automatically enrolled into Parts A and B of Medicare; you won’t need to do anything to get this coverage.

If you don’t qualify for early entry due to your health or disability status, you’ll have a chance to enter Medicare when you turn 65. While you’ll probably have to enroll in Part A, the hospital insurance component of Medicare, you may want to delay taking Part B. You’d do this if you plan to keep working and you’re covered by your employer’s plan. As long as your employer has at least 20 employees, you should be able to delay Part B without a problem.

If you prefer to start Part B at age 65, or if you work for a small employer, you’ll have a seven month timeframe during which you can enroll. This window begins three months before your 65th birth month and ends at the end of the third month after you’ve turned 65. During this window, you can enroll in Parts A and B online, by phone, or at a Social Security office.

Adding Private Medicare Insurance Plans In Alabama

Most people choose to add at least one private Medicare Insurance coverage to their Original Medicare. You can do this during your initial enrollment into Medicare. You can enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan or standalone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) in Alabama at any age, even if you got into Medicare before age 65.

When it comes to Medicare Supplement Insurance, a private coverage that helps pay for many of the costs you’ll face when using Medicare, you’ll likely need to be at least 65 years old. While Alabama is one of the states that allow you to get Medicare Supplement coverage before 65, insurance companies aren’t required to offer this coverage to people who are in Medicare before 65. Because of this, there are very few Medicare Supplement Insurance options for people under 65 in Alabama. Those few options can be extremely expensive, too.

If you can’t afford a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan in Alabama before age 65, not to worry; you’ll have a chance to get this coverage as soon as you do turn 65. If you do, you’ll have access to the full slate of Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, and they’ll be much more affordable, too.

Now that you know about the Alabama Medicare eligibility requirements for 2023 plans, you should be able to make a plan for your coverage, whether you enter before age 65, at 65, or years later.